davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12
Waiting for the Whistle
That Meant-What?

Each of the men concerned in the plot
worked in different shop. AS they started
to work after breakfast on this particular
morning each had concealed in his blouse one
of the dummy guns with it's wooden bullets.
There followed two hours of suspense, during
which. with every quivering nerve at highest
tension, the men waited fer the telltale whistle.
Suppose it should be only light whistle?
Suppose the sound Of the shop machinery
should drown it cut? Suppose the plot had
been known for weeks and the prison officials
were patiently waiting in the yard for the
break to be made? Suppose
A shrill, piercing whistle, simultaneous
connection in each of the shops where the
men worked, gray racing figure bounding
past the shop guard like streak of light and
seven determined men were racing to a COM
mon point, the cab Of the engine. Did it ever
take SO long to run SO short distance? The
first to reach the goal was Gideon. He thrust
his harmless gun into the engineers fses, who
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12
BY JOSEPH r. FISHMAN
Drawings by J. Norman Ly.d

one or Two guns within the walls upon more
than one occasion has enabled prisoners to
effect an escape. If the guards carry guns
the prisoners, being greatly superior in num-
bers, can seize them, and, using the officers as
shields against the fire of the guards on the
walls and in the towers. can quite easily
effect an escape.
Several years ago one Of the Federal pris-
ons had just such a getaway" Twenty-six
prisoners walked out at this time, although they
had but two revolvers. At signal group
OF them in the yard overpowered several
guards. Holding the guards before them as.
shields, they ran through the main building to
the front door and pointing their guns at the
guard stationed there demanded that he open
the door, To have fired at them would have
jeopardized the lives of the guards, ''the in
reference" Needless to say, the door was
opened and the prisoners marched out They
still had to get by an outside tower, however,
where an armed guard was stationed To their
surprise, this guard opened fire. They re-
turned it with the stolen guns and<the guard
dropred dead. Abandoning their human
shields, the erstwhile prisoners "beat it''
through the gates and scattered.
The worst class among the prisoners are
continually making efforts to secure fire.
arms. They cultivate the friendship Of
prisoners about to be released, particularly
those Of weak will, and try to induce them
TO maneuver firearms or saws to them or to
assist them in some way from the outside
to escape The bolder, more determined
prisoners usually turn to prison simples
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12

gallery running around the wall. Gun gal
lerles are purposely built high and away from,
the cell block. SO that prisoners cannot get to
the armed guards who patrol them In this
institution there was space Of forty feet
from the galleries running around the cells to
the gun gallery on the wall. 1t would be i'm
possible to imagine a gun inside the dollhouse
IN safer position. But the prisoners, to
whom everything is vulnerable until proved
otherwise, planned to overcome this difficulty
by lassoing the guard, dragging him off the
gallery and seizing his gun. This could have
been accomplished easily as some of the prison
ers were cowboys and thoroughly familiar
with rope. The plot led to the building of a
grating around the gun gallery to protect the
guard from prisoners locked in cells forty feet
away
But the more brainy prisoner is by no means
dismayed when he finds his enforced home SO
alright as to make the smuggling of guns
practically impossible. Realizing that the
effect of gun. like beauty, is in the eye Of the
beholder, he devotes his time to the making of
phony, or dummy guns.
You would never think, to look at the quiet,
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12
sSSnitches" and "!Stool Pigeons"
And the Rule of Silence

