The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-01-09
PoMERoY TRIES TO ESCAPE.

Boston's Boy Murderer Almost Dug
His Way to Freedom-Cunningly Cut
Away the Bricks in the Prison
Where he Was Confined-Covered
His Work-A Bit of Lime Betrayed
Him.
Boston, Jan. S.-Jesse Pomeroy, the
notorious boy murderer, has made
another attempt to escape from the
state prison at Charlestown. Twenty
years of close confinement have not
overcome the desire for liberty. A doz-
en- times he has worked patiently for
freedom and failed, For years he has
been immured in a special brick build
ing within the prison, rectangular
structure with a granite doorway, in
side the yard. When the new addition
to the prison was built he was placed
in a cell strong enough to hold secureg
ly any man on earth except Jesse
Pomeroy.
On Wednesday morning some of the
guards saw a suspicious looking trail
of Whitelime on the floor InVestiga-
ton showed that Pomeroy had nearly
scratched his way to the light. With
nails, a chisel and a tiny file, which
had been Struggled to him, he had pa
tiently and cautiously worked One
brick was started and then another.
A space as large as his body was loos-
ened. Then he began on the next
course, and then the next, until he was
within one course and half of the
outer wall.
He cunningly concealed the traces Of
his operations by building up the in
side layer of bricks when his cell was
visited by the guards. The mortar
the bricks taken from the middle of
the cell wall were hidden under the bed
and in the corner. A little white dust
betrayed him. He was put in gran
lite dungeon and heavily ironed. How
he got the tools he used is a mystery
The guards had orders to shoot him if
he ever appeared in the yard.
Jesse Pomeroy, 1.-The boy with the
white eye,'' is now thirty-seven years
of age He has served twenty two
years of his life sentence at solitary
confinement for the brutal murder of
two children on the Dorchester marsh
es, committed when he was only four
teen. He was suspected of having tor
tured and killed other children in adj
dition to those whose murder was
brought home to him.
Pomeroy has been constant cause
l.; ,.Jey a. nc,
to escape have been numerous. All
his attention since he was locked up
has been given to schemes for getting
out His first attempt was made in
the Charles street Jail at Charlestown,
few days after his arrest. Letters
were found in his cell addressed to his
family and setting forth his intentions.
This led to the Illustration of the at
tempt.
/ His next effort after freedom involv-
ed great patience. He had a little saw
made out of a pocket knife. With this
| he sawed through the bars of his cell
| window, filing IN the crevices with
bits of soap, and stained the color of
the iron. 1t was only when his work
was almost completed that he was dis
coNe.eu.
his next attempt was sun more ar
uuous' ne worked lor months d. 'iis
sheets o. polief IRON COVERING ne wa.
at the eno OF ms cen. hach poi' ieau'
Wheh removed was repldeeu WIN
soap counterpart he jug ihlo ehe
walls only 70 discover lhat the STONES
pehina the IRON were claiflpeu together
on the OUTSIDE away from ms reach'
Ihen the prison oilieers came upon MN
ana further ellort was prevented
just ou-slde ms cen uoor was d gas
Jet lie mace a Key ana reached ,ne
/ coffldor. win pieces ol paper ne iiiaue
| long TUBE. he aug nole III the COT
ner OF MS CELL lasleheo the tube 10 liie
MIXTURE ana prepared TO conduct the gas
| 10 the mole ana dow out the wan. Inc
/ explosion was premature ana ne ohiy
injured himself
on anothef occasion an examination
OF the carpet seat OF rocking chalr III
Pomeroys cell dlsclosed the TACT that
IN pocket underneath the desperaao
had stored away toieraply complete
SET OF Jall-oreaKlhg instruments NO
pody could imagine now ne came py