New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-31
BLOW AT WARDEN
CAUSES ARREST
OF RILEY AGENT
Patrick Mcdonald in Row
Over Papers Taken
from Prison.
PAIR SEPARATED
BY ONLOOKERS
Osborne Wrenches Documents
from Assailant and Turns Him
Over to Policeman.

Patrick Mcdonald, confidential agent
Of Superintendent of Prisons John B..
Riley. was arrested in Ossining yester-
day after Warden Osborne had forci-
bly, taken from him records he had
removed from the prison. He was re-
leased on his own recognizance and
will be in the Ossining court next Fri
day TO answer a charge of assault upon
Osborne.
Following the attempt to smuggle the
records out of the prison Mr.. Osborne
went to Albany, where he had a con-
ference with Governor Whitman, and
then proceeded to Saratoga, where he
will spend Sunday. At the conclusion
of the conference he refused to discuss
the matter. Governor Whitman said
the arrest was technical rather than
serious and that the records Mcdonald
sought to remove would be given to
Riley.
Osborne, he said, admitted that Riley
had a perfect right TO the records, but
that he objected to their being re-
moved from the prison surreptitiously.
Ordinarily Mr.. Osborne leaves Sing
Sing the night before an execution.
Thursday night was the first exception.
He remained on duty and stayed awake
all night. Early in the evening Nc
4 He
the evening and early morning hours
in the prison Office with his feet on
Clerk Malloy's desk. Newspaper men
who sought to learn his mission got no
information. He was about the place
until after the executions and after the
witnesses and most of the newspaper
men had left.
Clerks Hand Over Papers
After the execution Osborne and
Deputy Warden Johnson, who have
been getting not more than three or
four hours sleep a night since the first
of the week, retired. Then Mcdonald
ought to enter the prison proper.
He ran up against an order issued by
Osborne before the execution of Becker
that nobody was TO be permitted inside
the prison without an order from HIM
self or Mr.. Johnson. Mcdonald there
upon demanded TO see the warden. he
was taken TO the room where Osborne
was sleeping. -,
as there anything personal in this =
he demanded.
"Certainly not" the warden told him,
"but under the conditions the prison
cannot be allowed open to persons or
dnarily acceptable as visitors. You
may go where you please"
Osborne then and there made out q
pass and Mcdonald went directly to the
Office of the principal keeper. On
duty there were two convict clerks.
He has been working with these men
off and on for some time and there IS
a suspician in Sing Sing that they had
reasons for expecting him to return.
At any rate he was there but Few
minutes when he departed, carrying
with him a large number OF papers
showing the assignments OF prisoners.
After he had gone one Of the men
went to Mr.. Osborne with word Of what
had happened, and Osborne, dressing
hurriedly. raced for the railroad sta.
ton, hoping to intercept Mcdonald
before he could board the $40 train.
| The train had gone but not McDonaIu'
for he had missed it by minute. Then
/ Osborne demanded the papers and Nc
Donald refused, daring him 10 touch
the grip in which he had them.
Strikes at Osborne.
Osborne ripped the bag open and
was extracting the papers wnen NC,
Donald punched at him. The. blow ieIl
short and he grabbed the wsrden's SHIRT
as Thomas J. and John j. O'Connor, OF
| Albany, guests of the warden, inter-
/ fered and blocked off Mcdonald, beeIy
individual, until the papers were SAFE
/ and the bag closed.
Mcdonald meantime was telling. U.s.
borne what he thought OF him and IN
yiting him to fight Osborne's answer
was to order his arrest for assault, and
the party went to the police station.
There Mcdonald produced copy OF
a letter he had left with the convict
clerks at the prison. 1t was call on
Osborne from Riley to furnish records
| showing the assignments OF prisoners.
Its wording was obscure, for there are
two classes Of assignments in the prison
those by the principal keepers OF