hhe rule Of silence, touched upon previously
was not primarily for the purpose of punish
ing the prisoners and making them feel that
Chey were different from other men. Its pur-
pose was to prevent organization, an old and
generally correct theory of prison administra-
tlon being that the safety of prison depended
upon the lack OF organization among the pris-
oners. 1t was generally thought that organi-
zatloE could be prevented if the prisoners were
prohibited from talking. Of course, the pris-
oners outnumber the officers many times over
and the old idea was that if they ever acted
i'll concert they would sweep all before them.
And they would.
But it was not the rule of silence which op-
Grated to prevent organization, but certain Of
the prisoners themselves. In school they would
be known by the descriptive "tattle tale" In
prisons they are designated "snitches,"
snakes" or "stool pigeons" In plain words,
they are sneaks of the same kind you meet in
everyday life, those who endeavor to stand
IN with their superiors by blahhing about
others. They are far more numerous in prison
than elsewhere, and they are hated by the
other prisoners when they are known with q
bitterness which is indescribable.
say when they are known" The "snitch.
is careful to see that he does not become
known. When prisoner tells you he is going
TO get another because he done the big
squeaF you can make up your mind that he
feels he has been thoroughly outraged and
that the "snitch" had better keep his eye on
his number" The officers of all penal institu-
tions take every advantage of the "snitch" and
Of his ability TO remain unsuspected 1t is this
class of prisoner which prevents organization
among his fellows, because they never know
whom to trust and whom to suspect A thor
oughly detestabe class, they have nevertheless
prevented many escapes and saved the lives
of numberless prison officials. Every prison
official has his "stool pigeons" who keep hina
informed as to what is going on in his insti-
tuition. The eagerness with which he uses
them is only exceeded by the contempt in which
he holds them.
Personally ! do not by any means condemn
the "snitcha system. On the contrary think
that as our penal institutions are at present
conducted it is absolutely indispensable. re-
alizc that lay myself open to the charge OF
theorists and moralists that am upholding
the development of sneaks and hypocrites.
Theoretically it's indefensible Practically Is
is not cnly defensible, it is essential to pre-
vent escapes and protect lives. But, you say,
we don't have to have Switches" in everyday
life. Of course, we don't. But men in every
day life are not living unnatural lives under a
system Of repression as they are in penal in
stitutions. And where they do you'll have tho
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12
w. An intercepted message in convict code. De-
coded, 1t reads: "See Shorty Get aim plant eOo guns
prison farm base of oak end of pig pen"

undersized, bespectacled Murdoch, that here
was q man with the brains to conceive an orig
nal and ingenious escape and with the courage
and force to lead it. The officials didn't either,
although they are not so often fooled by
pleasant exterior. They realize that there are
others like the "mildest hammered man who
ever scuttled ship or cut throat" and, as
rule, they don't take chances Now, / know
Murdoch well, and don't believe he would do
either of these things to ship or throat,
but he could no more help using his brains
than he could help breathing. When he in
formed Hewitt, Kating, Grigware, Clark,
Gideon and one other "lifer" whose name do
not now recall that he had plan for a "get-
away" he found willing, not to say eager, list
eners.
Murdock was employed in the carpenter
shop. Working secretly at odd moments this
artist had at the end of four months tedious
labor, made seven perfect dummy revolvers
out of ordinary wood, painted black. The
bullets were also Of wood, and were bur-
nished to give them the appearance Of lead.
few days later at breakfast in the mess
hall Murdock yawned and stretched his arms
above his head. With eighteen hundred men
present the fact that one of them yawned
and stretched attracted no particular atten-
tion. But to every man concerned in the plot
it was the most momentous yawn they had ever
known. 1t signifed that all was in sadiness
and that the first engine which shunted freight
into the yard Of the institution after that
time was the one to be seized. After the
freight car was uEcoupled the engine always
gave one whistle as a signal to the guard sta
toned at the gate to open it to let the engine
out. For many years freight cars had been
shunted into the yard in this manner to be
'1nloaded
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12

Excitement beads his forehead with perspira-
tion and makes his hands stick to the leather.
UP another foot. Another. And another. He
is nearing his goal. A sound! Or did he inn
agine it? Will he have to slide quickly back
to the top of the cell block and hide until ne
may start the ascent again? He stops, listens,
tries to pierce the gloom /. He starts to
climb again. He is almost at the top. he
makes a quick attempt to reach it IN one move.
His hand slips He makes a convulsiye effort
to catch himself, fails, falls with a startling
crash that awakeas every prisoner in the place
and-immediately begins to think OF the possi-
bility of trying again A few months Later
sees him again ON his way to freedom and this
sine he is out and away.
With few exceptions, one OF the cardinal
rules of the administration of every prison is
that no guns are permitted within the walls.
IN the vast majority Of cases only the guards
an the walls and in the towers are armed with
guns, never those inside who come in direct
contact with the prisoners The possession Of
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12
Prison Table Etiquette
And Empty Cups

