Biggs seemed to be everywhere. He was a devotee of Rio's Carnival, an ever-present glass of beer in his hand. His only regrets, he said, were the estrangement from his first wife, Charmian, and the injury to engineer Jack Mills during the robbery. Mills was hit over the head with an ax handle and never completely recovered, dying of cancer in 1970. Today, the ivy-covered gate at 470 Monte Alegre St. is padlocked.
Newspapers pile up on the patio inside, and unopened mail stuffs the letterbox.
No one has seen Biggs, and he is missed. Cepeda struggled to understand why Biggs is leaving. Maybe he feels he's dying, he's tired of being a fugitive, he misses home, he wants to leave Mike something by selling the story to the tabloids. Copyright 2001, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.