“Caught in Detroit,” Daily British Whig (Kingston.) May 23, 1917. Page 05.
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George A. Ruthven, who made his escape from the London jail, while awaiting his removal to the Portsmouth penitentiary, to serve a two-year sentence for forgery and desertion, was caught at Detroit, and extradition proceedings have been instituted.
“Jailbreaker For ‘Pen’,” Daily British Whig (Kingston.) July 17, 1917. Page 02.
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GEORGE BENSON GAVE THE POLICE AN INTERESTING TIME
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Escaped From Jail at London While Awaiting to be Removed to Penitentiary to Serve Two Years For Forgery and Desertion.
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Determined to turn over a new leaf, and to do his best to get good conduct marks, so that he will soon be free, a man named George Benson, commenced a two-year term in the Portsmouth penitentiary on Tuesday morning. He was brought here from London by High County Constable Benjamin Watterworth. The officer arrived on the night train, and the prisoner spent several hours in a cell at police headquarters before being removed to the penitentiary on Tuesday morning.
Benson, who also went under the name of George A. Ruthven, had an interesting career. He enlisted at London with the 63rd Battery, under the name of Benson. He forged the names of some of his companions to checks on which he secured money and then deserted from the battery.
After being sentenced, he was confined to the jail in London awaiting removal to the penitentiary. While turnkey Thomas Sproule had him in charge doing some whitewashing, he made a dash up the jail steps, discarded his jail uniform, and was out of sight before his disappearance was noticed. Two weeks later, he was captured in Detroit. Extradition proceedings were instituted, with the result that the young man was brought back to London. His sentence was two years for forgery and desertion, and a similar term for jail breaking, the sentences to run concurrently.
“A Tatooed Man,” Daily British Whig (Kingston). July 19, 1917. Page 02.
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Is George Benson, a Convict at the Penitentiary.
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George Benson, a young fellow who was brought here this week to serve a term of two years, for jail breaking at London, is a tatooed man, and as a result, the police in the western city had the advantage of him when they sent out a description of him to the police in the various cities.
Benson is very small of stature weighing 150 pounds, light build, light complexion, but is tatooed over the larger portion of his body with various designs.
[AL: According to his penitentiary register, Benson’s tattoos consisted of a U.S.A. flag, cross and heart on his right forearm, and a ‘woman monument,’ cross, heart and circus girl on his left forearm. His military service file indicates that he also had an eagle on his chest, as well as a shield and stars and American flag reading ‘Liberty’ underneath it. His left forearm also read ‘Faith, Hope, and Charity’ as part of the design, and the circus girl was also called ‘a Mexican girl’. He enlisted twice - once in April 1916, being washed out, and again in November 1916, in Amherstburg, near Windsor. He had served eight years in the U.S. Marines, and was a machinist living in Windsor when he joined the depot battalion and became a gunner. He deserted February 9, 1917. He was not allowed to re-enlist and was released from the Penitentiary in April 1919, and deported to the United States.]