The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-14
TYPICAL
JOURNAL MAN
Slack" O'Donnell Who Told
the Gledhill Committee
Infamous Lies About
the Jail.
HE WAS A STAR PRISONER
Aims Were Given Him by Cliff
ford, Solomon and Sheriff
Heller.
HIS EMPLOYMENT ON THE "JOUREALp
His Absurd ISLANDERS Refuted and
His Credibility as a Wit
ness Made Generally
Apparent.

John or Jack O'Donnen, as he is
better known, was one of the Journals
star witnesses at the hearing before the
Gledhill Investigating Committee last
Friday The spectacle of O'Donnell on
the witness stand swearing in the inter-
est of morality and good government was
something to be remembered. To people.
who know him for what he is it was posi-
lively Iudicrous. He has had some varied
experiences since he struck the city
few years ago. He has had ups ana
downs, more downs than ups, however,
and has at last got down to his proper
level, He is now associated with Doll on
the Journal staff and there is no doubt
whatever that he is eminently fitted for
the position. The place was given 10
him as reward for his testimony on
Friday O'Donnells last previous occu-
patton was being a prisoner in the county
Jail on a charge of perjury. The Grand
Jury discharged him out of charity.
O'Donnell swore that he had been re-
porter for ten years. The fact is that
the greater part of his connection with
newspapers consisted of carrying signs
around to newsstands for the circulation
department. There were some brief IN
tervals when he did some work as re-
porter but the editors who employed MIN
soon dropped him. There was one time
when he appointed himself on the stan
of the New York "Press' without the
knowledge of the editor The work ne
did then was to put some copy paper in
an envelope mark on the envelope Fay
bearer forty cents for delivery. sign the
regular reporters name to 1t and collect
the money When this little game was
discovered O'Donnell left town for time
He was next heard of as a car conductor
and retained that place about two weeks
Once more he disappeared and was next
heard of as a reporters assistant in North
Hudson. From there he went to the
County Jail on the perjury charge.
Because he represented himself as re-
norter he was treated with more consid-
Grafton ip~the Jail than the average pris-
oner. O'Donnell exhibited his true char
acter and the appreciation of the kind
ness shown him by going before the COM
mittee and lying outrageously about the
iail the officials and some of the pris-
oners.
This fellow swore that the soup or stew
given to the prisoners was bad. The fact
every day. and to all appearances refshed
If He got his second portion by false
pretences. A boy who was prisoner in
tbe same ward with Clifford and Solomon,
and where O'Donnel was placed on the
sAcond day of his incarceration, was fed
bv Clifford and Solomon. who got their
meals from Matron Murray's table. Cliff
ford's meals were supplied by SherlH
no af1Irp and Solomon
paid for his AS they shared their meals
with the boy he had no need for the regu-
lar prison fare, which, by the way. is as
good as is provided by any prison in the
country. O'Donnell however, pers'iad-
ed the boy to put out his cup to be filled
when the soup was being passed around,
and bad as ODonnell says the stuff was
he invariably got away with his own
share and the boys also.
u Clifford and Solomon very often shared
their meals with O,Donnell and even on
the night before he went away Clifford
gave him thirty-ive cents.
o'Donnelrs testimony about Solomon
going down every day to the women's
ward conveyed nasty innuendo. The
fact was that Solomon. who is painter
bv trade asked to be allowed to paint
the ward as a T6lleI HUH iulEiCSo anu iiS
was invariably accompanied by either one
or two men and was always under the
eve of a keeper. O'Donnell's testimony
that Entwistle brought whiskey into the
Jail and got drunk and that Clifford and
Solomon were reveling on whiskey and
beer is as false as the rest of his testi-
mony. Solomon never drank whskey.
1t was allowed to Clifford the same as to
every other condemned man and was fur
nished by Matron Murray. The matron
was generous and provided good drink,
which Clifford shared with. O'Donnell
while he was there. O'Donnell was in
the Jail from January 2S until February
a. On the afternoon he was to be dis
charged he asked the official to let him
remain that night as he had no money
and no place to go. When he did leave
the Jail. he went over to the Sheriff's
office and Sheriff Heller gave him 81. The
Sheriff declined this morning to say
ANYTHING about the fellow because he be-
lieves him to be mentally irresponsible.
That same day O'Donnell went down to
Hoboken and succeeded in accommodating
a lag with the money he got from the
Sheriff. He was arrested for assault and
battery and Recorder McDonough gave
him ten minutes to get out of town.
But it is waste of space and words to
give the fellow SO much attention 1t
you'd not be done except for the informal
tion of the general public who do not
know him as we'll as the people who
have been brought in contact with him.
And this is the kind of witness the
"Journal'' furnishes.
All or most OF the facts herein recited