Western Kansas world. [volume], October 25, 1902, Image 7

About Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current

Image provided by: Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, KS

                
Famous Old Prison
Is Being Torn Down
PLASTER. MODEL OF THE
CECIL RHODES MAUSOLEUM
Famous Newgate prison, where so ;
much of London's criminal history has
been enacted, is. being torn down. Al
though the present structure was
erected in the eighteenth century, the
gloomy building belonged more to.
mediaeval times, and its "Graveyard"
And cells were veritable vaults, in
which the unfortunate occupants may
truly be said to have been buried
alive.
The destruction of Newgate has
been contemplated for a long time,
but the actual work was not begun
until the present time because of nu
merous obstacles. On the site will be
erected a business building, and in
stead of gloomy cells filled with idle
The Old Prison Now Disused.
men awaiting death there will be elec
trically lighted offices, open and airy,
and tenanted by industrious workers.
The contrast could hardly be more
complete.
The structure that is now being de
molished is by no means the original
Newgate. Several prisons have occu
pied this part of London, the first be
ing one of the towers of the old city,
which was at the new gate of the town
wall, and which thus gave its name to
the prison. It was first mentioned in
1205. The building now falling before
the wreckers' hammers was begun in
1770, but the Gordon rioters in 1780
partially destroyed the unfinished
structure.
Newgate was then rebuilt, and here
were imprisoned the chief criminals
of the metropolis, while those convict
ed of murder were publicly executed
before its doors. When public execu
tions came to be considered demoral
izing and evil in their efforts upon the
multitude who witnessed them, the
murderers were executed within the
prison and buried beneath the paving
stones of the hall leading through to
the Old Bailey. This hall was com
monly known as the "Graveyard."
Those who paid the penalty of death
within these grim precincts were ob
literated by means of quicklime placed
in their coffins, but a token of their ex
istence was left in the shape of an
iron letter, representing the initial of
their surnames and fastened in the
wall over their graves.
Of late years Newgate had only been
used for prisoners awaiting trial at
the Central Criminal Court building
' and for those there condemned to
death. At Newgate, moreover, only
murderers whose crimes had been
committed in the metropolitan district
were executed. Transpontine murder
ers are hanged at Wandsworth gaol,
unless otherwise ordered by the au
thorities. It was in 185S that the in
terior of Newgate was rebuilt on the
single cell system. In crowded times
the prison held nearly two hundred
convicts.
It was out of old Newgate that -the
notorious "Jack" Sheppard broke, and
the story of his escape, although it is
" ThV'BMriai'droundl"
bow nearly two hundred years old, la
beiag retold by Londoners at the pres
ent time. "Jack" Sheppard. like many
another criminal, owed his downfall
to the company of bad women. His
father was a carpenter, and a man of
sterling honesty. The boy was also
Apprenticed to a carpenter, Owen
Wood; but he fell Into the society of
bad companions near by, at the Black
Lion, in Drury Lane. Here he met
""Bess- Lyon and "Poll" Maggott, who
vegan to incite him to theft.
After many robberies of increasing
boldness, "Jack" Sheppard was cap
tured, tried and sentenced to death in
Old Bailey. But he had been supplied
"With a file by "Poll" Maggott and
""Bess Lyon, and he adroitly man-
Aged to escape. His liberty was of
short duration, and ten days later he
was recaptured and placed in the
etrer-gest cell of Newgate, known as
the Castle. Here he was "chained
with two ponderous staples to the
floor." Nearly all London flocked' to
ee the prisoner, who, despite all the
are that was taken, had secreted a
vro
small file in his Bible, and a complete
set of tools in the rushes of his chair.
The guards inspected his chains on
September 16, 1724, and left him at 2
o'clock in the afternoon for the re
mainder of the day. Sheppard then
made his last and most wonderful
escape. After freeing himself of his
manacles and snapping the chains
which held him to the floor, he re
moved a stout iron bar from the chim
ney and climbed up the flue. , After
forcing several heavy bolted doors by
an almost incredible exertion of
strength and ingenuity, he found him
self upon the upper leads.
But, just when his escape was all
but accomplished, the convict was
compelled to retrace his steps to his
ceU to get his blanket, by which he
might let himself down to an adjoin
ing roof twenty feet below. The re
turn trip was made in safety, and,
dropping to the roof, he entered a gar
ret window, and thence slipped unob
served into the purlieus of Smithfield.
Passing down Gray's Inn lane to the
fields, he spent two or three days in
an old house by Tottenham Court.
