The Washington times., 1895-05-19
WaShingfOn'S Old Jail
$: and lis Pirsf Prisoner
In the Alley Back of Police Headquarters 1t Has
Weathered the Storms of Century-A
Murderer First Tenanted 1t.

land avenues. On the day appointed for
his execution he was taken from the jail to
the galIows In cart and placed on the
platform. From there he delivered an
address to the assembled witnesses, at the
conclusion of which he jumped Off the plat
form with the moose around his neck, be-
fore the black cap could be drawn over bis
head.
The priest who attended his last mo-
ments shouted out to him: ''AIcGirk, don't
hang yourself - and the haDgman made an
Intellectual effort to get him back on the
platform again, but succeeded only in get
ting bis feet upon it his body still swaying
off.
McGirk managed to get off again, and
while hanging thus some one ran up the
gallows steps and cut the rope, The muir
derer fell in a heap at the foot of the scat
fold and after a few convulsiye struggles
died.
BURIED IN THE QUAGMIRE.
McGirk's body was taken in the cart that
had borne him to the scafrold to Holneads
graveyard and buried there, in spite OF
the protests of citizens. Later some took
up the remains ard buried them outside
the graveyard The friends Of McGirk
s were very indignant at this, and for some
time great excitement prevailed. The body
was dsinterred couple more times, after
water turned over the spot Such was the
end of the first murderer of tile District.
After the sentence of death was carried
out on MCGrk the criminal element in
Washington subsidized for a while, and
only an occasional fugitive slave or
subject fer shower bath treatment was
confined in the JAIL A year later the
new Jail was erected, and at the same time
an act OF council authorized Mayor Brent
to appoint a superintendent of police and
four constables.
A whipping post was also established at
the new laii, and ali negroes caught out
without PASS after the hour of 10 O'Clock
at night had sounded on the fire bells,
arrested and flogged. Every guardhouse
was also provided with whipping post, and
very frequently the negroes were not
taken TO jail to be punished.
In 1924 a prominent employe of the
Treasury Department was arrested for
forgery and convicted. He was sentenced
to a term of years in the local penitentiary,
and pror to the time set for taking him
there was confined in the new jail
AT his trial he had been defended by
member OF Congress from Louisiana and
after his conviction every effort possible
was made to obtain pardon without
avail. A few days before he was to
have been placed i'll the penitentiary,
however, it was discovered that he hadmade
his escape and most vigorous search
failed to locate him.
CONGRESSMAN HIS ACCoMPLICE.
Inyestig alton into the affair showed
that the Congressman had been impli-
Gated in the convicts escape, and he was
promptly hauled up be fore the grand
jury and indicted for the offense. But
for some mysterious reason he was never
brought to trial.
The new jail was used until 1888, when
a tail building was erected on the north
east corner of Judiciary Square. This,
from the form and color, became known
as the blue jug, and was used until the
erection of the present structure in the
eastern part of the city about twenty
years ago.
After the use of the old building as a
jail was discontinued 1t was turned into
dwelling house for colored people. In