Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-08-18
ABETTED A FELONY.
William 4. Hopkins Is Locked Up In
Poushkeepsie Jail.
AIDED TRAIN-RODBEH fE""i
Admits His Guilt md duplicates
Woman Who Posed ms Miss'"H
orx-IIow Perry's Escape WINS
brought About.

POUGHKEEPSIE. n. Y. August H.
William A. Hopkins. a well-kno"h 'es'-
dent of Low Point, is locked up III 'n'S
city on the charge or aiding anu "oe'-
ting 4 commission of a felony In bring
ing about the escaDe OF Iraln-hop"o'
Perry and five other convicts from the
Nat,eawan asylum last April. Hopkins
has admitted his guilt, ana ihpi'oa'eS
Mrs. Amelia UasweN, Troy "oni'"'
who poses as missionary ana '''ei'
OF Perry's. in the plot TO let the men
escane. Mrs. Haswell is now at ocean
Grove. She will be arrested. ana rs
Jo,Lins has EXPRESSED 10 Distrlct-Attor-
ney Woods his willingness to turn o'a'e
evidence the officials expect to convict
the woman and land her In prison
Itonk,ns Is about - years OF age ana
va.s a keeper in the Matteawan NH9
WHOM Perry was aIn.--:ed there the Two
men got acquainted, but what neso.''
tions passed between mem since - ny
known. At any rate, on p,'oDc'
last. Hopkins received through '"o
ham post-office a package con'dll'l.' >
diamonds. a gold watch. and various aru-
nlSe Of iewerv the estimated value OF
,ha lot being $500. The package came
from frs. Haswell. the Troy mission
orv" and as the authorities have since
learned was given - Hopkins In con-
eideration OF his agreement 10 aid Perry
70 escape .
Hopkins turned the jewelry Into cash'
hut IL is said. realized less than >gv ior
the lot. The jewelry was part OF mat
which Perry got in the first American
express robbery at Utica, and when ne
turned over 90 this Troy friend, Mrs.
Haswell, before he was arrested. Al'er
Perry's transfer to Matteawan, Mrs. Has
we'll visited him many times. ana no one
suspected that she was anything but the
missionary that she claimed 70 BE-. she
brought penny Bibles and religious
papers. and the traln-robber called her
mother" and told those about him how
much good she was doing him spiritually.
MODELS FOR KEYS.
Hopkins furnished materials for Perry
and the other cOnvicts to make into
keys. and allowed his own keys 70 be
used as models. He also unlocked one
Of the two locks on the cell-doors on the
night Of the escape.
1t seems that by the agreement between
Perry and Hopkins. the latter was 10
a.
at hand at the Brinckerhoff race-track.
where the train-robber could find them
after he escaped Hopkins. however,
failed 10 keep this part Of the agreement.
AMI Perry. after his return 20 Matteawan,
was highly incensed against the keeper
for not doing SO. lie made repeated at
tcmpts 20 reach Hopkins. but the latter
had in the mean time been relieved from
the asylum for intoXication
Then Perrys father and Mrs. Haswcll
wrote several letters TO Hopkins. through
the Low Point post-ofllce. demanding the
return Of the valuables claiming that the
ex-kceper's failure to leave the clothes
and pistol at tn pond had been the cause
Of Perry's recapture. These letters were
important clues IN fixing Hopkins's guilt
Perry was no, content 10 remain az
Mattoawan after once having tested the
sweets Of liberty. and opened negotiations
with Keeper James c. Mcdonald 10 aid
him to escape. That was where Perry
made a mistake, for Mcdonald reported
the matter 80 the superintendent. letrc-
tiyes were put on the case. and the arrest
followed.