Year: 1876

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF MICHAEL KANE


'lf were TO shoot you dead al this moment" said
Michael Kane aged thrty-one prisoner In the Hobo
ken police station, arrested for stealing clothing 70
HERALD reporter yesterday "they could do nothing TO
me, for am escaped unatic" Here the prisoner
rolled his eyes and looked with wild expression in the
reporters eyes II regretng that had pistol
carry his idea The prisoner then told the fol-
lowing interesting story:-"Doctors say I'm mad and
so may be, but not always have to keep steady TO
steal / don't drink, for if / did ! couldn't
play tricks; ha ha" He then continued
"wen, II you want me to tell you about my arrest
III do so, and you can give show in the HERALD.
don't care il you praise or curse l suppose you
saw about my making believe to shoot policeman in
Brooklyn in the papers; well, III come TO that in
minute First, I'll tell You about my arrest here. All
those coats in the police station, Captain Dono
vans room, stole them took 'em from iailor's
shop Bergen street, Newark hired a cart and put
two barrels in IT, told the going into the
country for potatoes and he believed me then hired
boy to drive the cart to OF stolen goods know
IN New York. gave the boy 81, OF which he was TO
invest hall IN buying apples TO I'll up the tops OF the
barrels to cover the coats but the young rascal didn't
do So When he got TO the Hoboken ferry he was


sToPPfD BY POLICE OFFICER JACoBUs,


who asked him what he had in the barrels, the boy
said apples but the officer did believe him put
his hand in one Of the barrels The game was up and
my boy skipped leaving 10 Jacobus the horse cart and
two barrels OF coats - Here the prisoner laughed
heartily He then said, 81 should only have got about
seventy Eve cents apiece for them from the fence
but they are worth about So honest there's sixty Of
them. aIn not going TO tell you who the
Now l'll tell you bn Of my life was born in the
North Of Ireland and have been in tins country about
seventeen years have brother rich contractor at
at Newark myself and had horses and carts also
kept boarding house In December, 1873, was
wrongfuly accused Of stealing four broche shawls from
Marvin Dodges dry goods store in Newark, but it was
lie, as bought them from


ENGLISH HARRY, A TIcKBT-oP-LEAvE MAN,


whose name was Pugh, but he is dead. Pugh told
me he had bought them cheap in New York. and how
could tell where they came from9 Judge Clifford
gave me eight years for 1T If had been guilty would
not have cared II they Will pardon me- the Court Of
Pardons, will leave New Jersey; If not will keep
stealing in Newark-that's my revenge. They sent
in solitary confinement They chained me
to the wall and gave me bread and
water as noisy and used 10 keep the Others from
sleeping One day while | had one OF my spells,
nearly cut my thumb of with knife" The prisoner
then showed ccatrice round his right thumb He
They then sent 10 the lunatc asylum,
where they treated me like gentleman, but after two
months, as acted pretty straight, they sent Inc back
TO prison. They then kept me in cell again.


Ts A HOLY TERROR, THAT PRISON


and nearly as bad as Raymond Street jail, Brooklyn
After while they sent me back TO the asylum, and
escaped After that got sick with eryspelas, and
went back again, and managed to get out again then
got out TO Pennsylvania and acted pretty strange,


got into the Harrisburg Lunatic Asylum and escaped
from there. am pretty smart in getting out OF these
places can tell YOU have had three children two are
dead and one is alive. My wife is in Newark but am
afraid to live with her in should get one OF my
spells on and hurt her. mean to keep beating
the insane asylum til they pardon me. have boarded
recently with Mr. Jennings, Webster avenue, on
Bergen Hlll and paid my board regular.


SPELL.


81 had no spell on me when stole the coats. re-
Gently had spell while in Brooklyn, and placed my
revolver at the head of police sergeant; but did
nothing they discharged me. While waiting my trial
they Kept me in that filthy Raymond Street
Jail. There five of US in a cell with
two beds and three blankets, and swarms
of vermn, and the window didn't shut, and 1t was
fearful cold" The prisoner then said in loud voice q"
don't what they do TO me Pm only an escaped
lunatci" The prisoner will be taken to Newark to-
day to meet the charge of burglary and larceny.