Five days after his escape he went to
a cellar by Charing Cross, where all
were talking about "Jack" Sheppard.
He then broke into a pawnbroker's
shop, decked himself out in smart
clothes and drove past Newgate in a
closed carriage. The next day he
treated his mother to three quarterns
of brandy, and then drank himself
silly at Sheer's tavern, Maypole alley.
In this state he was captured and
taken back to Newgate. The turnkeys,
despite their disgrace, turned the occa
sion to one of gain, and charged the
multitude of curious visitors 3s. 6d. a
head to see their capture. He was
watched night and day until Novem
ber 16, when his execution was wit
nessed by over 200,000 persons, at Ty
burn. - A riot, which broke out over
the disposal of the corpse, had -finally
A Cell.
to be quelled by the military with
fixed bayonets. Such was the end of
the career of the most notorious pris
oner of Newgate.
Accepted in Cipher.
A young man in Elmira, N. Y., re
cently proposed to the girl of his
choice, making his declaration by
mail, because he thought that in that
way he could do himself better jus
tice. He was in his office a day or
two later when a messenger boy ar
rived with this enigmatical telegram:
"Isle of View. E wers." He was con
vinced that the message had some
thing to do with his proposal, but he
could not decipher it. He went to
consult his mother. She read the
telegram over once or twice, shook
her head and then read it aloud. But
what she said sounded like: "I love
you yours."' The son snatched the
message out of his mother's hand and
read it or k; more. Then he shouted
"It's all right, mother," and dashed
for the telegraph office, where he sent
a return telegram.
The Simple American Fashion.
Royalty is given to a useless ex
penditure of words, as of everything
else. In drinking to the health of the
czar the shah of Persia said: "I take
this God-given opportunity to thank
your majesty for the kind sentiments
and kind, sympathetic and pleasant
welcome which I have received in your
empire. In the hope that the ties
uniting the two countries, already so
firm, will be drawn still closer than
they have been in the past, I drink to
the health of your majesty, their ma
jesties the empress and your august
family, to the happiness, glory and
long duration of your reign and to the
prosperity of your states." An Ameri
can citizen would have said, "Here's
hoping," -with quite as satisfactory re
sults.
After Twenty Years.
Rip Van Winkle came down the hlD
after his-twenty years' sleep., .
"But my friends and relatives, be
inquired, "where are they?"
"Dead and buried." replied th
strangers as they led him away weep
ing.
"And the coal strike," he faltered.
"They are thinking of arbitration.'
Shrieking with joy, he realized thai
one link yet bound him to the past
and his life was later made happlei
by knowing that the original coal
strike jokes were still dinned into the
public ear.
Testimonial to Henrlk Abel.
Bjornson was the author of the texl
of the cantata which ' was sung at
Christiania the other day by way ol
celebrating the hundredth birthday ol
Norway's famous mathematician. Hen
rik Abel. About 300 guests from for
eign countries were Invited and Prof
P. Nansen presided at the banquet
Although Ab-el lived only twenty-sev
en years, he was repeatedly invited tt
a professorship in Berlin. but,his pa
triotism caused him to decline the in
vitatlon, notwithstanding his poverty
Just a Soldier. -
"Medal of honor. To John C. Wether
by, private, company L, Fourth United
States infantry. For most distinguished
gallantry in action near Imus, Luton,
Philippine islands, Nov. 20. 1899, in car
rying important orders on the battle
field, where he was desperately wound
ed, - and, being unable to walk erect,
crawled far enough to deliver his orders.
Died Nov. 29, 1899." Bulletin from war
department.
Just a soldier lying dead with a medal
on his breast;
Just a boy who kept his courage to the
ending of his quest.
And the bugle song is mellow In the
melody of sleep.
And the muffled drum is thrumming in
a cadence slow and deep.
For it's honor for the soldier, and it's
laurels for his head.
And It's praises for his daring when the
soldier's lying dead.
Just a soldier lying dead and the carp-
lnes have an end:
When he fell upon the altar every critic
was his friend.
With the folded flag about him. and the
medal deamlnK there.
Then the praise is quick: in coming, and
the soldier has his share.
For it's honor for the soldier when he
dies beside his gun, .
And it's medals for his coffin when the
soldier's work is done.
Just a soldier lying dead with his trap-
Dines at his side:
And we come to look upon him, slow of
step and heavy eyed:
Come to clasp the badge of honor on his
, faded service coat:
Come to hear the bugle calling in its
saddest, softest note;-
And It's honor for the soldier, with a
medal brightly new.
