New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-03
SHOT DOWN BY A CONVICT.
MURDER OF A PRISON-KEEPER
A STARTLING NIGHT TRAGEDY IN THE
STATE PRISON AT TRENTON.

DESPERATE AND CUNNING. But UNsUccEss-
FUL ATTEMPT OF PRISONER TO ESCAPE
CRIMINALS MARVELLOUS EXPLOIT
Trenton, March 2-Joseph wallwtz, alias John
Malwitz. burglar, serving a twenty-year term
in the State prison here attempted to escape
at 13O o'clock this morning and in his efforts to
secure his freedom shot and killed Deputy Keeper
James b. Lippincott, one Of the most trusted
under officials Of the prison and man with a
large family No more daring or desperate at.
tempt on the part of a prisoner to get outside OF
w-Jersey's strong penal institution is chloni-
cled in its history and the same may be SAID
Of the ingenious character of the effort. WALL
w!tz is a Jersey city man. In the spring OF
1891 he robbed a house in Union County and II
was then that he received his twenty-year sem
tence.
1t was just 13O o'clock this morning when he
emerged from his cell in the west wing OF the
prison and stood in the corridor. with the
aid Of watch and clock springs he had manu-
factured saws Of sufficiently good temper to file
through four bars of his cell doors. The bars are
2ia inches thick. Standing in front OF the cell,
he awaited the presence Of any one OF the three
turnkeys whose duty it is to pace the corridor
hourly In moment Keeper James Waters
came along Like flash Wallwitz sprang back
into his cell and instantly he was out in the
corridor again. this time with piece OF rope
which he had cut from Vehtlalor'
With the rope he formed a moose which
he threw over Waters's head Lassoed lAo
an animal Waters reelcd and fell, and ths
convict bound him to the floor, but not before
Waters gave an Outcry. His voice rang out IN
alarm through the long, silent corridor and
awakened a hundred prisoners. some OF whom
also shouted. Wallwitz, who had been oendins
over the PROSTATE form Of the keeper, quickly
arose and passed down the corridor Waters
managed to crawl to an electric button In one
Of the walls and pushed it, This sounded an
alarm bell in the centre" where Keeper james
u Ijnnncott was on duty. The latter called 10
Keeper Francis Leonard. who was somewhere
in the west wing the time to investigate
but getting no response from Leonard py sig
nal Lippincott himself FASTENED toward tHs
wing In a recess or ante-rOom, he took an iron
har ont Of the door and with this in one hand
+ and n revolver in the other he FASTENED on
He had gone, however. only a few yards l"'-
ther when he came face 70 face with NailNlN'
This sudden meeting with the prisoner. before
he had reached the part of the prison III wipc"
the trouble was supposed to be. surprised the
keeper. but not Wallwltz, who aimed ana hrea
without delay In his left hand Wal~itz car
ried the ugliest slungshot ever seen in. the
nrson In his right hand was a revolver ne
| had Wrenched from Keeper Waters. Ihere We
! no witnesses of the terrible encounter ina en-
sued and all that is positively known l. ia, III.
| the convict killed Keeper IAppincott py snoo',ns
| him in the thigh and back with Wa'.ts - ~
| volver and that the keeper wounded 'he con-
| yict SLIGHTLY with a bullet from MS fcNol'eI.
Ilppincott's aim was not quite perfect ane
his bullet only grazed Waliwitzs forehead , ooen
| weapons were still smoking when hal1 uonsn ~
| turnkevs arrived armed with revolvers guns
and iron bars Wallwitz recognized the futility
Of any further attempt 10 ESCAPE oSr S,od AZ vice
| not cowed. Raising his revolver ne nrea VIZ VIZ
/ into the group of turnkeys. but both pans
lodged harmessly in The prison wall. one oi
| the keepers at the same instant Hreu a' s une
rrisonor's heart and he fell Then he was
nounced upon and his revolver and slunssho'
rr,ere taken away. He had empued hve chaiI,
bers of his weapon put peyonu ue Sosd rinnin-
not,'s bullet. he was himself unharmed IL was
fnund when he was got back into his cen that
he had padded his clothes heaNily WIN ooIss GtS
, naners and that the bullet aimed at MS
%nort Tested i'm a roll of newspapers, whicn
were wound fully three inches thicK ABOUT i''
Ijnn,ncott leaves a wife and seven children
Tho nost-mortem examination upon his oody was
n,ade at the Morgue by County Physician ant
,rnu Who saws that the bullet strKlnS LpPln-
cott's thigh was the one when caused uedt H., ~.
Tinnincott was undoubtedly shot in the pacS
after he fell, and was writhinS IN 'he uea'p
aponv An inaues. will be held tomorrow ot
Monday to get all the facts in connection WIN @
tho affair on record. How WalwitZ got into
,,nssession Of the watch and clock springs with
which he sawed through the iron bars Of his
cell door was not explained az the prison tnls
morning except by saying that prisoners IN
innr cnnfnement have opportunities OF accumu-
latingbits Of iron and steel and II seems inipossi
bic to stop 1t altogether Prisoners boarding sucn
things are frequently discovered. and escapes
from the nrison are rare. The last that oc-
Cured happened four years ago. when two
colored convicts escaped by way or the corrlu9r
and big front doors Of the prison after sand
baCging and nearly killing a keeper Ine
Philadelphia police headed the fleeing conVicts
off in the outskirts Of that city. and shot one
NJ them dead The other is serving his extra
time for breaking out of the prison.