The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-02-15
ALONE IN CELL 50 YEARS
JESSE POMEROY, A PRISONER
SINCE HE WAS FOURTEEN.
Has Educated HimseIf-OWinJ to At
rocities Of His Crimes Appeals in
His Behalf Have Been Vain-Sur-
wives His Prosecutors.

After thlrty-three years spent Ill
solitary confinement in cell at the
Charlestown State Prison. Jesse POM
erOy, the most famous prisoner in the
State, may yet have cause for hoping
consideration.
In many respects Pomeroys history
presents one of the greatest tragedies
of American prisons. He entered his
cell as a boy of fourteen years. He
is now rapidly becoming aged, owing
to his seclusion Year after year he
has himself addressed petitions to the
Governor asking for release. Owing
to intense public feeling against his
youthful atrocities, a long succession
of executive administrations have
considered his petitions somewhat as
a perennial joke.
His aged mother has fer years join
ed him in trying to effect his release.
Pomeroy has stated that he would go
to some isolated section of Maine and
would there engage in poultry raising.
Such liberation undoubtedly would
never be permitted by Massachusetts.
More than a year ago. however, the
New York Herald, after careful
search for facts of Pomeroy's long in
generation, pointed out that his boy
ish crimes We're such that cases like
it today would be treated in institu-
tons fer the criminal insane.
Pomeroy'S crimes were due to per-
version and partly to his youth. Since
then Pomeroy has become highly
educated man. Although he might
still be a public menace. those who
have studied his case believe that the
purpose of society might still be serv-
ed if his confinement could be made
more lenient To this end the Amerl-
can society for the Promotion OF
Criminal Anthropology has addressed
a petition to the Governor asking for
a mitigation of that part of Pomer-
oy's sentence which relates to solitary
confinement.
For the first time in many years
Pomeroy has this week been taking
exercise in the open air. Owing to
the reticence of prison officials re-
garding Pomeroy it cannot be stated
whether the authorities have suddenly
granted him this privilege or whether
he himself has suddenly availed him
self of the opportunity.
Even under the legal definition OF
"solitary confinement" there are
privileges which Pomeroy does not
enjoy, many of them from his own
fault. His thirty-three years of isola-
ton have made him sullen and re-
sentful and a source of much anxiety
to his keepers. The attitude OF other
prisoners toward him also makes it
difficult to extend to him any freedom
in the prison. which might be given
were he not so we'll known.
Pomeroy believes that powers over
which he had no control moved him
to his crimes when he was boy, and
he cannot see the ethics or the justice
of society that Furnishes him now
But he looks to no future except death
and spends his time studying Ian
guages and history.
Pomeroy is a survival. The judges
who tried him, the Attorney General
and the District Attorney who prose
cuted him and the Governor who
spared his life have all been dead
many years He was only thirteen
years old when he was first taken in
to custody, charged with torturlng
boys of from four to six years. lie
was sent to a reform school in Mas
sachusetts, but after two years was
released That was in 1874. Very
soon afterward he killed five-year-
old girl and Aried her body in the
cellar of his fathers store. On the
following April % he killed a hve-
year-old boy.
. At the trial for this crime the de-
fence was insanity. 1t was contend
ed that Pomeroy's brain was abnor-
NAL, that he had no power of inhibl-
ton and no moral sense. Neverthe-
less he was convicted and sentenced
to be hanged Chiefly because OF MS
youth the sentence was committed by
Governor Rice to life Imprisonment.
During his confinement Pomeroy
has made several attempts to escape
In one of them, in 1887, he used lllllm-
mating gas to cause an explosion, p"'
he succeeded only in wrecking ms
cell and in nearly killing himself. VI
late wears he is said to have become
resigned to his fate. The long years
of reading and study in his prison.
whore he has the use of eight thou
sand volumes, have developed his IN
tellect, until, according to those VINO
have watched him. he is different
being from the unnatural boy OF more
than a quarter of century ago