The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-03
FERDINAND WARD FREE.
BE WAS THE MOST FAMOUS CON-
VICT ON THIS CONTINENT.

ASAN Ing III 0bNA " OhOhS4 ~
Wards Crime,
from the Neto YORK Herald May |.
Forth from Sing Sing prison yesterday
came Ferdinand Ward.
Behind him lay thirty nine years of ruined
career. Scattered over the pathway of the
last twelve years Of these were successes be-
widering and failures astounding, wrecked
lives, ruined fortunes weeping widows and
orphans, an illustrious name almost dragged
in the mire and the days OF Its great and
patriotic wearer shortened, the disgrace OF
the prisoners dock. and after that six years
and half of hard labor and striped suit
behind cold stone walls.
Everywhere that the story OF Grant &
Ward was known the words were repeated:
Ward gets out to-day
Rich men once, who can now rub but a
few dollars together in their pockets, re-
peated it bitterly Rich men now, who had
profited through the wonderful financial
schemes Of the erstwhile young Napo-
! leOn,n must have repeated them retro
| spectively and with some uneasy thoughts.
Ferdinand Ward was coming out.
1t was byword with the Sing Sing
hackmen from daybreak, and it was the
greatest event WHICH has OCCuFTeQ III Tue
| prison for long time, barring the electrical
killings, v hen Warden Brown shook hands
with his Sl6,OOO,0O0 prisoner and opened
| the door for him.
Ferdinand was out. He stood in front of
the prison in the brilliant sunlight free
man, spc and span in a new and well fitting
suit, much the same Ward to all appear
ances who had retired from the world on
Oct 80, 1885, two days after his convection.
| Natx vnaF nka -, bal
| him! Wife dead these two years. Father
dead. Mother dead. Nobody left but a
little lad whom he had not seen since he was
baby Of months in long dresses, sister
and brother. And, if his words lie true,
as poor to-day as when be first came TO this
city with $500 in his pocket.
LAST HOURS IN PRISON.
Wards prison life ended at Ssh o'clock
in the morning. He had received FOR good
behavior a Communication allowance OF three
| years and a half.
| HIS last days work in prison was as hard
as any other. When he first entered Sing
Sing he was put to work In the stove de-
| partmeat. He shoveled ashes and cinders
physically FRUSTRATED. Then he was put to
polishing castings.
1t was his own idea to establish print
| ing office in the prison. There is much
| printing to be done for that institution The
various departments need special stationery,
and there are blanks for statements and re-
ports There was an old hand press in the
prison owned by Perry q Co., the stove
contractors Ward got hold of that. He
had worked in printing Office as boy,
and had been the publisher Of a country
weekly. This familiariZed him with the
art somewhat, and now the Sing Sing print
ing Office consists OF a steam press, a treadle
press and quite large assortment Of type.
All the printing for the prison is done
there.
Ward on Friday "kicked off" s. 900 blanks
on the treadle press-rather Il good days
| work. To do this he got up at $3.50 o'clock
in the morning. went TO work at O'Clock
and continued until II 40 o'clock. when he
knocked Off for dinner. He resumed
| work at O'clock and continued until 4:3O
o'clock, when he took his supper and went
to his cell, No. l3l, third gallery.
WARDS TRANSPORTATION.
The ex-fnancier did not sleep very much
Friday night. His thoughts we're too full
of what the morrow was to bring The
morrow brought first Of all the call at $3.50
o'clock. Ward arose and donned his striped
suit for the last time. He carried out his
slop bucket just as the other convicts did,
and had the usual breakfast of corned beef
hash. When a man has corned beef hash
365 times year for six years and half it
is likely TO pail on HIM somewhat, and
w ard ate sparingly.
Presently the convicts formed in line for
the "lockstep march, to work. Ward wac
not in the line. A keeper soon summoned him
from his cell and conducted him to the
Estate office" Here he found four other
, men. He knew their faces and probably
their names, but he did not speak to them.
One was h burglar, the other three were
ordinary thieves. Their time was up too.
Ward was handed new suit of clothes
which had been sent to him by his relatives,
and was to dress himself for the outer world.
The other convicts were handed suits which
were of coarser material They were prison
made and were presented to them by the
state.
1t did not take the ex-flnancier long ia
dress himself. He came from his cell look
ing like different man. His suit was a
light material with very fine check. He
had fine calfskin Shoes His overcoat was
of a steel color and fitted to perfection. He
had very decidedly doctorish or vicarish
| appearance. He wore turned down collar
and black cravat without pin in it. His
| gold trimmed eyeglasses dangled from a
black cord around his neck. His watch
chain was a short one Of plated braid aud
he wore black derby hat.
Let any one who saw Ferdinand Ward
| going down TO his office on the morning of
| May 5, 1885, intent on raising $l50,00O
| which he was to add to the Sl5O,0OO which
| Gen. Grant had borrowed from Mr.. Wander
bit and stave off the trouble, make his ap-
pearance Danish the look of anxiety and
add the palIor of fearful illness without
its attendant emaciation, and he will have
| a mental picture of Ferdinand Ward a. he
| appeared yesterday.
GIVEN BACK HIS MONEY.
Before going downstairs Ward was
weighed. The Herald records that he
the 'lockstep march" for the first time, or
weighed at the end Of his term about Ia
| pounds.
Leaving the state Office Ward went down
| stair to the clerks Office Assistant Super.
! intendent of Prisons Baker was in the
! wardeu's office at the time, but die not meet
! Ward. Warden Brown and Principal
| Keeper Connaughton greeted him cordially
| Before that all the newspaper men were
! asked TO leave the office, and took up their
stand on the outer edge of the roadway
| with a line of guards between them
! Clearly Warden Brown was going to make
it as easy as possible for the released prls-
| Oner.
/ There were formalities to be gone through
with in the clerks office. Ward, when be
entered the prison, mad $3.50 dollars IN pa.
| per and several dollars in silver. This had
been put in d safe, carefully docketed with
name and date, II was returned to him
and be signed receipt. The state allows
each prisoner SO in cash, under the Fassett
L = 4.