The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-22
Diestenbach, Becker. und Blits.

There was another escape from one or
DAMsEN's Plattdeutsch deputies on Tues
day in the corridors Of the Halls of Justice,
the Criminal Court building on Centre
street. The episode illustrates anew the
total futility Of any attempt either to trans
act the public business of this town in a
foreign language or to intrust 1t to persons
unfamiliar with English. Won DIEsTEN-
BACH Is a Plattdeutsch bellows member, who
is paid $1,000 a year in the peoples name
to act as a prison guard" On Tuesday
there was in progress in the Court of Gen.
eral Sessions (the tribunal before which
DAMsEN was recently arraigned under a
criminal indictment) the trial of one HUT
ToN,a professional pickpocket. Won DIES
TENBACH was seated in the court perusing
. tome, on the outside Of which was
printed in gilt letters "Sherif's Of
fee" 1t was a dictionary English
G~erman-and in a lull in the court pro-
ceedings an INSCRIPTIONS knave, who, 1t
subsequently transpired, was a confederate
of HUTToN's, asked Won DIEsTENBAcH for
the loan of his book" A few minutes
later, and after a sentence of four years and
ten months had been imposed on HUTTON,
he started for the Tombs prison in Won
DIEsTENBACH's charge. They had reached
the first mezzanine floor, when HUTTON
deity slipped his hand from out the hand
cuffs and fled down stairs. 1t was at this
critical period that Won D~IEsTENBACH, whose
knowledge of English as She is Spoke is
meagre. looked for his dictionary. He
have it. Unfamiliar with the English
--.tya-A - kLo r---l- a.~- -
come back), he stood speechless at the
head Of the staircase, gesticulating wildly
for his dictionary, while HUTTON fled
for safety. The other German guards,
BERUNG, BECKER, ENGEL, SCHNEIDER,
and BEHRE, distressed by the inarticulate
pantomime Of their P~lattdeutsch comrade,
gathered round him. and HUTTON would
probably now be out OF harms way had
not a policeman lowing no official allie
glance to the Sheriff's office caught him,
and thus brought to a close what otherwise
would have been a scandalous and distress
ing episode.
BECKER, one of the guards, seems to have
recovered his power of speech sooner than
the others, for he found on the stairway the
English-German dictionary which HUT
- iiiA Shou oIu ~ hp-
pears, though of this statement there Is, as
yet, no confederation in English, that
BECKER went to the Sheriff's Office ON We'd
nesday to secure a reward which he under
stood had been offered for the recovery of
the dictionary.
Probably it is fortunate for DAMsEN that
within one week of the resumption, before
forme Judge ROBERTSON, of the hearing of
the charges filed with Governor MORTON
againsth him, the prisoner HUTTON did not sue
coed in making his escape as did KILLoRAN,
RUSSELL, and ALLEN on the 4th of July
last. Some persons inimical to DAMsEN,
perhaps, have been spreading erroneous re-
ports to the effect that he DAMsEN, the
LandvogD has, since July d, made no eff
fort to aid in the recapture of the
three Post Office thieves. This is q
mistake. In the droning hours of the
day, in the Warden's window on Lud-
low street sits, mute, musing, and mys-
FERROUS, the ever-watchful, always-vigilant
BHAD ROE, hoping for the voluntary return
OF the three delinquents. BY night, in the
long vigils OF silence, while SHAD ROE
sleeps (there is under DAMsEN much
sleeping in Ludlow street Jail, CASPER
BLITz, a Plattdeutsch functionary, lit
tie known to municipal fame, PAGES,
with stalwart tread, the second tier
OF the Ludlow street establishment,
counting the hours which mark the IL
legal and unauthorized absence of Kill
LoRAN, RUSSELL, and ALLEN. The latch
string hangs, for them, on the outside Of
the prison door, At the table-the Warden's
table-three chairs are turned down, as Is
the custom Of restaurants, TO indicate that
these three places have been taken (besetzt).
Beside the plate OF each is a pack OF cards
a pinochle deck-such as they used in games
of chance with RAABE. In the cell OF each
Is bottle of whiskey, recalling the merry,
bibulous times before July 4, 1904, and on
abook shelf in each cell is a set of the works
OF SHAD ROE, particularly "Inquirando
Island" and +" Bellona's Husband the lit
srary favoriUes OF the Warden. In mute
tribute to the management of the Jail, under
DAMsEN, there is piled in front Of each OF
Me three cells, formerly occupied by the
escaped prisoners. the daily edition OF the