The sun., 1919-08-03

Weird and Thrill
ing Incidents That
MarkedLastDays
of Many Famous
Murderers Are Re-
Gale d by Three
Of the Prisons
Veteran Guards

By EDWARD T. KAvANAucH.

w some Of the experiences Of
George Meserole and two
other veteran Sing Sing keepers, lately
retired. with numerous murderers. IA
nous or infamous. during many years
they were on the death watch over
the PRISONS cells set apart for pris-
oners awaiting execution.
Meserole, whose keen eyes for TWEEN
ty-six years kept lookout over those
closely guarded cells. is only now un-
folding some Interesting stories Of
what has gone on in there. John Der
renbachcr. who kept vigil over the
death celia nine years. and Alexander
Van wart. who did relief duty there
for a similar period. have likewise
elected to talk. With official consent
of Warden Edward ". Brophy they
feel at liberty to give their reminis-
cences. Many of the episodes de-
scribed have never before been writ
ten.
Meserole's Famoes Charges.
Meserole had by far the longest
lighthouse experience ana came In
contact with it's most celebrated in
mates, such as Albert T. Patrick ac-
cused Of the murder Of william Rice,
the millionaire, whose sentence was
finally committed: Roland Molineux,
FIRST convicted and later acquitted Of
the murder OF Mrs. Katherine Adams;
D.. Samuel Kennedy. charged with the
murder OF Dolly Reynolds, who was
afterward retired and discharged, and
Charles Becker. police lieutenant, who
was convicted for the murder of Ro-
seminal, the gambler. These and other
distinguished prisoners were entrusted
to Meseroie's keeping. Two hundred
condemned persons, including three
women, have been received In his time.
Standing between a condemned muir
derer facing death in the electric
chair and his freedom. the Waterman {
task In the condemned cells Is a tick
lish one. A murierer condemned to
die has nothing to lose by killing a
guard to make a getaway. The temp
tation to attack his guard is. therefore,
obvious. Yet none OF these three
keepers ever received even a scratch.
nor had suicide or escape on his tour
of duty. Yet they have guarded scores
of dangerous murderers. Other guards
have had murder, suicide and escapes
on their shifts.
Comedy and Tragedy.
Both comedy and tragedy figure ir
7 these three veterans adventures. Fol
example, Meserole well remembers the
day in 1915 that Lyman Lehman
who threw his two children out OF {
window and killed them in New York
slammed suicide. He pretended, II
staging an insanity plea, to have swal
lowed poison. When DIR. Amos 0
Squire got to work on him with thu
dreaded stomach pump, it soon drew
the truth, as we'll as the harmless vim
egar he swallowed, out Of him. Lieb
man shrieked and begged for mere,
as the doctors pumped away. ana ha'
to confess he was taking so the!
would stop the pump. Then. on tn
pathetic side, there was the process
sion OF seven hearses up to the prisoi
front door on the eve of the execution
of Vincent Cali ana six other slayer
in Warden Kennedy's time. This wa
the largest number ever executed Il
one batch.
In intellect Meserole. Derrenbache
and Van Wart are above the averag
prison guard. There was never any
thing surly or shiftiess about them
Each Is polished and unassuming
But all three In their deathhous
duties were firm and fearless. The.
were able to match their wits an
their daring against those Of thei
charges. whether they be murderer
OF tho shrewd type or mere brutes
Meserole had fearlessness instilled Il
him in the civil war. For bravery 4
the Union army he rose from 9Th
ranks TO lieute ..ant in Duryea's Zou
ayes regiment.
In point OF lighthouse experienc
Derrenbacher is the dean OF the groui
He went to work In Sing Sing Jun
10. 1889, Under Warden Brush and ba
been there but a month when on Jul
Is. 1889, the dynamo and all the cleo