The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-19
R0DDER PERRY'S ESCAPE
Mystery Of the Mattewan Asylum Is
Finally Solved.
MISSIONARY IMPLICATED
MrY. Amelia Z. M0swclI, Of Troy. Is Ac.
cuscd OF being an Accomplish Of
the slippery Jail Bird-A
Strange Case.

Strange Case.
Poughkeepsie, Aug. 1S.-After months
of patient investigation the American
Express company, with the officials Of
the New York Central and Hudson
River Railroad company. the authori-
ties of Duchess county. and the Mat
teawan officials, haye solved the mys-
terry of the escape Of train robber OIL
YER Curtis Perry and convicts MCGUIRE,
Quigley. Davis and O'Donnell from the
MatteaWan asylum for the criminal in
sane in April laSN The solution In
wolves Mrs. Amelia f. Haswell, of Troy.
city missionary who Is highly es-
teemed In that city, which has been the
scene Of her evangelistic labors for sew
eral years, and William A. Hopkins, Of
Low Point, Dutchess county. a former
attendant at the Matteawan asylum
and man of good family. but very ir-
regular habits. Hopkins is now In
Dutchess county Jail, where he was
quietly incarcerated at about noon to-
day ON a warrant charging him with
aiding and abetting the commission of
felony. Mrs. Haswell has not been
arrested, as she Is out of the state, but
Chief Detective Humphrey. of the Hud-
son River railroad. says he has letters
from her to Perry and to Hopkins, and
copies Of letters to the same parties
fully showing her connection with the
case.
At the time of Perrys escape there
was general establishment expressed
that insane men could manage 50
cleverly to overcome the safeguards
put about them by the state. Hopkins
confession, which was made to Chief
Humphrey today, takes all the romance
out of the affair. Perry and his fellow
convicts did not make keys from
spoons. Hopkins left the lower lock
on McGuire's cell unfastened, and Nc
Guire, who Is a mechanic. unlocked the
upper bolts with keys fashioned with a
file from blanks purchased by Hopkins
at Newburg, and after he got out un-
locked the cells of Perry and the Others.
Pcrry's Damaging story.
After the capture of Perry and the
other fugitives last spring Detective
T. ]. Garvey, Of the American En-
press company. and Chief Detective
Humphrey, with the aid OF DIR. Allison,
of the asylum, set out to find the real
facts Of the affair. Hopkins had charge
of the isolation ward in which Perry
and the others were confined at the
charged on May / last, having been In
the asylum about year. Keeper
James c. Mcdonald was put In charge
of Perry, and the latter. having had a
taste of the sweets of liberty. held out
inducements to him to allow him to
escape. Mcdonald. under Allison's di-
rectiOns, humored Perry and led him
on. On April 2S Perry told story in
which he alleged that Mrs. Haswell
helped him plan the American Express
robbery between Little Falls and Utica
on Sept. 30, 1891, when he got away with
81, 900 in money and je'welry valued at a
number of thousands Of dollars. Perry
offered Mcdowell 5000 worth of jewelry
If he would furnish him with an impress
sion of the pass key, a small file, and
piece of iron with which to make key,
and also privately mail his letters to
Mrs. Has,well. Mcdowell pretended to
assent to this arrangement, and took
Perry's letters addressed to Mrs. Has
we'll to DIR. Allison, who had copies
Of them made.
Perry then told Mcdonald that Mrs.
Haswell had sent to Hopkins jewelry
valued at between $500 and $1,000 as a
brfbe to let him escape. The jewelry,
he said, consisted of diamonds, a gold
watch, ring. etc, part OF the proceeds
of the first American Express robbery.
The package containing It was mailed
to Hopkins by registered letter directed
to the postoffice at Glenham, where
Hopkins got 1t on Oct. 20 last. Hopkins
today confessed that de sold and
pawned the jewelry, realizing about
5000 on 1t. He failed to carry out his
agreement promptly, and as the fall
and winter wore on Perry got res tless
and threatened to expose him. 1t was
because Hopkins was afraid that the
story would get out that he went to
Newburgh and got blank keys, which
Mcclure fashioned into keys to fit the
upper locks on the cell door He could
not reach the lower locks from the in
side, and Hopkins had to make two
trips to Newburgh before he got the
right sort of blanks. MCGUIRE used
Hopkins Keys as model. Hopkins was
to leave a suit of clothes and pistol at
a pond near Brinckerhoff's race track.
where Perry could get them after his
escape, but he failed to do so, which
incensed Perry against him, and after
his return to the asylum he made fire.
quent inquiries for Hopkins, who was
shortly thereafter discharged for intox-
cation. Perry's father and Mrs. Has
well wrote letters to Hopkins through
the Low Point postoffice. upbraiding
MIN Tor his breach OF faith, which
letters were traced by the detectives
and confirmed their impression of his
guilt.
Hopkins Weakened.
Saturday District Attorney George
Wood, Chief Detective Humphrey and
Detective Garvey visited Low Point
District Attorney Wood entered into
the quest with zeal, and did patrol
work up and down the railroad track
with the detectives until Hopkins was
In custody. At first he would confess
nothing. Then Chief Humphrey took
him In hand and told him that he was