The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-09-07
IS YEARS IN PRISON
Jesse Pomeroy Held in Solitary Con-
fnement for this Period of
Years.
IS HAIL AND HEARTY AT 81


| ing spent thirty-five years of his life
| in a solitary cell of Cherry Hill,
the stronghold of Charlestown State
prison where the life prisoners are
confined, Jesse Pomeroy, the most no
torious of these life prisoners today
entered upon his thirty-siXth year of
solitary confinement. When Jesse
Pomeroy entered the prison cell thir-
ty-fve years ago he was youth OF
about sixteen years, he is now fifty
one, and, Notwithstanding the rigor
of his confinement which was inter-
rupted but for short period during
the present year, seems strong, heal
thy and vigorous physically as we'll
as mentally.
During the latter part Of 1871 and
the beginning of 1872 a series of
bestial and indescribably cruel crimes
perpetrated upon little boys of ten
der age created perfect panic in
! South Boston and Chelsea. In every
one of the cases the little victim was
enticed to some lonely spot by boy
of about twelve or fourteen years,
stripped, tied to tree or board and
then numerically beaten and tor
tured by him. 1t was many months
before the police obtained the first
/ clue to the perpetrator of these
crimes. Information given by one OF
the young victims led to the arrest
but respectable dressmaker.
Jesse Pomeroy at first denied his
guilt, but, after he had been con-
! fronted with several Of his victims
and definitely identified by them, he
broke down and confessed. He could
not explain his motive and repeated
| ly asserted that he was driven to
these fiendish outrages by impulses
which he could not resist. He was
J tried, found guilty and, in considera-
! ton Of his youth sent to the State re-
! form school. At that time degen-
eracy was not so thoroughly under
stood as it is now. Pomeroy was
called a generate, but it was con-
sidered more proper to punish him
than to treat him as defective and
send him to an asylum where he
could have been kept under perma-
nent control.
Pomeroy remained in the reform
school seventeen months, always
playing the model prisoner He acted
! the part so successfully that he de-
ceived his mother, several clergymen
and number of charitably inclined
women Between them they succeed
ed in procuring Jesse Pomeroy's re-
lease without having him first exam
ined by an alienist. This was in
February, 1874. Scarcely a month
later little girl named Katie Cur
ran disappeared on her way to school
and although a thorough search was
made extending over many months,
not trace of her could be found.
Later in the same year clam-dig-
ger of South Boston, in crossing the
marsh back of Washington village,
South Boston, found the horribly mu-
tilated body of a small boy who was
afterward identified as Horace Mil
len. The crime was evidently the
work of a degenerate, and, sremem-
hering the record of Jesse Pomeroy
the police arrested him and took him
to the morgue where the body of the
little boy lay upon stone slab. The
sight of the mutilated corpse SO I'M
nerved Pomeroy that he confessed his
guilt and also admitted that he had
tortured and murdered little Katie
Curran. Her mutilated and decom-
> posed body was found buried under
ashes and rubbish in the cellar OF
: Mrs Pomeroy's house.
The confession of these crimes
created the most intense feeling
among the people in South Boston
and Chelsea and Pomeroy would have
5 been lynched had it not been for the
precautions of the authorities. His
trial lasted only three days and only
the prisoners youth saved him from
:. the gallows. He was sentenced tC
spend the remainder of his life iI
solitary confinement in Charlestown
prison. During the first ten years
of his Imprisonment Pomeroy made
a number of attempts to break ou1
of jail, but they were frustrated by
the watchfulness of his guards. A
5 number of sentimentalists induced
the governor in the spring Of this
year to allow Pomeroy more freedom
I but his privileges were soon revoked
) when the discovery was made that he
> had used his greater freedom to plar
his escape and had even obtained pos
! session of a steel saw,
. Anyhow, the deadbeats have foune
, way to reduce the cost Of theil
living.
| NJ a. D,rk Jry<