The morning call., 1893-10-29
A. FAkIR FOILED.
::
-
Sensational Yarn About
the County Jail.
1T WAS A NARROW ESCAPE.
The Chief Jailer, His Deputies and
McNulty lndignant-How News
Is Manufactured.
1T WAS A NARROW ESCAPE.

Chief Jaiier Fitzpatrick of the County
Jail on Broadway and his Deputies were
amazed yesterday morning when they read
a sensational fake" story in one of the
edailIes about an attempt Of prisoners tn
escape.
John McNulty, the condemned mur-
: derer. also saw the story, and was not only
amazed but indignant The article COM
menees: 1t is due entirely to John Me-
Nuty that there are not large number of
convicted fel0ns roaming the streets of
this city to-day"
"It is too bad" said McNulty yester-
day, that such lie should be told about
me. l knew nothing about any attempt to
escape, and the first l knew about it was
when read it in the paper this morning
Now all the other prisoners are down upon
me, as they look upon me as a stool-pigeon.
. wish you would put it right for me. How
could l know anything about it when my
cell is on the opposite side of the corridor
from cell Z, where the attempt is said to
have been made, and several doors further
east?"
>: Jailer Fitzpatrick was indignant. and
: refused at first to say anything about the
alleged attempt to escape.
:: IT'S all nonsense" he said. "Why, man
alive, any prisoners on that row who
wanted TO escape would have to bore
:through a solid brick wall four bricks thick,
and after boring through it they would
:, find themselves face to face with another
brick wall of equal thickness. just go and
see for yourself"
- A visit was made to cell and Jailer
FNzpatrick's statement was found to be
correct. Outside the solid brick wall is q
,passage-way of about three feet with the
thick brick wall of the adjoining building
at the other side of the passage and al the
:: Hinckley-alley end solid brick wall abou ut
thirty feet high.
- In the fake story it is said, speaking of
:the escape: 1T was TO occur in the fore
:.'n6On. when all the prisoners were enjoy
ing their promenade. The short-time men
=. and u few others who had no desire to 60
were 10 gather IN crowd and create a
.dstur bance. Then while the attention Of
=: the jailers was attracted to them those in
the plot 10 escape were to slip into cell T.
: out through the hole into the alleyway be-
= tween the prison building proper and the
!: fence which surrounded it and scale the
:: latter and disappear. In order to make
disappearance possible confederates were
=. to be. stationed on the outside provided
= with carriages into which the escapes
were TO be crowded. Plans for hiding
-: away majority of them had already been
laid"
When all the prisoners are enjoying their
- promenade, ali the cell-doors are locked. so
:. that it would have been utterly impossible
:.for the prisoners ito slip into cell Z. out
through the hole into the alleyway be-
tween the prison building proper and the
:fence which surrounded it and scale the
=:;latter and disappear" TIE fence is not a
:: fence. but brick wall thirty feet high.
and it would be a difficult feat to scale it..
:; The only ground for the fake" story is
=: that the two prisoners in cell Z, Amos, a
:. colored man. and Kelly. who had a duel
= recently with George Upson, the bogus
:lQttery ticket man, bad taken the handle
-:from q galvanized bucket in their cell,
forced open three short pieces in the floor
ling and'scooped about bucketfui OF earth
from underneath the floor. Then they
.:::styuck the rocky foundation of the jail and
= ceased their labors. The absence of the
:handle of the bucket was noticed next
: morning and the prisoners confessed what
:they had done with it.