One of their methods is to talk into an
empty cup while sitting next to each other at
the dinner table. They have developed to an un-
usual degree the ability to talk through the
corners of their mouths without moving their
lips. This is the familiar stunt made much Of
by vaudeville performers when initiating
criminals and other denizens of the under
would. In this way one often manages to talk
to another in the yard. And their procedure
for making an engagement is the "punch
paper" code. This consists Of punching PIN
holes through the words of newspaper which
are needed to make up message. For in
stance, if Murdoch wanted to talk to Grigware
he would punch pinhole through the words
"Stand next to me tomorrow" The paper was
passed to Grigware through the prison under
ground" He would then hold the paper up to
the electric bulb in his cell and pick out the
words through which the light showed.
Another of the wireless" methods is to
communicate by tapping with the fingers
when sufficiently close. Sometimes prisoners
manage to plant notes in various parts
of the prison which would be picked up by the
intended recipient. This practice Of shooting
contraband notes is known among prisoners as
flying kite" They are clever enough to
put these notes in code, so that il they should
be found by any Of the guards they would be
meaningless Such codes are in general use
by prisoners everywhere. Just a short time
ago, while making a prison investigation,
picked up a note written in this code. To-
gether with some Of the officers worked over
it for several hours and by using the word
"prison' ais base, feeling sure that this word
would be used somewhere in the message, we
finally decoded 1t.
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12
MMe Big Duty Is,
Gssp Them Inside

y kfact is that new prison officials, by an
q anM invariable process of evolution, come to
q al hat their only duty is to see that prison
4 #m Dc not escape. In spite of this, doubt il
here is a prison or Jail in the world from
= mich prisoners have not escaped Nor do
HhHeve such a one will ever be built. For the
Hcks and schemes and uncanny mechanical
+ ail which prisoners use, the courage and re-
nurcefulness which they display, and the ant
Re patience with which they execute their
4 sans for getaway" would get them far
/ lOng the road to success if applied in a
: roper direction.
It is night-the time when most escapes
re attempted. Now the number Of officers
reduced to a minimum; on city streets there
8 aM fewer people and on country roads pedes-
i tans may be avoided entirely. In the Federal
&penitentiary at Leavenworth the amiable Dick
q Osborne, author already of half a dozen sue
/ assful escapes, is working with his char
/ acteristic ingenuity and determination on the
! hna Preparations for new getaway" For
hSe months-not too long time when you
sni have twelve years to do-he has been
RreAing his plans, bit by bit, under the very
eyes Of the prison officials. And at last, with
the aid Of some strips of leather, small file,
SOME staples and hook, he is ready to make
he four long dashes to freedom which must
accomplished before he will even be on the
outside of the prison walls. First, he must
ges out Of his cell; second, he must reach the
Np Of the cell block, three or four tiers or
nights Of stairs up third, he must bridge the
Instance Of thirty five feet between the top OF
ae cell block and the real ceiling of the build
ag gap which all modern prisons have just
{ order to Illustrate such escapes, and fourth,
must get through the trap door, which is
8 us objective, to the roof
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12

InrOng and a draw
string ran along the en-
tire length to keep it
rigid. Closed it was
eighteen inches long,
but when unfolded and
made rigid it had a
length of about thirty
six feet. While making
this queer contrivance
Dick kept it tied to his
leg.
On this particular
night of which I speak
all is ready for the
break to liberty. A
vigorous wrench final
ly sewers the bars which
have been filed to a
fine thread. Dick listens
and waits until he feels
sure that the guard is
at the other end of the
cellhouse, then eau
tiously, very cautious
ly, he lets himself out
of his cell on to the
balcony family lighted
by one dim light. An
other period of listen
ing. There are two
ways to the top of the
cell block, one by the
staircase and one by
perilously and slowly
climbing up the tiers,
balcony by balcony, un-
til the top is reached.
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12

ened together with small staple in such
way as to permit them to be opened into a
straight line in the manner Of a carpenters
rule. The large hook was attached to the last
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12


