Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-03-08
KEEPER LIppINCoTr KILLED.

KEEPER LIPPlNC0TT KILLED.
Terrific Encounter With Burglar Wall
witE in the Trenton state Prison Fri
day Morning.
TRENTON, N j., Mar. 2.--Joseph
Wallwitz, alias John Malwitz, a burglar
serving 20.years' term In the State
prison, attempted to escape at 100
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 a man oflargo family.
No more daring or desperate attempt
on the part of a prisoner to get outside
of Jerseys great strong penal Institution
is chronicled in its history and the same
may be said of the ingenious character
of the effort.
Wallwitz is n Jersey City man. In
the spring of 1891 he robbed a house in
Union county, and it was then that he
received the 20-years sentence. 1t was
just 1,80 this morning when he emerged
from his cell in the west wing of the
prison and stood in the corridor. With
saws made Of watch and clock springs
he had manufactured tools of sufficiently
his cell doors. The bars are n inches
thick,
AWAITING THE TURNKEY.
Standing in front Of the cell he
awaited the presence Of any one of the
three turnkeys whose duty It is tc pace
the corridor hourly.ln moment Keeper
James Waters came along.
Like a flash Wallwitz sprang back
into his cell and instantly he was out
into the corridor again, this time with q
piece Of rope which he had cut from a
ventilator. With the rope he formed n
moose which he threw over Waters
head.
THE JAILER LAssoED.
Lassoed like an animal, Waters reeled
and feel and the convict bound him to
the floor, but not before Waters gave
an cutlery. His voice rang out in alarm
through the long, silent corrilor and
awakened hundred prisoners, some
Of whom also shouted.
Wallwitz, who had been bending 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.
THE ALARM SOUNDED,
This sounded an alarm bell in the
"centre," where Keeper James B. Lip
pincott was on duty The latter ordered
Keeper Francis Leonard who was some
where in the latter wing at the time TO
investigate but getting no response from
Leonard by signal, Lippincott himself
fastened toward the wing. In recess
or ante.room he took an iron bar out of
the door and with this in one hand and
a revolver in the other, he fastened on,
AIMED AND FIRED.
He had gone, however, only few
yards further when he came face to face
with Wallwitz. The sudden meeting
surprised the keeper, but not Wallwitz,
who aimed and fired without delay,
THE KEEPER KILLED.
In his left hand Wallwitz carried the
ugliest sllngshot ever seen In the prison.
There were no witnesses of the terrible
encounter that ensued and all that is
positively known is that the convict
killed Keeper Lippincott by shooting
him in the thigh and back, and that the
keeper wounded the convict slightly
with bullet from his revolver. Lippin-
colts skill was not quite perfect and his
bullet grazed Wallwitz's forehead.
THE SMOKING WEAPONS.
Both weapons were still smoking
when half dozen turnkeys arrived,
armed with revolverss guns and iron
bars. Wallwitz recognized the futility
OF any further attempt to escape but he
was not cowed. Raising his revolver
he fired twice into the bunch of turnkeys
but both balls lodged harmlessly in the
prison wall.
One of the keepers at the same instant
| fired at the prisoners heart and he fell.
Then no was pounced upon and his re-
volver and sling shot were taken away.
He had emptied five chambers of his
weapon, but beyond the Slight wound
in his forehead, inflicted bys the dead
Lippincott's bullet, he was himself I'm.
| harmed.
STRANGE ESCAPE FROM DEATH.
1t was found when he was got back
into his cell that he had padded his
clothes heavily with books and papers,
and that the bullet aimed at his heart
rested in roll Of newspapers, which
were wound fully three inches thick
about his body. Lippincott leaves a
wife and seven children.