And it's eulogy and plaudit, when he's
done what he can do.
Just a soldier lying dead honor rushes
to him then;
Come the men with brush and chisel;
come the pencil and the pel..
Yet the comrades of the soldier held the
country in their debt
while they live, the praise and medal Is
so easy to forget.
Where the flag of glory ripples In the
whispers of the breeze.
Where the crashing of the battle sends
the echo o'er the seas.
We will find the living reasons for a na
tion s hope and pride.
Just as we have found a medal for the
soldier who has died.
From the Baltimore American.
An Appeal for "Confeds."
Gen. Torrance, commander-in-chief,
writes this interesting letter to his
comrades of the G. A. R:
In April last I visited the Depart
ment of Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana
and Mississippi an-1 Texas.
. My visit was in every respect a de
lightful one, but most gratifying of
all was the cordial good feeling I
found existing between the Union and
Confederate soldoicrs. I affirm without
hesitation that among the best friends
of our comrades in the south are the
surviving ex-Confederates. This
friendship is based upon the mutual
respect which one good soldier has
for another, and had it not been for
the bronze button I would often have
been unable to distinguish between
the blue and the gray, for the cordial
welcome extended by the one was
equaled by the generous hospitality
proffered by the other. In all my
journey I found no sectional lines, sul
len faces or closed doors. One mark
ed contrast, however, Cistinguisnes
the surviving soldiers of the two
armies. Tha national government has
properly made generous provision for
her defenders, but whatever aid the
ex-Confederates receive must come
from their more fortunate comrades,
or from the municipalities in which
they reside, and while the people of
the south have in a spirit worthy of
the highest praise done much to re
lieve their necessities, the "nation's
wounds" have not yet been fully
bound.
At the close of the war the southern
people were too impoverished to make
adequate provision for those who suf
fered from disease ana wounds, and
the result was that many a Confeder
ate soldier ended his days in the alms
house and was buried in a pauper's
grave.
When at Montgomery it was my
pleasure to meet Col. J. M. Falkner,
district attorney' for Alabama, form
erly an officer in the Eighth Confed
erate cavalry, who, for some time
past, has been earnestly directing his
efforts toward the erection of a Con
federate Home at Mountain Creek,
Chilton county, Alabama. The erec
tion of the first cottage was com
menced April 7 last on forty acres of
land donated by Colonel Falkner, and
to-day two comfortable cottages have
been completed, which shelter seven
teen old Confederate soldiers, not one
of whom could earn a living in a land
of plenty against the competition of
a child. . . . .,..; ,
The plan is to build forty of these
cottages that many or more being re
quired to accommodate those whose
disabilities are total. My purpose in
writing this letter, and it is the last
one I shall address to you as commander-in-chief,
is to afford the mem
bers of the Grand Army of the Repub
lic, individually or as posts, an op
portunity to contribute to the shelter
of these needy veterans. The dignity
of their demeanor and the uncom
plaining soldierly way In which they
bear suffering and privation, render
them worthy of our respect and sym
pathy, and it becomes a privilege to
assist in making their last days com
fortable. -
I know of no surer or shorter way
to a complete unification of this coun
try in purpose and feeling than the
highway of kindness, and I believe its
extreme outposts should- be Jointly
held by the surviving soldiers of the
armies of Grant and Lee.
There was a time when the nearer
we came together the worse It -was
for all, but now the closer we come
togetner the better for alL
The old order "to kill" has given
place to the gentler command "to
make alive," and - for the bitter con
test forever ended at Appomattox has
been substituted a perpetual contest
of good will and patriotic devotion to
a common country. I believe it is
within the power of the surviving sol
diers of the great war to make frater
nity a national anthem, loyalty a
national creed and charity a national
virtue.
My comrades, as we grow older our
hearts become more gentle and ten
der, and nest to the comrade who
stood by our side is the brave soldier
who faceu us.
Fraternally yours,
ELL TORRANCE,
Commander-in-Chief, Grand Army of
the Republic'
With eveVy expression of gratitude
the camps of Confederate veterans
have declined the offer of the head of
the G. A. R, but the Incident has
brought the veterans into closer com
munion. Selecting Monuments.
