New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-17
WARDEN ROE SUSPENDED.
hrprTY. SHERIFF MULvANY IN TEMPO
RARY CHARGE OF DER CHAIL."

hrpr,rY. SHERIFF MULvANY IN TEMPO
RARY CHARGE OF DER CHAIL."
THE SHERIFF ISSUES A LONG STATEMENT IN
WHICH HE SAYS THAT ONLY CHANGE IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF ONE SIDE OF
THE JAIL WILL PREVENT
OTHER ESCAPES.
sso-,r Hansen Yesterday announced that he had
rsndad Warden Roe and Keepers Rumpf and
roro,stein who we're In charge Of the prisoners in
.,a Ludlow Street Jail Thursday afternoon.
when four Of the prisoners escaped. The two Keep
.,s we're suspended on Friday. and Deputies kaiser
md Engcl were detailed the jail as temporary
tsonors pending the investigation which the Sheriii
WAS making Yesterday morning Deputy SherI
Nuvanv was placed IN charge of the jail as the
,er,porary warden. and Mr.. Roe went down TO tnc
sherin's Office and there most Of the daS
making reports As Mr.. Roe did not remove MS
,hings from the jail it thought by the Keepers
there that he would soon return ana resume 'e
OF the prisoners.
Although the Sheriff had said on Friday that he
would make a statement at noon YESTERDAY ne
was not ready talk al that time. and ne uec'heu
~ allow himself to he seen by reporters lie went
10 see Distric-Attorney Ocott. but the o'tciais oe-
clincd TO tell what the talk was about
Tho homes OF the Sheriff that some OF the men
woud be retakcn were raised yesterday by the
report that man who had been found drunk ana
suffering from a sprained ankle at Sixth-ave and
Flf,ioih-st early in the morning was held al
police station under suspicion that he was one OF
the fugiiives. but keeper who was sent from Inc
ian failed 20 recognize the man.
THE sIIERIFFS STATEMENT.
1ato Yesterday afternoon the Sheriff gave out
comics Of the following statement which he had
prepared:
Until there are further developments relating TO
ial on the night Of the ian inst the Sheriff with
on; charging offence on the part of any OF ms
svhordinates has directed the suspension OF the
Warden and OF the two keepers, Rumpi and Finke!-
stcn. who were at that time In charge OF TIC prs.
one-s He has appointed Deputy Sheriff Mulvany
as acting warden and Deputies Kaiser and Engel
as temporary keepers
The prisoners were lodged In the most securely
bait part Of the jail although there is not cell
door in the jail provided with the newly improved
locks known Yale locks. which could not have
leen broken easily as was the lock on the cell
door in this case; not a window-bar when couId
not have been sawed through and bent as easily
as was the wrought-ron bar in this instance. al
though tho desperate chances of fall through the
shaft or space between the celwindow and the
outer wall Of the fail have not been rsked by any
prisoner in the thrty-fve years that this jail has
been In existence. Yet any criminal resolute ana
desperate enough to attempt this means Of escape
might succeed IT, IN his preliminary work he could
eyade the eyes and of keeper.
The number Of keepers is limited by statute TO
seven and one of that number must attend 10 the
street door There then left two relays OF three
guards each OF which relay one is TO attend TO the
staircase leaving keepers for actual duty. hav-
ing in charge from fifty to sixty prisoners and at
certain times Of the day these keepers are Obliged
10 serve meals TO the prisoners. at TWO oinereht
rar,s Of the prison-namely. the part allotted 10
the civil prisoners and on the criminal side inns
uas tho time the escape occurred the investiga-
ton has shown. The keepers work twelve hours
per day from a. m. TO p. m. and must wa'ch
The four floors day and night. There would be no
d,acultv in watching with sufficient vigilance the
civil prisoners in the jail and the only serious
trouble ever occurring in the experience or the
present Sheriff has been with the desperate GRIM
mails brought there by the United States Marshal.
who is the only in authority 10 issue visiting
nermits and passes to this class of prisoners.
The TAIL was designed for and the act authoriz-
,nr US construction under the statute. Section l2o
of the Civil Code limits its use to civil prisoners
but an act repealed 10 all other counties oy the
county law was left unrepeaed as to YORK
County and so long the Federal courts con-
1 ,,nue 70 sentence and commit criminals to the
County Jail the Sheriff is bound to permit the Mar
shall 10 take them there The sentence ana the
commitment OF such prisoners are in no wise limited
by law TO the County Jail; the Federal courts have
on occasions sent their prisoners TO Governor $
Island Fort Lafayette. Blackwells Island and the
Tombs But the Sheriff has to take the situation
as i, IS and do the best he with II until Fed
eral criminals have jail Of their own
WANTS BARS OF CHILLED STEEL
To make the present jail more secure he had
long since called the attention of the Department
Of Public Works to the fact that windo" bars o!
vroush, iron were not sufficient for security. and
asked 10 have bars Of chilled steel substituted for
,hem This was not done The ironsmiths exam
ned BY the Sheriff yesterday testlned uhuef oitn'
that bars 50 constructed Of steel could not nave
been sawed through wish iurther 10 sta.e M
shows that any OF the officers now suspended on
any other Sheriff. employe, has oontrinuteo ~
any act Of negligence to this escape. the SherI
will take immediate steps TO secure the punishment
o. such officer or nmploNe - -,
Special orders were issued to the Warden, at the
time when the department Of Public Works sent
their laborerS 10 The jail two months since, Tor
the purpose of making the much-needed repairs.
work in the morning, WAS thoroughly scarcncd;
his tools. when leaving In the evening, were Iook'u
were ying around. the mechanic in question YVES
ronrimanded and told that he would not be ad-
mii.ed 10 the Jail again IN case OF any repetition
OF similar negligence on his part
out Of the eight water-closeis. six werc in state
Of repairs and only TWO could b" used, by reason
OF which il was made necessary for the PRISONERS
rign, near the cell through which the ESCAPE
took place All the cells on SAID ter were uhocch-
pied and the keepers were instructed 10 look very
particularly after those cells.
The dav before the escape. the Warden for the
last time tested the iron bars IN TINS cell Keeper
Rumpi I'D the same at o CLOCK IN me afternoon noon
or four days before, the Depar 'mtht Oh IupnS
Works that very afternoon at O'clock repaired
the defective To-, Of the cell , 80 1870 49,,
The fugtivcs got into the cell "hile me TWO Keep
ers were serving out the meals TO the prisoners.
With a steel saw the men who made their escape
through the soft iron bar, rent II ana IN that
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