The sun., 1919-07-20
James Jackson, Veteran State Detec-
tive, Recalls Daring Escapes of
Many Convicts Whom He
Subsequently Rounded Up

bands tea so she could elope with q
rival, one year.
Besides being used for the three
condemned women. the female prison
was for several years occupied as an
| extension for the mems prison when
that was overcrowded. AS many as
| hundred men at a time have been
| imprisoned there.
Often has the prison siren blown
or the big alarm bell tolled for some
| elusive fellow who fed the female
| prison. Once an occupant gained the
open air escape from there was much
easier than from the mems prison,
for the simple reason that there was
never a wall around the female quar-
tiers.
| Peter Jones, who had only four
more months to stay. broke from the
| line when Keeper Leander See was
marching a company into the build
| ing December 10, 1856 and escaped
Next morning Clarence Osterhoff
found him nearly frozen in his barn
and fed him. Recognizing him as
the escaped convict, under the pre-
tence he was going TO take him to
the river bank to raise boat he
drove him up to the prison front door.
| Warden Brush took the fugitive In
tow and paid Osterhoff the standing
fifty dollars reward for his trouble.
julius Feurer, who served only four
months of four years for forgery.
! decamped from the womens prison
building when Keeper Devoe's back
was turned on September 4, 1884
Always relentless in his pursuit of
| escaped convicts, Detective Jackson
traced him to Canada, to Boston, and
finally trapped him, after he had been
gone four years. married and settled
down in Williamsburg. Feurer had
TO return and square his debt to tho
State.
James Kelly and Mike Feeney. two
vicious desperadoes. felled Keeper
See with a blow from a concealed
hammer and got, saway from the
temple" April IL, 1890. They were
soon recaptured. Detective Jackson
took them to White Plains, where
they were indicted and given eleven
and nine years more respectively.
"Big BilI'' Mason's Getaway.
Big Bill" Mason, the notorious
burglar, who is still inside Sing Sings
walls, made a daring break for free
dom from the women's building July
rs, 1890. Mason is the desperate who
had a pistol battle with Police In
lspector McClusky several years ago
at the West Shore Railroad station in
Manhattan. McClusky. fired upon by
Mason. returned the fire. One Of
Masou's fingers was shot off The
night he robbed the country home Of
D. Ogden Bradley at Dobbs Ferry,
Mason encountered Policeman Will
lam Carroll OF Yonkers while carry
ing off his plumber The two fought
battle with their revolvers in the
street, a bullet going through the
, poHceman's helmet. Carroll finally
triumphed and took the burglar to the
station.
He had just begun to serve his
twelve years sentence when Keeper
Joseph Eaton took him TO the roof
of the prison building TO make repairs.
Mason suddenly Jumped thirty feet 10
, the roof of lower annex. and then
reached the ground in another leap.
Eaton opened fire with his revolver
and halted him. Mason now brags
that for the burglary committed in
, Port Chester for which he ia now do
, ing time he was arraigned before
Judge Brophy, now his warden.
/ Andrew Miller fed from the Ice
, house in the yard OF The female prison
In overalls he hid away there for the
t purpose on June II, 1894. He was
recaptured in Brooklyn seventeen
, months later and brought back by the
, prison detective.
) James Finn, who had but two
: months of five years sentence for
t robbery to servo. left n dummy" with
Keeper John O'Keefe the night %
: Feb. 8. 1900. lie pried the door off the
hinges. sneaked out through the sky
, light in the roof and by series ot
drops reached the ground. Finn was
| caught in New York three days later.
: His disappearance. however, taught
} Walden Addison Johnson a lesson. Ho
. had the seventy-siN male prisoners
! taken out of the female building the
same day Finn vanished, and that
= was the last time Sing Sings women
( prison housed an aggregation OF pris
g Oners Since then its only use has
e been 10 imprison lone condemned
E woman and serve, for several years. as
( residence for the late principal
keeper. James Connaughton, who for
thirty years ruled the convicts with a
mailed fist.