So many and so effective are the ways de-
vised by prisoners to controvert the rule of
silence that prison officials gradually. came to
recognize it's uselessness, and although it was
continued until quite recently it has finally
been abandoned
A prisoner confined in an asylum for the
criminal insane in Washington nodded beau
tiful gun out of piece Of kitchen soap, cover
ing it with finely polished tin foil to give it
the appearance If silver mounting. Luckily
the officers of the institution "disarmed" him
before he could carry out his plan to escape
This prisoner had been a tramp or "blanket
stiff, as they are known among the denizens
of the underworld. 1t had probably never oc-
Cured to him to look upon soap as other than
an offensive weapon. This perhaps may have
been the germ of his idea.
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12
rrsson Architects Make
sseape Difficult

n modern prisons the cells are not just irl-
sus The walls of the prison building. They
y set IN separate structure which is known
| 20 sa cell block, and which is built in the CEN
9 of the cellhouse about fifteen or twenty
sss away from the interior walls, SO that il
y. prisoner should get out of his cell he must
~ get out Of the cellhouse, the windows
~ doors Of which are barred.
nc 70 escape from his cell was easy for Dick.
s'a the prisoners first aid, the inevitable
= alSa saw which Dick hid during the day in
= pipe OF his washbowl (holding it there by
a@s u with scrap Of twine to the little
~ u's oar), he had worked on the bars of his
8 = each night, stopping at the approach of
screw tprison slang for guard), and be-
h..,2 hn2 again the moment he felt secure. AS
! '9s the rest
% !. worked IN the shoe and harness shop
~ - penitentiary under the eye of fore
w.. ana guard on an elevated platform
y. gs's y was not easy to walk off with things.
A.. As nad gradually stolen about two dozen
ona 'e' oi neayy leather, each eighteen inches
n asseral dozen small staples and piece
l. * AZ aDout forty feet in length. To these
g. 10y large hook, which he picked UP on
IL, grounds of the institution while some
alas ~ operations were in progress.
- ends Of the thongs Of leather he fast
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12

that the guard is gone.
FTER fifteen years constant asso-
IN citation with thousands of criminals
a. of every type, / can heartily agree
with writer on the war who said:
fAere is nothing that men will not attempt
and do" If there were such thing as
.aong the impossible" believe that prison
"a Of all classes would find way to do it.
doubt if there is any place on earth, even
h var, where there is such constant battle
4 wits as that which exists between prisoners
md their keepers. Every hour of every day,
usr in and year out, prisoners in every in
atution in the world, from the small county
hills to the enormous penitentiaries which are
sacecally cities in themselves, are engaged
d never ending struggle to outwit their
spspers The fact that out of the hundreds Of
ssapes attempted only one or two succeed is in
asef tribute to the watchfulness of the prison
saeas Their very lives depend on such
dgTanee as perhaps 25 per cent Of the es-
ares planned contemplate the murder of some
athe keepers to insure their success. 1t goes
without saying, however, that the officers
have every advantage. They have bars, bolts,
& ocss and stone walls to help them keep the
prlsansn from escaping, while the prisoners
B usa ind some flaw in this armor or think
os some sAeme to render it ineffective,
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12

Which shall he take? Just one moment Dick
hesitates. Then comes an infnitesimal sound.
No doubt made by the guards "sneaks." Per-
haps he is not so far away as Dick thought.
The staircase means quick discovery. So Dick
begins to climb the tiers.
Stopping hundred times to peer through
the dim light and to listen with ears strained
to every sound, he at last reaches the top of
the cell block. Now to bridge the thirty-ive-
foot gap which stretches between him and the
trap door in the ceiling. Very gently he re-
moves the leather contraption from his leg
and opens it to its full length. A sound. The
"screw" is making his rounds. AS quickly as
possible with the maintenance of absolute
silence Dick lowers himself until he is per-
fectly fiat on the top of the cell block, his
leather ladder fat beside him. He scarcely
breatLes until he is sure that the guard is
gone. Then he rises, takes a careful grip on
the leather ladder, and with cautious move
ment sends the hook whirling up to the cell
ing, whereof, magic !---it catches firm
hold on projection near the trap door.
Now for the third lap Up the narrow band
of leather Dick warily
works, his teeth set ,eaHgssaaa
ears strained and eyes .<sssaSHfH ssSHfFas
on the hook. Slowly, <<aaasaAff##HHsallH.#= .#Ha
foot by foot, up the HHBsHlEsHaaHHgHaH555B#aa
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12
Dummy gun, made
entirely of a0ood,
painted black. 1t
figured in a "get-
away" from
LeuuenWoTth.

