The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-03-22
A CONVICT'S ROMANCE
ODD -WAYiN WHICH, ALLIE PRISONER
WON HIS FREEDOM.

the old eStatehouse at AIbany-The
Price of "A Genius Who Saw and
eGrasped His Opportunity.
Nouched for by the late Henry Smith,
who said he learned the fact through
being speaker of the assembly, there is
an interesting bit of history connected
with the old statehouse at Albany,
where itshas stood for years, the finest
example <of pure .Doric architecture in
this country, on the easterly side of Ea-
gle street, between Pine and Steuben
streets, its walls and partitions all of
solid stone, very much as if its halls,
rooms and stairs had been carved out
within "a huge block Of marble.
1t was completed in 1912, costing the
state about $35o,OO0. tits built entirely
Of Sing Sing marble, ,quarried and cut
within the prison walls
The old capitol being inadequate to
accommodate the increasing business
OF the state, this additional building
WAS planned and built and is still used
for the Offices Of the state comptroller,
the state engineer and surveyor and the
state banking department.
In spirit of economy it was decided
to have as much as possible Of the
York done by the prisoners from the
material found within the prison walls
at Sing Sing, fairly good material, too,
but not the best, as it is a soft marble,
as evidenced 10y the wear which now
shows SO plainly in the steps and by the
crumblfng OF some of the stones from
exposure to the weather. ALI the mate
rial was cut to completion within the
walls OF the prison under such plans
that when shipped to Albany there
would be no further work necessary
except practically to lay one stone up
on another, and SO Oh until the whole
was assembled In the completed BUILD
ing.
20 accomplish this detailed plan a
system OF marking the stones was NEG
sessary. The plans We're carefully made
and system Of marking elaborately
laid out by the architect in charge. who
found in the prison at Sing Sing life
prisoner whose record showed him to
be an engineer of the highest ability
and who seemed as competent as any
man in the country to carry out the
work to be done in the prison, and nat
ural1y he was not unwilling to follow
his chosen profession in preference to
doing the manual labor Of cutting or
quarrying stone So, following the
spirit OF economy referred to above, the
plans In detail and the system Of mark
ing were turned over to him and the
whole work at that end given over to
his full uperfntendenee and absolute
control.
In due time the stones in their vari-
GUS shapes and sizes and in quantity
Tor the whole building were delivered
in Albany and the work Of construc-
ton commenced in accordance with the
plans and system Of marking original
" furnished. With the very first stone
there was trouble. It not only did not
fit the place, but none Of the stones
marked to adjoin it fitted 1t, and, fur
Their, It cid not seem ever intended for
the place the number indicated. In
vestigation brought out that the stones
were not Of the sizes or shapes speci-
fed and shown on the plans, and, as to
the system of marking, 1t was quite
evident that the stones brought togeth-
er by It had no relation whatever to
each other
The bewildered architect hardly knew