Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1896-02-20
LINE JACK SHEPPARD.
The Unique Jail Jumping Rec
ord of John Mahony.
WAS A TERROR IN HIS YOUTH.

Learned Lessons OF Crime In the House of
Refuge and Devoted His Life TO Getting
Into Jail and Out Again Many Daring
Escapes.
One of the most remarkable careers In
the criminal history of this country is
that of John Mahony, alias Mahanoy, who,
because of his numerous escapes from pris-
ons and penitentiaries, gained for himself
the sobriquet Of the American Jack Shep-
pard. Mahony became known to the police
officials of nearly every big city in the
country. but was especially active in New
York, Boston and Philadelphia. He has
been a prisoner in the penitentiaries of
half n dozen states, however, and has made
his escape from more tight places probably
than any other American criminal.
While serving IA five year term in
Charlestown. Mass, Mahony wrote a long
and interesting account of his career, and
told in detail the causes which led him
into evil ways This article was written
in 1870, when Mahony was but 26 years
old, but ne had already had long expert
ence in crime. 1t shows that he could
handle a pen with almost as much facility
as he could IA jimmy.
1t seems that Mahony was born bad.
| As a schoolboy he was habitual truant
and a terror to his teachers. The son Of
the teacher of French boarding school
On Long Island gave him his first lessons
| In iniquity and taught him TO chew to-
| baccO.
He was an apt pupil in wickedness and
soon became too bad for the boarding
school, His mother, who was "A widow
| and lived in New York, sent him to the
house of refuge in that city Instead of
reforming him, this institution proved TO
| be for him, as it was for many other bad
! boys, sort of preparatory school for Grim
| inals Mshony met there boys who were
| older and more wicked than himself, and
| he acquired much knowledge of u criminal
nature.
His mother transferred him to "a private
| institution of a better character, but the
managers there could not keep him shut
| up. He filed the iron shackles which they
put on his ankles and escaped with n reg
nlarity that was discouIaging
Mahony was sent back TO the house of
| refuge, where hu says he was treated with
great cruelty. Taking the first chance
that offered he left the refuge and wan
| dered to Five Points, New York where
| he met some graduates Of the refuge, and,
under their tutorship, commenced to steal
for living, His mother periodically per
suaded him TO abandon his evil ways and
return home, but he would regularly fall
from grace and 90 back TO stealing.
He finally fell i'm with a notorious thief
| known as Italian Dave, who gave him
| practical instruction in the gentle arts of
burglary, sneak thieving and highway
robbery He assisted in the robbery Of
stores and residences and took hand in
waylaying men at night on the streets
| He was at last arrested and held as wit
ness against Italian Dave, but managed
to escape from the house of detention as
often as he was rearrcstod.
After fObbing "a iewery store in New
Jersey he was 1ught and put in the ia
nous old Tom prison. This had always
been considered "a safe prison, but Mahony,
though only a boy, did not have much
trouble in getting out Of it, He picked
the lock OF his cell door and crawled
through the bars of "a window opening on
the street.
After this exploit he remained in hiding
at the home of Il relative on Long Island
for few months, but committed bur
glary in the ncighborhood and barely
avoided arrest. He went next To Jersey
City, where he was promptly arrested, and
as promptly escaped from Jail. For the
next two years he confined his attentions
to New York and robbed with great sue
cess, until les was finally arrested and sent
to Sing Sing. Here at last he found walls
that were strong enough TO hold him, and
consequently he staid there for two years,
Upon being released Mahony returned
to New York and was arrested for robbery
This time ne got off with six months
sentence TO the penitentiary on Blackwells
island, but he again proved too slippery
20 hold and escaped.
He then took short trip TO New Or
leans, but drifted back to the metropolis
and was caught while stealing. He man
aged TO evade arrest however, but was
forced To enlist in the army He was sent
south, but deserted, and after number
of thrilling escapes and recaptures got
back to New York.
After leading life of crime and dissi-
patton for several years without being ap.
pretended he was again caught and sen.
fenced 10 a long term in Sing Sing Know.
ing that once behind the bars there he