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Shot In His Cell

Shot In His Cell image
Parent Issue
Day
3
Month
January
Year
1879
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The déath of Col. Samuol A. Buckmaster recalls a thrilling tragedy whioh ocenrred at the Alton penitentiary, during his adininistration as Warden, more than twenty years ago. In the year 1854 thero was a convict at Alton nameel Hall, who was serving a life sentence for murder. He was a desperate man of wiry frame, and his impiiuonment made him insano with rage and hate. He was such a man as Bande, but Rande was not born then. This man was set to work in the blacksmith shop, and was watched with extra care, but he managed, in some of those ways only known to the cunning of crimináis, to make a short laiife of a worn-out file, and he used the skill of a genius in hiding it about his person. His cell, like all the others, was strongly built of blocks of stone, the door being of oak many inches thick, and bound with iron bars. The prisoner's bed shut down against the door, which opened inwards, so tliat the door was fastened from within when the prisoner was abed, Through the door, whieh opened into a corridor, was a holeperhapseightinehes square, wliich was strongly barred, and the only other opening into the cell was in the outer wall of the prison, where a narrow slit, also barred, admitted lighi and air. This little window was very near the ceiliug, and, bv I reason of its narrowness and the j thickness of tho wall, a person j on the outside, even mounted on ■ a laddr, could not get sight of the 1 prisoner. All this was well understood ; by Hall, whose insane cunning liad devised a desperate seheme to escape from the prison and humiliate the AVarden. At 10 o'clock one morning, while at work, he signaled the guard, whose name ; was Crabb, that lie was sick, and, in accordance to the rule, Crabb started with lm to his cell. While in the corridor, as the guard was opening an iron door' Hall struck him down with a bar of iron wliich he had secured in the blacksmitlí shop, and dragged him into the cell. He then bound him with strips from the bed blanket and closed the door, shuttmg down the bed against it. The guard was stunned by the blow, and did not recover his senses for an h imbuí, as he did not return to the shop' search was made, and the Warden was quickly informed of the event. Hall, armed with his knife, was keeping watcli over the wounded guard, and was secure in his cell. He oommanded the situation. He declared that he would kill the guard unless he was granted a f ree pardon, bu t, af ter some reflection ! demanded, in addition, that he should be furnished with a loaded revolver, and be permitted to walk with the guard out j of the prison to a carriage at the gate, and that Col. Buckniaster should drive Í the carriage in such direction as he wonld then indícate, and as far as he might choose, and permit him to escape. He further announced that if any attempt was made to take hirn he would fall on Crabb and murder him. His terms were absurd, of course, and j the Warden at no time thought of complying with them, but the situation was horrible, and there seemed to be no means of getting at the desperado that did not reuder the death of Crabb oertam. The people of Alton were soon aware of these facts, and the town was in au uproar. The guard was a very well known and respectable citizen, and he had a family. The prison gates were crowded with anxious men and women, I and everybody's ingenuity was tasked k devise a way of saving Crabb's life. The news was sent over the State and i country, and attracted its allowance of atfèntion. Communication was kept up with the convict and the guard through the door, before whicli Buckmaster stood for the greater part of tliree days with a pistol in his hand, watching diligentty for a chance to kil] the convict. -But Hall managed to keep himself i ered by the body of the guard, and his vigilance never relaxed. He said he had been trying to get the Warden instead of the guard, but had been compelled to accept the smaller game; whereupon Buckmaster offered to take Crabb's place if he might be released, and he agrced to go into the cell stark naked; but Hall wisely declined to change his prisoner. It was useless to attempt to poison the convict, for the guard ate the same food, and the little window through the wall did not afford a view of eitlier. When this desperate situation was understood Gov. Bissell sent a pardon to Col. Buckmaster, to be used at his direction, but the Warden resolved not to use it except in the last extremity. No labor or pains were spared to catch the ! conviet off his guard, bnt he seemed to j feel neither fatigue nor fenr. When I every other expedient had failed the Warden resolved to forcé the door, and ' accordingly, when the cell door was ' opened to admit the supper of the men, 1 he introduced a crowbar and thus kept i ] the door open, and, with the aid of I other guard, rushed in and dragged J Crabb out. At the first moment of , lence the convict feil on Crabb with his knife, but failed to kill him, though he , wounded him dreadfully. When the ! guard was removed, Hall closed his ' door and refused to surrender. He sat } down on the floor out of pistol range, and was beyond the reach of Warden s. Buckmaster, who called upon him to ! surrender in vain, and, as his body and Í limbs were entirely concealed by the ! door, he still held om. Bnt the Warden watched until he saw one foot exposed, ! c and iustantly pierceil it witli a buil. The wound destroyed the selfrcommand of the convict and he exposed his head, i 5 and a ball pierced it instantly. He was ! ': taken out, and died in a day or two. The guard, Mr. Crabb, recovered ï tirely from his wounds, aad held his place in the prison after it was removed , to Joliet. ll

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus