The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1897-07-15
AN HISTORICAL PRISON
The Old TombS Building Of New York
Now Being Demolished.
THE MYSTERY OF MURDERER COLI
How Hridai Couples are Guiied at
the National Capitalism Evange-
list Creates Pand e m 10 mum Among
the Dying.

Many New Workers, says the Tribune,
will watch with interest the work of tear
ing down and removing the old Tombs,
in Center street. The building has been
one of the shadow places of the city ever
since it WAS built, in 1888. 1t has been
regarded as one OF the finest examples of
Egyptian architecture i'm this country.
Artists, architects and travellers have been
most favorably impressed with the beauty
of the building. sombre and grim as it is
The Tombs was built on the site Of the
old Collect Pond, which had been filled
up generations before the erection Of
prison there was thought Of Five years
years before the building was put up ts
plan was adopted by officials who had
read Stevens Travels."a popular book
of the time, and had been impressed by
one OF the illustrations in the book, a
Picture of an Egyptian tomb. Their idea
was 20 have the city prison so forbidding
in appearance that nobody would care to
become an inmate of it.. Its designation,
the Tombs, was selected on account OF
the form of the building.
At the time of its completion in 1888
the Tombs had cupola, but the cupola
was destroyed by fire in November, 1912,
and was never rebuilt. Connected with
that fire was mystery which kept the
city in ferTent for many months. The
fire broke out at the moment when John
G, Colt was to be hanged for the murder
of Samuel Adams, and there are New
Workers living today Who believe that
the torch was applied to the cupols OF the
prison to prevent the execution of Colt,
and that he escaped from the Tombs at
the time of the excitement. The case OF
Colt had been before the public for over a
year, and had caused widespread excite
ment.
John G. Colt was brother OF the man.
ufacturer of Colts revolver, and he had
published book of which Samuel Adj
ans was the printer. On September II.
lS4l, Adams went into Colts office at
Broadway and Chambers street to protest
against what he had declared was an ef-
fort of Colt to cheat him out OF his money,
and he never left the Office alive. His
mutilated body was found later packed
in salt in box which Colt had shipped
on the schoone' Kalamazoo, at Maiden
Lane and the East river, and the walls OF
Colts office were found to be spattered
with INK, AZ If an effort had been made
to conceal the blood stains. The watch
which Adams had carried was found in
the possession OF Caroline Henshaw, a
young woman who had lived with Colt.
Although Colt was tried and convicted,
he had 80 many immediate friends that
the public did not believe he would be
hanged, and on the day set for his execu.
ton there was multitude of people in
Center street.
Four hours before Colt was to be
hanged he was married to Caroline Hen
shaw in the Tombs. The hanging was
announced TO take place at 4 p. M. and
at that time the fremen were called to
the Tombs to fight the fire which had
started in the cupoa. Some of the fire.
men declared later that they saw Colt
get into hearse that was in the court
yard OF the prison, and that the vehicle
was driven away rapidly when the ex-
element Of the FIRE was at its height
The prison officials said that a keeper
had gone to Colts call and found Colt
dead, with a dirk sticking in bis heart
A body which was declared to be that OF
Colt, was buried later ia st. Marks
| churchyard, but there Was a prevailing
belief that Colt had escaped from the
prison alive. and that his was the first
escape from the Tombs, and since then
there have been few, but there have
been many suicides ia the gloomy build
ing and number who have been in the
shadow of death have cheated the hang
man by poison, knife or pistol.
The building OF a new prison on the
Tombs site has been made neces sity by
the overcrowding of the old prison. In re-
cent years it has been necessary to pack
three or four prisoners in cell intended
for the occupancy OF only one person, and
the board of health has protested several
times against such overcrowding, while
grand iuries have made presentments
against such crying evil. The erection
OF a large, fireproof, modern prison on the
site will be an improvement demanded
by common humanity.
A Big Fraud on Bridal Couples.
HT hate IN shsttay a nat daiuaiop bv