New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-11
ONE FAITHLESS,
LOO MUST PAY
THE RECKONING
Jail Escape Bars Caresses
of Wives and Children
TO Sing Sing Men.
PRISONERS OFFER
REWARD FOR CAPTURE
Spence. Trusted, Flees. and Con-
victs Will Punish Him by
Ostracism on His Return.

Tho arms Of children VII reach IN
vain 10 give their daddics a good-by
hug and the men o. SING Sing will
have 70 90 cricving back to their cells
sebing for tho carcsses they cannot
have. all because Frederick Spence
broke out from the prison early yes
terday morning.
Standing with his hand on the inch
thick steel bar i'm the chanel window
that Spence bent aside to force his
way through. O. X. Bill, once one OF
the hardest but now one OF the most
softencd Of Thomas Mott osborne's
wards. told yesterday inc story Of
Spence's escape. And il was this same
o. K. Bill who picked out and pictured
the unkissed little children as the
worst result Of Spcnces action.
Three months ago" said o. X. Bill
"Mr. Osborne promised that if we al!
did our duty and no man broke faith
with him or with the others, that after
the Fourth Of July we all would have
new privileges.
The greatest oSthose privileges was
20 be the removal Of the screen in the
visitors room. You know. the screen
comes between the men and their Wis
itors. You can see what that is going
10 mean TO us that is, 20 those of us
who have wives and children coming to
visit US.
The One Big Privilege.
year after year, with never a chance
20 feel the little arms of their chill
dren or to Kiss their wives that is
what 1t has been in the past and to
do away with it was the one big thing
that has made the 100 of us hang to-
gcther for the last three months, ever
since the boss promised to take away
the screen
He promised US other privileges,
too; he promised that we wouldn't have
TO 20 into our cells until : o'clock in
stead Of ., as now, if we kept faith
with him until July Fourth. There
were other things, too; but the one
that meant most to the men was the
taking away Of the screen. And now
oil our good work has been spoiled by
one man., 700 others have TO suffer.
THE warden was very clear about il
when he made the promise. He said
that II any one man so far forgot his
own welfare and the good Of his fell
lows rs 10 do anything like this the
new privileges would be withheld. And
the boss means what he says when he
says q thing.
"Spence knew that. too. He was in
here for from twenty years TO life.
and he never had any one come TO see
him. He figured that he had nothing
10 lose and everything TO gain, so he
took the chance, without caring what
il meant 10 he rest Of US
Prisoners Scandalized.
o. X. Bills words were not the only
evidence that among these breakers
OF society's laws there had developed
the sense of social morality which
places the greatest good of the greatest
number above the advantage Of the in
dividual. Neither was O. X. Bill the
only one who spoke with particular
regret in regard TO the screen.
In other ways. too, the escape OF
Spence was a different kind of prison
scandal from anything Sing Sing ever
knew before. II was the prisoners who
were scandalized, for instead Of re-
joicing as is usual in ordinary prisons
when one Of their number escapes. the
men Of Sing Sing went on record as
regretting il. They went further.
They offered reward of 500 for
Spence's return.
The executive committee of the Mu
tual Welfare League held a special
meeting on the escape and promulgated
the following:
Whereas. one Of the members of The
league, holding an Office Of honor and
trust, while performing the duties of
his office. did break the faith that had
teen placed in him by our warden and
the executive board of the board Of
delegates and the other members Of
the league; therefore, be II
Resolved. That the entire body Of
the league express its grief at the &C
ton Of this member. and through ur
future acts 20 exhibit TO our warden
that the league shall do all in its
power 10 prevent a repetition Of such
an act; and be it further
Resolved. hat the league offers a
reward Of 500 for the return of said
culprit 10 the prison"
Ostracism His Portion.
Spences return 70 the prison will
De a return 20 something far worse
than the prison life he left. His =
tion Of punishment which Will e
measured out to him by The league VIII
be ostracism from the society OF ms
fellows and deprivation Of the speciai
privileges given 10 members OF the
league in good standing. .,.
From the state his punishment Will
be the loss Of his copper that IS,
the five days a month taken from ms
sentence for good behavior. lie VIC uld
have been entitled 10 the remission
in all Of 1000 days from his minimum
sentence Of twenty years, so that ne
would have been eligible for parole IN
a little less than seventeen years. But
when he goes back he will have TO serve
the whole term
Spence's escape is the first that
has taken place under Warden Os-
borne. or, as far as known, the first
attempt. Mr.. Osborne said yesterday
that the escape of prisoner from
Sing Sing IS not remarkable, as among
the other disadvantages Of the place Is
that escape from il is so easy.
Spence was a delegate from the cart
and wagon shops 70 the Mutual Wei
fare League, which means he WAS an
honor man, intrusted with special lib
critics. He was assigned with two
other men 20 90 into the chapel with
out guard after the regular nightly
motion picture exhibition for the con
victs. Their job was 10 put a drop
curtain in place over the stage. They
unrkcd nnfil O'clock Yesterday morn