The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1920-02-20


led Warden Hubbell to equip the cell
block with iron instead of wooden
supports for the galleries, or tires,
as some term them.
During the State detectives career
Keeper Orlando Humphrey was in
stantIy killed on Washington's birth
day, 1876, by a nitroglycerine tx
plosion in the prison quarry. David
Goldstein, an inmate frebug, was
struck and killed by flying rock
when a blast was set off on June l.,
1901. OF the many suicides among
prisoners which occurred while
jackson was in Office the most IN
canny method was used by John Nc
Dermott, who had served seven yea s
Of a life term for killing his wife.
McDermOtt thrust his head and
shoulders into the messroom furnace
and was burned to death. This hap
pened on May 13, 1880, just after
Warden Brush took office.
OF the prisoners who have died IN
Sing Sing Dietrich Tragman, the
STRAW bail magnate," was the most
noted in Jackson's time. He had
served twO-thirds of a three and one
half years sentence for swindling
New York County by giving fictitious
securities to bail out criminals await
ing trial. Tragman dropped dead in
his cell on New Years Day, 1898.
Fresh within the detectives reten-
tive memory is the sensational break
for freedom made early in the morn
ing of August %, 1892, from tia old
cell block. which resulted In Charles
Vincent being shot dead and his ac-
complete. James WEIGH, being ser
iously wounded. The two criminals
were doubled UP" in the same cell.
They struggled a jackscrew, hammer
and pair of scissors into their cell
and were able to force open the lock.
WEIGH got out first and, squeezing
through a window at the south end
of the cell block, gained the roof OF
Warden Browns residence. Vincent
saw Keeper John Glynn pass the cell
on the gallery and supposed 1t was
Captain Post making his rounds and
that now he could leave unnoticed.
AS he stepped from his cell he
ran afoul of Post, just coming along,
and taking the count Vincent and
Post grappled, the convict trying to
hurl the keeper over the gallery
railing. Scuff1ing for the keepers
revolver, Vincent shot Post in the
leg. Vincent got the weapon and
spanning the space between the
gallery and the cell block wall with
his bnnkboard managed to get to a
window. Three keepers opened fire
on him and Vincent fired back. A
bullet struck him and he died wedg-
ed between the window bars. WEIGH
lowered himself from the warden's
roof and dashed down the railroad
track, but Keeper GIynn felled him
with a bullet. Hundreds of convicts
made bedlam by shaking their cell
doors and bowling a weird protest
number. Detective Jackson was
delegated to determine how the two
fugitives got the jackscrew to aid
their fight.
Jackson was present when Joseph
Pamkuch, an escaped convict being
brought back from the Pacific coast
twenty years after he made his get
away from Sing Sing, leaped off a
train and was killed in Iowa in 1905.
While the detective and Keeper Jas
per Travis were passing through the
train Pamkuch gave Travis the slip
and jumped, but was ground to death
under the wheels. Pamkuch, en-
ployed in the prison bakery, he'd
early on the morning of May rs, 1885,
leaving his suit of stripes on the
river bank to give the impression
that he was drowned. Jackson, how
ever, never gave up the search until
the fugitive was found prospecting
out West and was started back to
serve the nine-tenths that he still
owed on his two and a half years
sentence for assault.
Detective Jackson frequently had
experience with conYicts trying to
gain freedom by leaping out of train
windows while carloads of them were
in transit from Sing Sing to up
State prisons. For instance, Henry
Payne was killed by striking on his
head at Hudson on November 8, 1876.
Less than four months afterward G..
E. Emerly, another prisoner, met his
death pllinging from the same train
at Utica upon which the celebrated
Edward S. Stokes, was le-
ing transferred to Auburn prison.
OF the hundreds of prisoners jack
son moved in his day none, howsver,
got away from him personally.
Back in 1875, which was the ban
ner year for getaways, Jackson in
vestigated a daring attempt made by
six desperadoes to esacpe the morn
ing of April 10 in lime sloop from
Sing Sings dock Armed with axes,
hatchets and knives, John McCalpin
and Alexander Corbett, long term
burglars, drove the crew ashore.
AS they weighed anchor and start
ed for midstream Keeper William
Gale leaper aboard and ordered the
pirates to put up their hands. Nc
Ca1pin rushed at Gale with a bowie
knife Gale, levelling his carbine,
dropped the leader to the deck with
a bullet in the back Corbett, as
Gale reloaded his gun, hurled
Ratchet at him. Gale fired again,
and down went the second pirate.
The other four surrendered and
steered the craft back to the dock.
The wounded men eventually re-
covered Warden Alfred Walker
gave Keeper Gale a silver pistol as
a reward for his pluck.
James Kelly and Michael Feeney
were taken by the detective to White
Plains for trial on charges of rob-
DSIy anu assault dLIST JHSy HlL h60p-
er Leander See over the head with
a hammer, bound and gagged him
and fled from the female prison
building on April IL, 1890. They
were soon recaptured, indicted, and
Judge Mills added eleven years to the
sentence of Kelly and nine to that of
Feeney.
A murderous assault was made by
John Loudrigan, a convict, on Keeper
].