OF the countryS Dig prisons
when much agitated Outside trusty" came
up and whispered that he would like to see us
inside the house. We went in and he care
fully took from his blouse two enormous re-
volvers and box of 100 cartridges, to which
was attached email slip. On the slip was
written little note signed Success" wishing
the intended recipient all the luck in the world.
"Old Calamity (prison slang for deputy war
d"n) was not surprised. 1t was exactly what
he had been expecting for months, and was the
very reason that this particular prisoner had
been made an outside trusty." He had been
set to watch for some guns to be "planted"
on the prison farm, the deputy having known
through the prison underground that one of
his ehard- boiled guys" had been cultivating the
friendship of a Simple" whose term would
soon expire The 'trusty" who found the guns
was "doin' it all" as the conyicts say of
"lifer.n He had previously been of assistance
in checkmating similar plots and understand
that efforts are being made to secure his re-
lease. / do not care to give his name. He
would not be exactly popular among the pris-
oners if his part in these transactions were
known
A new and original scheme to get hold of
gun was attempted recently in prison in
Kansas. This institution had what is known
as a "gun gallery" in the esllhouse. narrow
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12

ia tsOo BY thread from prisoners
,Doolen sock. He dipped the thread
in glue and rolled it in emery powder,
thus giving it a sawlike edge
promptly leaped for the ground closely fol-
lowed by his fireman. The other prisoners
piled into the cab. With vicious wrench
Hewitt pulled the throttle wide open and the
engine tore through the open gateway at
breakneck speed out into the open country.
But they were not yet out of danger There
was derailing switch built outside the gate
for just such an emergency. Deputy Warden
Lemon rushed out of his Office, built in the
center of the prison yard, raced to the switch
and threw it over. He was ten seconds too
late. The engine passed the switch at thirty
miles an hour and picking up speed.
The prison siren began it's wailing scream,
notifying the country for miles around of the
escape and the usual reward for recapture.
And of the seven--irony of ironies-Gideon
was brought back at the point Of an unloaded
gun in the hands of neghboring farmer boy,
fourteen years old,
An out&tanding feature Of this plot was that
seven prisoners were planning it together over
a period of months, during which time under
the "rule of silence" they were neither per-
mitted to talk nor correspond with any other
prisoner but their celmate, and then only at
night after being locked in. How, then, did
they accomplish their conspiracy? Blythe pris-
oner's wireless" which every man learns in in
stitutions where the rule of silence is in force.
New-York tribune., 1922-11-12

for this aid. "Prison
simple" is the name
given by their comrades to
those inmates whose minds,
not any too strong to begin
with, develop what is known
among prison physicians as
''prison psychosis. +" This is q
state of mind arising from
the mental inactivity and
monotony of their daily lives.
1t is expressed by a growing
tendency to invest each tiny
circumstance or happening
in their CONSTRUCTED sphere
with an Importance entirely
out of proportion to it's real
value. Prisoners are not
alone in this. 1t is common
to all groups of persons who
live cramped, monotonous
lives. Among prisoners it is
a favorite indoor sport to
play on the credulity of these
simple ones by filling them
with all sorts of fantastic,
imaginary tales and watch
ing the effect. But it is to
these "prison simples," as
said, that the wiser heads
turn for dupes to assist them
to escape.
One Sunday AFTERNOON
about two years ago / was
sitting on the porch of the
deputy warden's home at one