Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-02
NOTABLE MEN IN SING SING
Al Adams, the Policy King, the Most IIlteresting

Al Adams, the Policy King, the Most | Interesting.
 Not since the days of Ferdinand Ward, John Y. McKane and other dis tinguished citizens of New York, who were obliged to accept the hospitality of the state, have there been so many notable prisoners in Sing Sing prison as there are now. Warden Addison Johnson and Principal Keeper Con- naughton are entertaining 1,16o pris- oners, most of them from New York
 Ninety-two are in for life, four are in condemned cells, taking life pretty easy, as each one has succeeded in ob- taining a stay. and the rest are in for terms ranging from two years and a half up .-
 The addition of Sam Parks to War. den Johnson's official family makes an interesting group of New Workers in the famous old prison. Al Adams, the policy king, is reposing in the hospital and hasn't had an opportunity of meet ing Parks yet. Colonel Bob Ammon, whose connection with the Miller syn
 cate brought him into disfavor with the authorities, has a good chance to meet Parks, for they are working at brush making in the same room, at the same table and directly opposite each other. Syndicate" Miller. as he is known at Sing Sing, is, still regarded as member of the prison family, al- though he has not been taken back there since he came to New York to testify against Ammon. He is still in the tombs and as he has done some work at brush making there may be an interesting meeting between him and Colonel Bob when he goes back to Sing Sing. Tn the condemned cells the four prisoners are all New York men, and one at least of them is a very interest. ing criminal That is Lawyer Albert T. Patrick, who was convicted of mur- dering the aged millionaire Rice Pat rick is an optimistic person, and aI- l though he has lived for some months l in the shadow of the death chamber l he has notforgotten how to whistle pop ular songs and shows no diminution of interest in current literature. Neither has he forgotten how to write fervid appeals for Justice" About three times a week Patrick turns out an eff fusion couched in the most grandilo- quent language and top heavy with le- gal verbiage. He writes on sheets of foolscap with a fountain pen, and mails them to judges, governors, con- gressmen and senators.
 Patrick has as company in murder ers' row Tom Tobin, the gentle thug who cut the head from one Captain Craft in a Twenty-ninth street dive year ago. Tobin is existing under a stay just at present. TObin's lawyers pleaded that he was insane when he was tried for the murder of Captain Craft, and he showed some signs of being mentally unbalanced, but the at- mosphere of Sing Sing has agreed with him. and although his crime was one of the most revolting ever committed in New York he is one of the best be- haved men in the row.
 Policeman William Ennis of Brook lyn who killed his wife and Spencer, the negro policy runner who murdered Superintendent MacFarlane of the anti-policy society in the criminal courts building, are the other occupants of the condemned cells. Although all l these men got stays of execution, there I the electric chair save Patrick. Pat rick's case is the most favorabl in the opinion of the prison authorities. Pat rick himself is confident that he will l escape.
 The routine of prison life in the con- demned cells is very much pleasanter l than it is in other parts of the pris- on. There the men do not work, but 1 loaf around their cells, reading. writ ing getting good food and otherwise enjoying the few weeks of life suppos- ed to be left to them. They exercise in their private corridor several times a day.
 Tn the other parts of the big prison, however, the routine is hard and re llentless. It is the same thing day in ] and day out, and as a prisoner comes 1 in and gets his number the rest of l his identity fades away and he is on exactly the same footing as everybody else. Sing Sing is a great Ieveller. Ward, McKane and other famous pris- oners there discovered this. Al Adams was one of the last to find that he was l not Al Adams, but just numeral 1 after the prison doors closed upon him. l His fortune of $5,O00O0O, which is growing every day he is in jail, has given to him no more privileges than are shown to any other prisoner.
 Adams Is by far the most interesting prisoner in Sing Sing, with the possible exception of Parks. He has taken his confinement badly, but never shown 1 disposition to be ugly. For a long time Adams friends insisted that he would die if he wasn't pardoned. It is true that he entered prison very sick and that he is still in the hospital and unable to work. but he isn't bit worse off than he would be if he were out on l the street. Adams is very quiet, and l when he has any prison duties to do does them we'll and without protest.
 Col Bob Ammon is good prisoner. too. but he is too healthy for the hospi- tai. Col Bob is developing into a . very good brush maker. At first he. like Adams, couldn't stand the prison food, but he eats voraciously now, and the black, unsweetened coffee and the | Ynorr1inoc diaf If oorua6 haaf hash oats