The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1892-02-12
ESCAPED THE HANeMAN.

Frederick q. FttxsimHnons, the Escaped
Murderer I'm Pittsburgh. Pa, Eludes
the Hangmmn's Moose by Committing
Suicide I'm the Parish Prison at New
Orleans-His Last Letter and Plea for
lila Wife.
NEW ORLEANS, Feb 5.-FrederlclS C.
Fitzsimmons. alias Ambrose G. Budd
and several other names, who was ar
rested here Tuesday night. charged
with murder and theft in Pittsburgh.
Pa, cut his throat with penknife, at
IL o'clock yesterday morning, in a cell
mt the parish prison He died at l
o'clock this morning.
Fitzsimmons left long letter adj
dressed to c. III. Fitzsimmons, William
Pitzsimmons, Chief of Police Caster,
the press and citizens of New Orleans,
in which he says:
The sunny south and the Crescent city carry
none but the most pleasant recollections in my
memory i have pursued crime with its fatal
consequences; my liberty is again jeopardized,
and as liberty OF death Is paramount I'm my
mind, prefer the latter TO Imprisonment, dis
grace, slow death and dragging further in the
mire the good name of honorable and respected
relatives. Ny beloved wife Is the daughter OF
one Of New Orleans once popular and re-
spected citizens. MY wife, Lucy Rebecca
Fitzsimmons, was improperly convicted at the
second degree through the testimony of per-
juring detective and perjudiced jury and judge,
and Ia still in imprisonment Knowing that
am about TO hurl myself into eternity,
| solemnly swear that my wife Is innocent. ef-
| fected my escape from 1.-THE Allegheny county
| Jail because / foresaw conviction before the
| trial began The bright, sunny atmosphere sur
rounding my soul is replaced by gloom and
sad heart that only death can alleviate.
Fitzsimmons. after writing the latter
yesterday morning, jumped into bed,
| threw a blanket over his head and APP
parently went to sleep. Half an hour
later one of the attendants in the jail
heard him grooming, and on going to
the bed, found Fitzsimmons had slashed
his throat three times while under the
| blanket. and seemed to be dying from
| the loss of blood.
The wound in The dying burglars
4 throat was fully two inches deep, ex-
tending from ear to ear. Surgeons were
at once called in by the prison officials,
and they set to work to save his life.
although they announced that the task
| was hopeless
| Detectives Finney and Murphy, who
were awaiting the arrival of requisition
papers to take Fitzsimmons back to
| Pittsburgh, were much surprised when
informed of the suicide. They knew
the nerve of the man, but did not sus-
pect that he would attempt to take his
own life. att
The capture of Fitzsimmons was
made on the night of January 81. The
Pittsburgh officers located him here,
and Detective Finney, of that city
came on to identify and take him.. He
! apprised the local officers of his plans,
and told them of the desperate charac-
ter of the criminal he was after. Fin
ney knew the escaped murderer by
sight, but was not known to the latter.
Holmes And erson, who was acquitted
of another murder, and who occupied
the cell adjoining Fitzsimmons, before
his escape last September from the
Allegheny city prison, gave the Pitts
burgh police the clew to F1tZsimmons'
whereabouts. On account of the des-
perate character of.the murderer it was
not deemed advisable to attempt to take
him when he might be on his guard.
Besides he was constantly in the COM
pany of some of the worst crooks of
the south. He was masquerading in
the role of peddler, and went through
the streets of New Orleans daily dis
posing of his wares
Sunday night Detective Finney de-
cided to take his man at all hazards.
fortune favored him, and during the
day Fitzsimmons entered a cigar store,
where he expected to meet Anderson.
The detective was on him in an instant,
and pinioning his arms to his side,
placed pair of handouts over the
murderer's wrists and conducted him
to one of the city police stations. There
he was searched. and three revolvers
and copies of the Pittsburgh papers
containing an account of his escape
from Jail were found upon his person.
Some cigarettes found on Fitzsim-
mons are the exact counterpart of those
smoked necessarily by the murderer
while confined in the Allegheny county
Jail prior to his sensational escape.
They were made by himself and
wrapped in n very peculiar blue paper,
and some of these cigarettes were left
by the prisoner when he escaped from
Jail. They have since been in the pos
session of the officers and were consid-
cred very valuable link to the chain
of identification.
Fitzsimmons was at the head of a
desperate gang of thieves who operated
in various parts of the country, but had
their headquarters near Pittsburgh
and were known as the Uniontown
gang. Several women operate with
| them
FitZsimmons was wanted last March
for numerous burglaries, and when
found in his hiding place by Detectives
Gillxinson and Murphy terrible battle
ensued Gill1inson was shot dead and
Murphy was badly wounded. Fitzsim-
mons also received bullet in his body
and escaped for a time, but was finally
captured by the Homestead police.
Murphy's condition was for long time
4 critical.
/ David III. Gilkinson was at one time
a member of the United States secret
service, and he had national reputa-
/ ton.
Fitzsimmons escaped from the county
| Jail in Pittsburgh before his case came
| to trial.
| Lucy, the robbers wife, is serving a
twelve-year sentence in the Pennsyl
vania state prison for her completely in
the killing of Gilkinson.
4 On the Move for the Final Assault on Gar
1