The VIcksburg Battlefield Monu
ment commission is well satisfied with
the work accomplished during state
fair week, as all the Ohio organiza
tions taking part in the siege of Vicks
burg, with the exception of the Eighty
third regiment, made selections of
monuments. The committees from
the regiments and batteries expressed
themselves as well pleased with the
designs shown, and among so many
it was-difficult to make a selection.
When the monuments shall have been
completed the commission will invite
all the committees to go to the works
at Clyde and make an inspection of
the work. The regiments and the
number of the design selected by each
are as follows: Sixteenth regiment.
No. 57; Twentieth, 12; Twenty-second,
64; Thirtieth, 61; Thirty-second, 75;
Thirty-seventh, 7; Forty-second, SO;
Forty-sixth, 65; Forty-seventh, 16;
Forty-eighth, 14; Fifty-third, 2; Fifty-
fourth, 17; Fifty-sixth, 6; Fifty-seventh,
58; Fifty-eighth, 10; Sixty-eighth,
67; Seventieth, 63 ; Seventy-second, 32 ;
Seventy-sixth, 35; Seventy-eighth, 52;
Eightieth, 8; Ninety-sixth, 31; Ninety-
fifth, 34; One Hundred and Four
teenth, 56; One Hundred and Twen
tieth, 59; batteries. Second, 41; Third,
44; Fourth, 74; Fifth, 49; Eighth, 71;
Tenth, 70; Eleventh, 73; Fifteenth, 68
Sixteenth, 69; Seventeenth, 72; cav
alry. Fourth, 54. Cincinnati En
quirer. An Old Soldier at a Reunion.
The oldest man in attendance at
the State Grand Army reunion in
Hastings, Neb., was Capt. Henry Mas-
term an of Lincoln. Intelligent and in
teresting, the old gentlman enjoys a
peculiar distinction, as in point of age
he is the oldest soldier in the nation,
He served eight years in the British
army, was a member of the RoytoJ
Guards at the coronation of Queen
Victoria, served in India, came to
America in 1850, and in 1862 enlisted
in the Twenty-eighth Iowa. He was
the oldest member of the regiment,
his son being the youngest member
of the same regiment. He fought in
seventeen of the notable battles of the
war. He is now serving his twenty-
third year as chaplain of Farragut
post 'at Lincoln. He has officiated at
the funerals of 170 of his comrades,
all younger than himself. He is now
in his ninetieth year and his com
rades sincerely hope that he may be
spared to be with them again next
year. Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald. ,
By Way of Saving Space.
Stonewall Jackson had small mercy
on soldiers whom he caught straggling
but is said to have laughingly con
doned one instance. During a forced
march in the summer of 1862 he stop
ped to consult with one of his general
officers. The entire command had
then passed; and, as Jackson and his
officers rode forward to rejoin the col
umn, the former discovered a private
up a persimmon tree. Asked by the
commander why he was so far in the
rear, the private replied:
"Eatin" "simmons.
"Persimmons!" roared Jackson.
"Why, they're not even ripe yet!"
"Like 'em green Just now," ex
plained the soldier.
"And why?" asked Jackson, ' soften
ing a little with amusement at the
fellow's .laconic manner.
"To draw my innards up to fit Bay
rations," was the answer.
Army of the Potomac
The committee of the third army
corps, who went to Gettysburg to at
tend the annual reunion and unveiling
of the statue of Gen. Slocum, took
with it invitations from Gov. Crane
and Mayor Collins for the association
to hold its reunion of 1903 in Boston.
The Hooker memorial committee hop
to have the statue . of the General,
which is to be placed on the state
house grounds, completed by that
time, and its unveiling will be one of
the features of the reunion.
An Eastern Reunion.
The reunion of the One Hundred
and Thirty-third Ohio regiment, last
week, was a mos enjoyable affair,
and about seventy-five of the mem
bers were present. The oldest mem
ber present was 82 years of age. and
the youngest 53. the average age be
ing 62.23. Zadok Postle of West Jef
ferson, was elected president; C. H.
Parsons, secretary; William Miller,
treasurer, and Dr. S. M. Sherman, his
torian. Boston Globe.
The master model of the Cecil
Rhodes mausoleum to be erected at
Matappas, South Africa, has just been
completed at Chelsea, England, by the
Emulator. John Tweed. The building.
which is to be of colossal size and of
HAVE CONFIDENCE IN M'LEAN.
American Commander on Isthmus ef
Panama Has Seen Service.
