The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18

Vhiskey Co, Rochester, N. Y,
water, stealing from ships and docks
almost from the time the could walk
swimming comes to them as naturally
as walking, and there are no better
swimmers in the world. But they cam
not swim from Blackwell's Island
and nowadays very few of them trV
TOO many of their pals" have been
drowned that way.
Eleven Drowned in 81 Va.r
few years ago there was an epi-
demic of attempts to escape from the
Island. Within four months five men
We're drowned while trying to swim
at night of the Manhattan bank of the
river: and in the succeeding seven
months six others persisted. That was
the most fatal year in this history of
the island, and attempts at escape have
been less frequent since then. But
a year rarely passed without a death
by drowning being reported
Last winter two ''yegg men," who
had the reputation of being daring
and desperate criminals, actually sue
cceeded in making good their escape
from the island.
They did not swim, however, They
managed somehow to get hold of A
rowboat, possibly with the help of
some of1lclaI on the island. They
rowed quietly at night down to the
lower end of Manhattan. On the way
they met a police patrol boat, stop
ped to calmly exchange greetings and
answer questions, and then went on
their way, leaving the policemen I'M
suspecting.
Next day there was a hot search
for them. They lay low for a fort
night, and then made the mistake of
rnf Inn 10 ia
BoWery. A stool pigeon put the
police on their tracks. and they We're
captured in a saloon in Chinatown Of
ter a desperate fight.
Escapes Through COnnivance.
Despite the combining currents. es-
capes from the island are more fire.
quent that they ought to be- owing
to the fact that some of the minor
prison officials are open to receive
graft from ''yegg men," "panhan-
dlers" and other crooks.
The Charity Organization Society
of New York has just been calling the
attention of the Department of Cor
rection to these cases. One of the
most fragrant is that of a notorious
"panhandler' named Edward Ash
leigh, who is better known in police
circles as ''Pekin Eddie" This man
once boosted, in the hearing of the
writer, that he has worked" every
big city in the country clean through
to the Pacific coast
He was sent for term on the is
land by a New York magistrate, but
after serving part of his sentence he
managed to get a suit of plain clothes
in place of his striped convict garb
Then he calmly walked on board of
one of the department launches which
run between Manhattan and the is
land. He mingled unobserved with the
crowd of visitors and discharged pris-
oners aboard, and got safely away.
The Home of "Yegg Men,"
Blackwell's Island is known to the
'yegg' men" and other petty crooks
from ope end of the United States to
the other These professionals "play
New York" as regularly as the bet
ter class out-of-town theatrical COM
panies visit Broadway. There is a
saloon on the lower end of the Bow
cry which is recognized as their head
quarters; 1t is kept by retired pan
handler" who made a small fortune
out of the business, incidentally do
ing time" on Blackwell's Island more
than once. There are always half a
dozen notorious "yegg men" standing
in line at the bar of this saloon. 1t is
the place from which dozens Of crooks
graduate to Blackwells Island. The
police tolerate it because it's existence
renders it easier for them to ''keep
tabs" on the underworld of graft and
crime.
A Cinch for Prisoners with Money
Among this floating criminal popu-
lation, Blackwells Island has the renu-
tation of being "a cinch so long as Won
can put up the dough-" as one pan
handler" expressed IL. 1t is said bv
those in a position TO know, that ali
the prisoners have a comparatively
easy time. while those who have mon
ey can buy many immunities and priv
ileges. This has been long suspected
by those familiar with criminal mat
ters In New York, but II has now
broken out into an open scandal
Blaekwell's Island. however Is not
merely a prison. II is the home OF
several city institutions. The aims
houses for the aged poor are equal 10
any IA American cities. and far above
the common run. The hospitals CON
nectod with the health department
have cost many millions and are equip
ped with the latest inventions and ap.
planes Of medical science.
An interesting experiment IL beinp
conducted on the island in the treat.
inenf Of tuberculosis by fresh afr and
sunlight, During the summer the pa.
iicnfs were out in fhc open an das
long. strapped in blankets. Now thni
she bleak winter hHs arrived. fhei
spend their time in long covered gal
lofv With ElaHH Hidrs While the ro
nnlfa ~ fhf treatment ono nof ~
conclusive. fhf majority 0f fhe patient
nre se'g to hafe derived greet bench
fom "a,