The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-20
SING SING JOLTED
BY WHITMAN'S AID
Secretary Orr Makes Mysteri-
Gus Inspection in the War
den's Absence.
SILENCE IN HIS WAKE

ossrNING. Sept. 1o.-Many sensational
rumors were set afoat to-day when
William A. Orr. private secretary 10
Gov. Whitman, paid a surprise visit to
Sing Sing prison. He arrived at J
o'clock and remained three hours, taking
an express train back to Albany.
No Sunday visit by a representative
of the Governor had ever been made
before and additional interest attaches
to Mr.. Orr's call from the fact that
Warden Thomas Mott Osborne is out OF
town. The Governors private secretary
conferred with Elihu Church. deputy
warden, but Mr.. Church declined to re-
veal the nature of the conference. II Is
known hat Mr.. orr visited the cell
block and other parts of the prison, and
IL Is believed that he conversed with
several OF the keepers.
An air of mystery, not unmixed with
anxiety, pervades the institution TO-
night. While the keepers generally are
more than ordinarily reticent the predic-
ton is made g~uardedly by more than n
attache that important developments will
come tomorrow.
II is limited that Warden Osborn had
an inkling Yesterday that something well
| outside the usual routine of prison life
was likely TO happen soon. He had
agreed to go yesterday afternoon to
Frank A. Nanderlip's summer home,
Beechwood. at Scarborough, to deliver
an address. hut at almost the last mo-
ment cancelled the appointment.
lie left Ossining without revealing his
destination, but there was "A suspicion
here that he took Il train for Albany.
II is considered improbable that he had
any intimation of Orr's plan to come
to the prison to-day. for he is reported
to have made an address this after
noon at Lake Placid.
Men h are specializing on the rea-
sons for MIR. Orr's unannounced call
in the warden's absence believe II prob
| ably was prompted by one of two COM
parativcly recent incidents in the prison.
one Of these was the break between the
warden and Fat Alger, whose suspension
from the Mutual Welfare League, OF
which he formerly was executive com
! mitteeman. and consignment to a cell
became known a few weeks ago.
when the news leaked out 1t was re-
reported that Algcr was being punished
for telling what lac knew of visits to
the death house. He was said to have
minated To GOV. Whitman that he had
made several visits to the condemned
/ cells with the warden's knowledge.
The other possible reason for Secre-
tary Orr's visit i'm the minds of men
who know something W prison AFFAIRS
WAS the inNcstigatiou of tho charges OF
gross immortality recently preferred
against twenty-five inmates. 1t IL said
that Il there was "A substantial basis for
! these charges II was Warden Osborne's
duty to report them to Frederick Weeks.
the District Attorney of Westchester
county.
Mr.. Weeks says that he has received
no report from the warden and knows
nothing Of the alleged offences except
from his reading Of the newspaper ac-
cunts.
LAKE rLACtp, y. Y. Sept. lo.-The
convention of the Efficiency Society in
the open air Forest of Arden Theatre
closed this afternoon with an address
on Prison Efficiency by Thomas Mott
osborne. warden Of Sing Sing prison.