New-York tribune., 1896-10-26
PRICE THREE CENTS!
ESCAPED FROM THE TOMBS.
TWO WOMEN PRISONERS GET OUT
THROUGH A WINDOW.


FEET HrGH-rHEY WERE BLACK
WELLS ISLAND coNvIcTs WHO
HAD BEEN BROUGHT OVER
no WORK IN TIE
PRISON
Two women prisoners escaped from the Tomb1
last night by jumping out of a second-story win.
dow and scaling an iron fence, and up to late
hour neither the prison officials nor the police
had been able to get any trace OF them. the
prisoners were Mary Mclaughlin and Nellie
White. who were brought down from Black.
wells Island to work In the prison.
At ten minutes before o'clock last night o. =.
Middleton, the night warden OF the prison,
heard the electric bell at the Franklin-st. en-
trance clang as II somebody was extremely
anxious to get In. AS this is unusual, he hurried
20 the door and. opening the slide which covers
the peephole. looked through II and saw two
young men. They were much excited and In dis
Jointed sentences told the warden that the pris-
were breaking out. and that II he did not
hurry up and do something he would have no
boarders left. They said that they had seen two
women jump out Of window and run down
Centre-st fast they could. and that they
had expected to see other prisoners follow at any
moment.
men went away without giving their names or
addresses. The night warden quickly sent Keeper
Flynn after the women, and also informed Police
Headquarters Of the escape. A general alarm
sent out.
Upor investigation the Night Warden found
that the escaped prison ers the McLaugh-
lin and White women. and that they had jumped
from window OF Deputy Warden OSheas
apartments on the second floor OF the prison. He
then sent for John f. Van De Carr. the Warden
OF the prison, who was at his home No. I'D West
one hundred and thirty frst-st., and the latter
hurried to the Tombs speedily as he could.
Upon his arrival Warden Van De Carr imme-
datey started rigorous examination. and he
still at ii when a Tribune reporter saw
him last night. In telling the story Of the es-
cape Of the women. Warden Van De Carr said
that they were both Workhouse prisoners who
had been brought from Blackwers Island.
Mary Mclaughlin was one Of the Matrons
help, and Nellie White supposed to keep
Deputy Warden OShea's apartments In order.
Deputy Warden OSheas rooms are on the sec
ond floor Of the Tombs and Nellie White had
access to them.
USED THE KEYS TO THE SHUTTER.
There are iron bar shutters on the windows
Of the room, which locked like the doors.
The keys to the WINDOWS are kept Dy deputy
Warden O'Shea Warden Van De Carr said
that Nellie White had evidently gained pos
session OF the keys by some means, and had un.
locked the bar shutter to one OF the windows
and Jumped out followed by Mary Mclaughlin.
He said that they had chosen a good time to
make their escape. 1t was then that the day
force Of the prison was being relieved from duty
by the night force. He added that ne was at
the prison early In the afternoon, and had per-
mtted Deputy Warden O'Shea to go away. and.
as Night Warden Middleton had arrived soon
after. he Uhe Warden) went away also. Warden
Van De Carr said that he would be unable to
discover how the women obtained possession OF
Deputy Warden O'Sheas keys until the arrival
Of the latter al the prison this morning
Night Warden Middleton said that after the
escape Of the women he found the keys on the
window sill, and lying on the floor OF the room
were the striped prison dresses which they had
worn. After shedding their prison garb the
women sought the Matron's room and helped
themselves to complete OUTFIT from her ward
robe Night Warden Middleton said that when
she escaped Mary Mclaughlin had on black
brocade silk dress and a Sl4 hat and Nellie
White was clad in a satin basque, a pair Il kid
gloves and new button shoes
Keeper Flynn traced the women down Gen.
tre-st into Canal-st.. to Baxter-st., where they
disappeared
Warden Van De Carr said that he believed
that the women would both be speedily cap
tured. He added that they were both about
twenty-siX years old and old offenders
Mary Mclaughlin committed TO the island
in August to serve six months sentence and
an additional sentence Of 14S days and Nellie
White was committed on July - to six
months.
Mary Mclaughlin is tall and fair. with darf
hair, and Nellie White is shorter In stature with
fair complexion
CLIMBED OVER A HIGH FENCE
L.
next to the entrance TO the Tombs. In Centre
ST. II is about eighteen feet from the ground
The fence which the women had to climb over
after jumping out Of the window is an iron one
with sharp pckets and about six feet high.
Warden Van De Carr could not say last night
whether or not the women had had confederates
outside Of the prison who had aided them to es.
cape He was inclined TO believe that they had
not. ,
This is the ,rd time ecently that women
have escaped from the Tombs About hve
months ago Mary Gallagher picked the lock OF
the Deputy Wardens private entrance IN Leon"
ard-st and walked away.
The news Of the escape Of the wcnen became
noised about the neighborhood or the prison
last night and a crowd OF people gathered ana
gazed up at the window from which the women
are said TO have jumped
->-
Az UNKNOWN CITY DISCOVERED.