Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 August 1879 — LIFE IN SING SING. [ARTICLE]

LIFE IN SING SING.

\ Thrilling Moment in the History of the Great Fllson. Sing Sing prison came as near liav ing a sudden revolt among its 1,600 prisoners, the other day, as is possible *for a great prison to come and avoid the danger. A correspondent of a New York paper gives the following account of the affair: “John Barrett, a desperate and powerful young burglar, from Now York, created the trouble, and was killed in cousequence. The cause of Barrett’s desperate conduct was a severe flogging he had received Wednesday. He had been unruly, shirking work, burning his feet several times in the foundry to escape duty, and being punished on several previous occasions. The burning of feet became so common among the molders as to show it was evidently done purposely. Sometimes forty cases were reported in a day. Barrett pretended inability, and made two applications to tbe prison physician to be excused. Tbe physician refused him, and, Tuesday morning, he threw down his tools and said he would not work. For this he was locked up in a dark cell. The following morning, when the slop-buckets were collected, Barrett refused to put his outside his cell, and when, a few hours later, Dr. Smith visited his cell, Barrett threw the contents of his bucket over the physician’s face aud breast. Dr. Smith was stunned by the act, and the acids contained in the bucket blinded him completely for several hours. For this, Thursday morning, he was brought out, and in presence of Dr. Smith aud others subjected to ‘ paddling.’ This is a very severe punishment, much dreaded. The prisoner is handcuffed, and without any clothing in the way, flogged with a strap of sole-leather two inches wide and about two feet long. The authorities were very reticent as to how severe Barrett’s punishment was. However, it made him desperate, and he swore he would have somebody’s life. This morning, while being taken to Dr. Smith’s office by Keepers Mackin and McCormick, he suddenly struck twice at Mackin with a knife, cutting him severely in the thigh. McCormick knocked him down, but he sprung up again and ran into the yard. Getting on the foundry roof, he threw chunks of iron at his pursuers, and succeeded in getting into the foundry, where he called on the 200 workmen to join him and get freedom. The officers had kept him at bay in a corner half an hour, wishing to get the other men out to dinner before they tried to disarm him. When tlic men were drawn in line to march out Barrett tried to join them, but the officers prevented him. The other men broke the line, rushed to their comrade, and surrounded the five keepers with many menaces. For a few minutes there was every prospect of an outbreak, and the keepers feel sure that, had the riot gained any headway, they would never have got out of tlio building alive. Three of them dyove the convicts back, the other two covered Barrett with their pistols. Barrett, after threatening the principal keeper, Biglin, turned upon Keeper Good, with his hammer raised above his head. He was about to strike, and the blow must have been murderous. Good had his revolver in his hand, and, when Barrett came too near, with the hammer still over liis head, fired. The bullet entered Barrett’s left breast, and penetrated tlio top of bis heart, killing liim almost instantly. The other convicts scattered at the sound of tbe shot, but rallied again and mado a rush for the keepers. Three of the latter, however, kept them at bay, while the two others carried out the body. Barrett was one of the most powerful men physically in the prison. He was sentenced October, 1877, to three years and six months’ imprisonment for burglary. The Coroner’s jury gave a verdict justifying the shooting in self-defense.”