The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-07
FOR IS YEARS He
HAS Been IN CELL
Today Jesse Pomeroy Be-
gins 36th Year in Soil
tary Confinement.
National News Association


BOSTON, Mass. Sept. AFTER hav-
ing spent thirty-five years of his life |
in a solitary cell of Cherry HILL" the |
stronghold of Chariestown State pris- |
on where the life prisoners are confin- |
ed, Jesse Pomeroy, the most notorious |
of these life prisoners today entered |
upon his thirty-sixth year of solitary |
confinement. When Jesse Pomeroy en- |
tered the prison cell thirty-five years
ago he was youth of about sixteen
years; he is now ffty-one and, notwith-
standing the rigor of his confinement
which was interrupted but for a short
period during the present year, seems
strong, healthy and vigorous physical
ly as well as mentally.
During the latter part of 1871 and
the beginning of 1879 a series of best
ial and indescribably cruel crimes per-
petrated upon little boys of tender age
created a perfect panic in South Bos-
ton 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 a tree or board and then unmerci-
| fully beaten and tortured by him. 1t
was many months before the police OBJ
tanned the first clue to the perpetrator
of these crimes. In formation given by
one of the young victims led to the ar
rest of Jesse Pomeroy, the son of
poor but respectable dressmaker.
Admitted His Guilt.
Jesse Pomeroy at first denied his
l,n
ed with several of his victims and def
initely identified by them, he broke
down and confessed. He could not ex-
plain his motive and repeatedly assert
ed that he was driven to these fiendish
outrages by impulse which he could
not resist. He was tried, found guilty
and, in consideration of his youth sent
to the State reform school. At that
time degeneracy was not SO thoroughly
understood as it is now. Pomeroy was
called degenerate, but it was consid-
cred more proper to punish him than
to treat him as defective and send
him to the asylum where he Could
have been kept under perfect control.
Pomeroy remained in the reform
school seventeen months, always play.
ing the model prisoner. He acted the
! part so successfully that he deceived
his mother, several clergymen and a
Between them they succeeded in pro
curing Jesse Pomeroy's release with
out having him first examined by ar
alienist This was in February, 1874
Scarcely one month later a little CIR
named Katie Curran disappeared or
her way to school and although thor
ough search was made extending ovel
many months not a 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 at
y terward identified as Horace Millen
G The crime was evidently the work o
e a degenerate and, remembering tn
). record of Jesse Pomeroy, the polic'
o arrested him and ook him to the MOI
n que where the body of the little bo
d lay upon a stone slab. The eight of tn
:. mutilated corpse SO unnerved Pome
n roy that he confessed his guilt and a.
: so admitted that he had toutured an
It murdered little Katie Curran. Her mt
> tilated and decomposed body wa
l. found buried under some ashes an
It rubbish in the cellar of Mrs. Pome
l. roy's house. -..
n The confession of these crimes Gre
ated the most intense feeling anon
the people of South Boston and Che
sea and Pomeroy would have bee
lynched had it not been for the pre-
cautions of the authorities. His tria
. lasted only three days and only tn
prisoners youth saved him from tn
IL gallows. He was sentenced to spen
l. the remainder Of his life in solitar
confinement in Charlestown prison
e During the first ten years of his in
s. prisonment Pomeroy made a numbe
8 of attempts to break out of Jail bt
/ they were frustrated by the watchfu
g ness of his guards. A number of sent
'e mentalists induced the governor in tn
spring of this year to allow Pomero
3 more freedom, but his privileges wei
u soon revoked when the discovery Wa
!. made that he had used his create
- freedom to plan his escape and ha
e even obtained possession of ste
saw.