The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-03-26
LIKE 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 Agaln-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 pcuitentiaries, gained for himself
the sobriquot 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 prisoner in tho penitentiaries Of
half dozen states, however, and has made
his escape from more tight places probably
than any other American criminal
While serving a five year term in
Chnrlostown, Mass, Mahony wrote a long
and interesting account Of his career, and
told in detail tho causes which led him
into OWL ways This article was written
in 1870, when Mahony was but 90 years
Old but he had already had a long expert
ence in crime. II shows that he could
handle pen with almost as much facility
as he could jimmy.
It seems that Mahony was born bad.
As a schoolboy he was a habitual truant
and terror to his teachers. The son Of
the teacher Of French boarding school
on Long Island gave him his first lessons
g,, g,.t. kay 90
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, a sort of preparatory school for Grim
inals Mahony met there boys who were
older and more wicked than himself, and
he acquired much knowledge Of q criminal
nature,
His mother transferred him 20 private
institution Of 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 reg
ularity that was hisCouraging.
refuge, where he 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, whore
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
e. ,,,J
He finally fell in 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 rearrested.
After rObbing a jewelry store in New
Jersey he was caught and put in the ia
nous old Tombs 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 window opening on
the street.
After this exploit he remained in hiding
at the home of relative on Long Island
for few months, but commit ed a bur
glary in the ncighborhood and barely
avoided arrest He went next 0 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 he 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 he got off with "A six months
sentence to the penitentiary on Blackwell S
island, but he again proved too slippery
to hold, and escaped.
He then took g 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 to a long term in Sing Sing Know
| ing that once behind the bars there he