The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-05
OUT OF BLACKWELL'S JAIL.
suOyytkFR-S tWL AND 4 BIT or
,fTEL SET JOHNSTON FREE.
p.u,trntiar, Authorities Disturbed ny Es.
cape 81 Negro Who Pierced Els Gril
wall. hut They can't Help Hoping
the Fugitive Drowned IN the Hiser.

wall hut They can't Help Hoping
IN, Fugitive Drowned IN the Hi,er.
charles Johnston. n prisoner on Black
n,.', Island escaped on Tuesday night by
l.,.,r,.t through the brick wall and cell
r,or his r,l in the penitentiary into the
,,, ,,'ar,on chamber under the roof, whence
rccdrm wa- easily gained by removing a
,,,r of glass in he skylignt and sliding
d,v An mprovised rope to the ground.
lo,, s,ou = negro Whether he sue
o,t,d m winning the Fast River nobody
knew urfo last evening.
NJ ,rar. Of him had been found on the
lard and il was supposed that he had
r.N,d m" river tide. The fact that the
,.s,, got out of the supposedly secure new
north wing filed the prison authorities
win CONSERVATION. Detectives have been
Ir,rrg Manhattan and Long Island for
Jo,r.rrn since Wednesday morning, but
ne escape was kept close secret until
yesterday, in the hope-such Is the exigency
T., official requirement that the prisoners
,o,,y would he found in the river. as such
n. r,d would comteract to some extent
hemora effect of the escape
The hight and the day keepers Of the
north wing, Irwin and Wilson, have been
,u-le- drd They will appear before Com
missioner Of Correction Hynes next Thurs
,ny ,o explain how it was that Johnston
could Dig a hole sixteen inches by foot
rropgn 'nc fourteen inch wall Of his cell
without detection. Johnston was sent to
,fa p,ui,entiary on July IS to serve one
vrar and $50 add ional days for unlawful
e,,rv. He had been paroled from Elmira
s,d was wanted at the expiration OF his
form "a serve out his sentence there. he
WAS assigned to Cell of Tier 3. which Is on
fine top Ter near the south end Of the new
wing
The four tiers of cells which rise from
floor TO ceiling of the prison do not touch
tho outer walls at any point. but are in
effect an inner building separated from
the outer wall by broad, tagged passage
- feet wide. running around the four sides
and rising 10 the ceiling. The cells are
.ujr back 10 back in O double row down
'lla centre If the long wing, each facing
outward and separated from the passage
hy a l4-inch wall. The steel grill door OF
each cell is set on its right hand side, ieav-
ing a space of blank wall on the left front
tie width OF a prison cot.
From his station at the end Of the wing
the keeper can see the lines OF doors along
each corridor, and as an extra precautlo ION
the night keeper makes regular ROUNDS
along The latforms of the four tiers, dur
irg " hich he is supposed 10 flash his dark
lantern through the door OF each cell
This inspection should show nm each
~
could not always see the wall at the head
Of the cot without opening the door. AS
the doors are all geaFed to leSer az inc
end If each platform, to open one Is 10
open all. During the day while the prison.
eis are at work every cell is supposed 10
he entered three times by the day keeper.
Johnston was put to work IN the shoe
shop in July and worked steadily till Satur,
day on Monday morning he complained
of being sick and asked TO be sent ~ me
hospital. The prison physician, Dr. Sails
bury, examined him and let him on work
for the day H.,
He remained in his cell all that day
and on Tuesday. and if he did any work on
his tunnel in that time it was not discovered
during the six inspections OF his cell or
f5n the doctors visits. On Wednesday
informing, when the 25S occupants OF the
north wing were assembled at $40 cicce'
the roll call revealed Johnston's absence
The men were all locked up again While
2 search was made. A pile of brick and
mortar on his cot and ragged hole in the
outer corner of his cell, running up in.o the
yrntilat ion chamber. showed now ne had
escaped.
In the ceiling outside of cell No. Q is
the second of the four barred openings
from the corridor into the low vent ilation
chamber between the cemented tireproof
cciIing and the peaked roof. through
he bars of this opening Johnston could
see the unprotected glass OF snsii SKY
light, within easy reach of any one, under
the roof. and this probably inspired his
escape "
The keepers found that he had carefully
removed the putty from the iron frame
and had lifted out the glass The I'M
broken pane and shoemaker's awl were
Wing beside the grating. and out on me
roof rip of blanke, tied round one 81
IA, gray tone battlements Of the wall
he'd the searchers to a blanket rope, pleced
ont with a tifteen-foot length OF good
MANILA cot facing, by which he he'd slid
20 the lawn.
~, The nile of bricks was found small
;,ore Of steel not more than inches long
from The framework Of the cot ana inns
a,t he awl were apparently the only 'ools
h. n Il used. ,
Depuy Warden McManus Who'll in charge
CARING Warden Fallon's vacation, insists
~ ,IchustOn did all his work bet wern inc
h.. hour IN Tuesday night and his escape:
VII n must have been before dayhght OF
Ncdu"-day morning,
Tia, man working with an aw rnd
...II niece of steel could accomplish what
J.hr~'on did is held TO be a sad rejection
or Il" quality Of the BRICK ana ihoI.a. II,
me nnrrb wing. In the old prison the tier
wallis are built Of large blocks OF trap rock,
which pn account Of their size would make
such ,n escape impossible