The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-01
THE MURDERER IN PRISON.
How the Guilty Crank spent the Day
Talks Some.


Harrison, is now locked in a cell in
/ the county Jail. He was carried around
4 the city all day by the police, and
bars did not close behind him until
3 o'clock this afternoon. Early this
morning he was carried fIor1 The Cen
trail station to East Chicago-ave. sta
| ton, where he was locked for an hour
or two. At 10 o'clock he was driven to
| the Harrison residence on Ashland
boulevard, and remained there during
the inquest Then he was taken back
to the Central station and finally lodged
| in the county Jail, where he will re-
main until his case is finally disposed Of
Throughout the day he maintained
the same stolid demeanor which char
acterized him all through, except on
| the occasion of his surrender to Sergt.
Mcdonald at Desplaines-st. station. He
still sticks to the story that he killed
the mayor for no other reason than that
he was not made corporation counsel
and insists that he had an entire right
to act as he did. He is undoubtedly
sincere in both his story and his opin-
ion regarding his crime. When taken
to the Jail this afternoon Prendergast
seemed absolutely Indifferent to his
surroundings and situation.
A very complete search was made Of
his clothing at the JAIL but nothing was
found excepting 81 in money. While
! the formality of delivering the prisoner
to the Jail authorities was in progress,
Prendergast occupied himself in lac
ing up his shoes, which had been re-
moved for the purpose of searching
him. He was then conducted to cell IL.
1t was occupied at the time by Jung
Jack Lee. the Chinaman who is under
life sentence for the murder of his
cousin, and another Chinaman named
Tom Long awaiting trial for larceny.
The Cinnamon were transferred and
Prendergast locked up.
Cell No. IL is an historic cell. being
the one which contained Lingg, the an
archist, when he committed suicide.
DR.. Scudder was also an occupant of the
same cell when he caused his own
death by taking morphine.
Prendergast Talks.
While the cell was being examined
] Prendergast sat down on a bench in
| the cage. He frightened up and en-
| tered into a conversation with Clerk
| Price. He did not seem inclined to
| talk about his crime, but asked to see
| the papers. Parts of the Sunday pa
| pers were handed him, but none of
them contained the local news sheets.
Prendergast quickly noticed this and
! asked for the account of the murder.
| This was handed to him and he read
! down the columns in an apparently me
| chanical manner. Then he dropped the
| papers and said: 81 did my duty" re-
| peating this sentence several times. He
then relapsed into silence and would
say nothing more.
After entering the cell he threw him.
self on the bed, clasping his hands be-
| hind his head. Clerk Price then sent
to the Jail kitchen and ordered dinner
for Prendergast. as he had expressed
| himself to be hungry. The regular Jail
dinner was brought to him, consisting
of soup, roast beef and vegetables
| Prendergast ate everything that was
| given him, and then lit a cigar, and
was inclined to talk.
Il am very tired" he said, having
| been bothered so much by so many peo-
pie today. l feel greatly relieved as
| great strain is off my mind. / have done
my duty and L think the majority of the
| people will be on my side. / shall get
clear 1 do not mind the physical con-
finement at all, and my mind is now
clear"
What was your reason for killing the
mayor" was asked.
Prendergast replied emphatically: 'I
was to have had the position of CORPORA
| ton counsel. but he played false TO me
and 1 only did right in killing him.
did not know that / had fired three shots
at him until I read 1t in the papers.
was Of the opinion that fired two shots
at the mayor. / fired another shot as L
went away TO prevent anyone from fol-
lowing me, as l expected a crowd to fol-
low me-
Did Mr.. Harrison say anything to you
when you met him in the house?''
Prendergast replied
NO; 1 drew my revolver and fired.
After the first shot Mr.. Harrison shout
ed. Murder but | did not hear hira say
| anything else. ran away pretty quick
ly and caught street carr
Here Prendergast claimed he was tired
and refused to talk any more.
Clerk Price and Jailor Gould were sure
| they had seen Prendergast before, Price
| being positive that he had been an in
mate of the jail on a previous occasion,
| but neither could remember when he had
been in the jail before.
Recognized as IA Crank.
ST knew Eugene Patrick Prendergast
very WELL" said Brother Baldwin Of ST.
when / read the awful story in the
papers this morning recognized in
Prendergast one of our former pupils
I was not surprised that he committed
so infamous a crime.
For some years 1 have believed him
70 be a crank, and for two years we have
not allowed him TO visit the academy.
| Like many Of our old pupils. he had
been In the habit Of calling occasionally
at the academy. From the first visit he
made we saw that there was a screw
loose I'm his head. He would insist
upon extolling Henry George and elab-
Grating the single tax philosophy in the
tangled form In which II existed I'm his
| brain. Often I'm the midst of a sentence
| he would seem to forget his subject
/ and fly Off to some other issue or scheme
| OF a visionary character. He became a
nuisance. and. as he never sought adj
vice but insisted upon giving II. 1 told
him several times that he must not
| come about the academy and annoy me
i with his fancies. He persisted I'm max
/ ing his visits more frequent and grew
more boisterous and violent In his mar
angues, until gave orders to the porter
not TO admit him.
do you think him insane?''
81 am entirely ignorant OF his career
during the past two years. IL might be
possible that his cranky notions have
led him up to insanity. AS | know him,
he was simply a crank and an intermin-
/ able bore"
What were his characteristics at
I SCHOOL,"
| came here at the age Of fourteen or fif-
teen years and was with us two wears.
He was not bright. but plodder."