Evening star., 1900-10-29
KILLED. THE KEEPER
Two Desperate Prisoners Break Jail
in'New York.
ONE MAKES GOOD His ESCAPE
The Other Falls and is Instantly
Killed.
"TRUSTY" ALSO BADLY HURT

NEW YORK, October 29.-Two colored
prisoners, in an attempt to escape from the
prison attached to the seventh district
court, in West 54th street, today, killed
Keeper Hugh McGovern, fifty-one years old,
and probably fatally injured George Will
son, fifty-nine years old. a "trusty," who
had evidently tried to aid McGovern. One
of the prisoners, Arthur Flanagan, escaped;
the other, Frank Emerson, fell into the
yard adjoining the prison and was instantly
killed
The prisoners were together in cell on
the first tier, on level with the fourth
floor of the prison. They sawed two bars
in the lower part of the cell door and got
into the corridor. They went to the near
est window, about six feet from the floor,
and sawed the bar at the bottom, showing
it out and getting through. Doing this, it
is supposed they encountered McGovern
and Wilson, killing one and wounding the
other. How this was done is not known, MS
Wilson cannot give an account Of what
happened. The escaping prisoners used
their bedding for a rope and swung from a
window. Flanagan succeeded in swinging
to the roof of a car stable adjoining. but
Emerson did not make it, and fell head
long to a pile of rails. where his body was
later found with the skull crushed in.
McGOvern's Body Found.
The men must have left their cell several
hours before the fact was discovered. At
O'Clock Keeper John Brady who had been
in the office all night. went, as was his Gus
tom, to the male prison the fourth floor
AS he was walking around the corridor of
tier No. 1 he came across the body Of
Keeper McGovern. 1t lay face downward
in pool of blood, with a great wound in
the head. Nearby lay the prisoner Will
son. who was still groaning. A surgeon
who was called in said McGovern had been
dead some time. He said Wilson would
probably die. Wilson is fifty-nine years
old and for two years has been in the
prison self-committed. as he had no home.
He acted as "trusty' and had the conf
dence of the officers. They believe he was
hurt while aiding McGovern.
Emerson was under bail of $1,000 on two
charges of burglary. Flanagan, who had
been employed as a steward in a fashion
able restaurant, also was under heavy bail
for burglary.
1t is the belief of the attaches of the
prison that woman furnished the file with
which the prison bars were sawed through.
1t was said the woman. whose name is not
known, came to the prison Saturday even
ing to see the prisoner Emerson, and it is
thought that 1t was that time that she
smuggled in the file. The same woman
had, prior to the time, secured lawyer
for Emerson
McHOverhS heVOlVer Iaken.
When the body of Keeper McGovern was
searched 1t was found that his keys and re-
volver had been taken from him. 1t is the
belief of his colleagues that the keys were
taken from him with the intention the
part of the desperadoes to make their es-
cape through the doors. Their design being
thwarted, they returned and made their
way out Of the window by letting them
selves down by means Of the improvised
rope.
Neither the revolver nor the keys were
found in the pockets of the dead desperado
which leads to the belief that they are in
the possession of Flanagan.
When Emerson taken to the police
station house the night of his arrest Octo-
ber 13, he removed his shoes and then
latter answered the call, and as he opened
the cell door Emerson sprang at him and
brought the heel of a shoe down upon his
head, cutting, It open, In the struggle
which followed it took the combined efforts
Of several policemen to subdue the prisoner
On Emerson's body was found a fine steel
saw five inches long and half an inch wide.
1t was with this the men sawed their cell
bars. They used one Of the cell bars a
bludgeon to kill McGovern.
Trouble Occurred Early This Morning.
Keeper Brady says he and McGovern
went on duty at o'clock last night. Their
relief was due at Z o'clock this morning
AT 5 o'clock Brady whistled up through the
speaking tube to ask McGovern if all was
well, and. receiving no reply, he went up to
investigate. AS he was opening the outer
door .'trusty" who was locked in one Of
the first tier cells called out to him not to
enter.
There's hell in here!" he yelled. Some
Of 'em is OUT
Brady ran down and got his revolver and
returned. He then found McGovern's body
and realized what had happened. The
prisoner who had called to warn him said
he believed that Emerson and Flanagan
were still hiding in the corridors. Other
prisoners said they had feared to make any
outcry, believing the men had revolvers
and would carry out their threat to kill
the first --- who makes a holler."
Mrs. Mangin, the matron in charge of the
women's prison, said she heard noise at
1:3O o'clock and thought 1t was In her
prison. She made the rounds, and, finding
all quiet. went back to her room and re-
sumed her reading of a book The prison
Is in charge of Principal Keeper Skelly.
He said McGovsrn was careful man
and knew nothing like fear. The prisoner
robbed McGovern of his gold watch and
whatever money he may have had