Commander H. C. McLean of the
Cincinnati, who is In charge of the
difficult situation on the Isthmus of
Panama for the United States, and
who is given practlcaly a free hand
in carrying out the guarantee of this
Commander McLean.
country for a neutral passage from
ocean to ocean, has seen sufficient ser
vice in the American navy during the
SpanlBh war to justify .the administra
tion in the confidence bestowed in
him. It is not expected that occasion
will arise for any hostile demonstra
tion by this country's forces to pre
serve the neutrality of the line of the
isthmian canal, but it is not feared
that Commander McLean will hesi
tate to go to extremes if it becomes
necessary to keep either the Colom
bian government or revolutionary
forces in check.
What Caused the Crowd.
Tom Ochiltree relates that while be
was a representative in Congress from
Texas, and returning to his home from
Washington, he observed a large
crowd at the station. When the train
stopped he stepped upon the platform
and started to address the crowd. He
began: "Gentlemen, I thank you for
this welcome home." "Welcome!
Thunder!" interrupted a constituent.
"Henry Bacon has Just committed sui
cide in the station."
GREAT OVATION TO MASCAGNI.
His Debut in New York Packs Metro
politan Opera House.
. Long before the hour fixed for the
debut in this country of SIg. Pietro
Mascagni at the Metropolitan opera
house at New York last week, there
was an eager. Jostling crowd in the
lobby of the theater, and soon every
seat was occupied.
- There was an air of expectancy
when the musicians began to file into
their places from subterranean
depths. A few minutes later Mas
cagni followed. His appearance was
Pietro Mascagni.
the signal .for an outburst of applause,
and the comparatively diminutive
genius gravely bowed his thanks over
and over as the demonstration swelled
until it became almost hysterical.
w0
"""1 "
block granite, is rectangular in shape,
with immense copper doors on all four
sides. The . design resembles some
what the Grant monument ' in New
York, but is far simpler in treatment.
It is to cost, when complete, $100,000.
NEST OF PASSENGER PIGEON.
Immense Numbers of Birds Congre
gate in Breeding Places.
The mode of building adopted by
the passenger pigeon is worthy of at
somewhat detailed description. Of.
the bird itself we need only remark
that it is remarkable for its speed and
range of flight, and for the Immense
numoers which congregate in each,
favorite breeding place. It is rather
larger than the common sized pigeon,
and Its feathers lie very flat and even
These pigeons always breed In the
trees, frequently occupying a very
considerable area. From their habit
of building a kind of flooring of small
twigs and roots on the branches tor
serve as a nest, they are classified!
among the platform builders They
can hardly be called tropical birds,
for they range northward as far as
the extreme boundaries of Canada.
On the other hand, they range south
ward as far as the Gulf of Mexico. A
many as a hundred birds will con
struct their platforms in a single tree,
and as they not uncommonly spread
through a wood of twenty miles in:
length and four or five in breadth,
the reader can imagine what myriads
will be gathered together in a single-breeding-place.
FEAR FOR DOWAGER EMPRESS.
Anarchists Said to Have Threatened
to Assassinate Her.
The strictest precautions are being:
taken to guard the life of the Dowager
Empress Marie Dagmar of Russia,
who is now at Copenhagen, Denmark,
with her father, King Christian, .ow
ing to what the police consider to be
aa authentic report that several Ital
ian anarchists are coming to Denmark
in order to make an attempt to as
sassinate her. A number of Russian
secret service men have been taken?
there to aid the Danish police.
Elephants at Work.
No one can see the elephants at
work at Rangoon, securing and pi line'
into stacks the logs of teakwood which
are floated down the Irrawaddy river
from the great forests of the interior,
without forming a high opinion osT
their utility as workers. Day after
day they work in the yards, pus nine
and pulling the logs and conveying;
them to the places where they are
built up, with aparently haman intel
ligence. When required to drag huge
weights a long rope is used and they
will put enormous energy into the
business, leaning forward with their
heads almost on the ground and kneel
ing to the strain. Lighter loads they
move y means of a loop of rope
round the log, which they take in their
teeth and half pull, half carry it on
their tusks into its place.
Mistakes of Authors.
The moon seems to be a very dan
gerous planet for writers to trifle
with. In "King Solomon's Mines'"
Rider Haggard makes an eclipse of
this satellite take place on the new
instead of the full moon an astrono
mic impossibility. In the "Children of
Gibeon" Walter Besant has caused a
new moon to rise in, the east tat 2
o'clock in the morning. The most
casual observer has, without doubt,
noticed that the new moon appears in.
the western sky and sets from thw
moment It becomes visible.