20th Century Lifers: Part 1

Posted 11/8/22

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part 1 of 3-part series

The state of Rhode Island claimed 16 “lifers” at the beginning of the 20th century, men who had been sentenced to spend the rest of …

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20th Century Lifers: Part 1

Posted

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part 1 of 3-part series

The state of Rhode Island claimed 16 “lifers” at the beginning of the 20th century, men who had been sentenced to spend the rest of their days behind bars at the prison in Cranston. All of the men were serving sentences for murder. Eleven of them would grow old or ill within the walls of a cell while five would be freed of their punishments after serving only 8 to 26 years of their “life” sentence.

Robert Crowe was initially sentenced to be hanged after being found guilty of robbing William Robbins, first mate of the bark Ocean Wave, on Aug. 16, 1866. Governor Ambrose Burnside appealed to President Andrew Johnson and the 26-year-old’s sentence was commuted to life in prison. During a fight with another inmate during the winter of 1870, Crowe struck the other man with a ration dish, leaving a scar on the left side of his head. In the years just before his death from heart disease, on the morning of April 26, 1914, Crowe had grown white-haired and feeble and his expression had become vacant. He had begun to notice very little of what was happening around him and his memory was poor. When spoken to, he either didn’t respond or gave a response that was incoherent. He had spent 48 years behind bars, the government paying the prison three dollars per week for his board. Upon his death, Crowe held the record of having lived at the prison longer than any other inmate.

Moses Grinnell of Tiverton was sentenced to life behind bars after being found guilty of murdering Charles Thompson on Nov. 9, 1880 when he was 67 years old. He pleaded not guilty of wilful murder, explaining that Thompson, who had been taking coops out of Grinnell’s henhouse, had come at him with a club and he shot him in self-defense. As he aged, the once-strong and hearty man became very feeble and did little more than complain about what he perceived to be ill treatment of him. He died in prison at the age of 95 on May 26, 1908.   

Allen Dorsey of Newport was given a life sentence on July 3, 1886 after being found guilty of shooting his wealthy father-in-law, Benjamin Burton on Oct. 6, 1885. His wife and sister were also implicated and imprisoned. Both died while incarcerated. A graduate of Lincoln University and a medical student at the University of Philadelphia, Dorsey was very well-educated and prepared all his own court documents. He maintained a record of perfect behavior while in prison, trained a choir of nearly 20 prisoners to sing during church services and taught night school at the facility. In 1911, he petitioned for a pardon and was granted one by the governor on April 26, 1912.          

Dennis “Spiker” Murphy was sentenced to life in prison on July 2, 1889, after being found guilty of murdering 82-year-old Waterman Irons in his leather shop on Aug. 24, 1888 with the intention of robbing him. Known as a very tough man and the most troublesome prisoner the facility had ever held, he made several attempts at escape. In Oct. 1881, he was caught trying to saw through the bars of his cell. It was believed the steel saw had been smuggled to him by friends or family members, hidden within fruit which was permissible to bring. In April 1893, after throwing himself against the walls of his cell and kicking wildly, he was put in a straitjacket. That Sept., one of his escape plans resulted in another inmate being shot by a warden. Other escape plans were made in Feb. 1894 and July 25, 1895. Murphy had a secret alphabet he used, writing letters to other prisoners and giving them instructions concerning his plans to break out. The letters usually found their way to the wardens and he was put into solitary confinement. After claiming sickness or promising he would not plot escapes again, he was put back in his cell. After a warden found notes he had written concerning his plans to overpower the warden and escape, in July 1897, Murphy was dressed in a fiery red suit so he was easily seen, and each of his legs fitted with chains attached to 55-pound balls. He still made detailed plans to escape, however, and two such events were halted in Dec. 1898 and Dec. 1899.

 

Kelly Sullivan is a Rhode Island columnist, lecturer and author

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