The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-08-22
SING SING CONVlCTS SHOT.
An Attempt to Escape Costs One
His Life-Wiid Alarm.

An Attempt to Escape Costs One Man
His Life-Wiid Alarm.
SING SING. n. Y, %, 1S92.-A daring but
unsuccessful attempt to escape from Sing
Sing Prison was made by two convicts at
one O'Clock this morning. The two were
long-term prisoners. One was shot
dead.
Thomas Walsh and Charles Vincent oc-
cupied one cell in the main prison and
worked together in the State shop doing
Saturday they brought with them to
their cell heavy pair of shears
from the State shop in which they were
employed. They worked all day Sunday
with the shears aud succeeded in destroy
ing the sheet iron which encrcIes the
lock of their cell, and thus were enabled
to open their cell door.
About fifteen minutes to one O'Clock
this morning. they boldly ventured out
into the gallery and started tor Night
for Night Guards Post and Mccormick,
who were stationed there.
Post was the nearest to the prisoners,
and they engaged him in a terrible stug-
gle, during which one of the convicts bit
finger off his right hand. They then
threw him from the gallery to the ground.
sixteen feet below. his body striking on
the hard pavement. He was severely in
jured, ana WAS brought to DR.. Collard's
TO have his injuries attended to.
In the struggle the convicts secured
Watchman Posts rifle and started for the
window at the north end of the prison,
adjoining the Warden's residence. Walsh
reaching it first and Vincent following
closely, at the same timc firing yolley
from Watchmau POSTS rifle at Night
Guard Mccormick, who was at the op-
posite end of the gallery. The bullets,
however, did not hit him.
As Vincent was about to squeeze him :
self through the window, his confederate
having successfully liberated himself.
Officer Mccormick returned the fire. the
bullet taking effect in Vincent's abdo-
men, killing him Instantly.
In the meantime, Viucents fellow
prisoner. having made his way through
the window. slid down the water pipe in
front of the Warden's house and made
for the south end of the prison wall, when
an ofheer was detailed to pursue him aud
reached the sceae as he was making for
the hill leading to Sing Sing village.
The officers fired four shots. one of them
taking effect in Walsh's leg, and he
dropped TO the ground and was brought
back to the prison.
He was placed in the hospital and his
injuries attended to Dy the prison Dhysi-
clan.
The dead body Of Vincent was taken
from the window at which he was shot
and placed in the dead-house of the hos
pital. His friends in New York were
notified by the prison officials, but no
word has yet been received from them as
to whether they intend to claim his body
or not.
The whole village was much agitated
over the affair, and the 1000 prisoners
confined within the prison walls set up a
yell that could easily be heard a mile
away. The majority of them did not
know what had happened; but when
the prison bell was rung to arouse
the officers living in the village the
convicts thought the prison was on fire
and their lives were in danger, and they
became almost frantic.
Walsh and Vincent were both long
term convicts. and were sentenced from
New York by Recorder Smyth. They
were serving fifteen and ten years. SEN
tence respectively.