New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-11-18
SAFE OVER A PRISON WALL
Two PRISONERS ESCAPE IN BROOKLYN

pouR MtN fhy TO LEAVE fHr KINGS COUNTY
frNtttstiAhy BfHisp=fwo htcAfTnhrb.
Two eonvlots succeeded yesterday morning In
scaling tho twenty-foot wall surrounding tho block
~ bfooklyn IN the centre of which stands tho
Kings County Peniteninry and made their escape
III the darkness and fog, despite tho fact that sev
efai Keepers wers In close pursuit.. The dash for
liberty was made by four men, two Of whom were
recaptnred They were George Il. Lake. Warren
Clay John Doster and Charles Berry
whose terms ranged from five years
to one year. They had been tractablc and we-be-
haved and were not employed In the convict shoe
shops but did the cleaning OF coils and corridors
and helped in the dining room. In order to clean
the corridors they released from their cells at
o q. M, tho other prisoners being kept in conhne-
mcnt until breakfast time.
HOW THE ESCAPE WAS EFFECTED.
They went at work in tho corridors Of the long
term prison" as usual yesterday. At the east end
is n small door opening into the yard which was
fastened with paddock. One of the four sup
posed to be Clay, who was expert burglar, man.
aged In some way to pick the lock, doubtless hav-
ing discovered his ability 10 do it before.
In moment the four men were ont
IN the dim light of foggy morn
ing. an hour before SUNRISE But they were
seen as thoy ran by Thomas Reevcs,a watchman for
the Bay State Shoe and Leather Company, which h
hires the labor of the convicts AS he gave the
alarm the convcts scaled an iron leader running
from the roof Of the boiler house at the east of the
shoc-shop to the ground From the roof to the high
wall bounding the prison yard was only step, and
they placed some planks which the roof
against the wall on the outside and slid down. At
least this IS what three did ; the fourth Doster
being caught before he got ont. When the alarm
was given Warden Green and several keepers rushed
out of the front of the prison and
hurried around the wall. They succeeded in catch
ing Berry, but Clay and Lake made off over the
vacant lots Several shots were fired after them,
but they were soon lost to sight.
The Brooklyn police were at once Informed and
II was thought that the men wOuld soon be recap
tured, as they the striped prison garb. But
no trace of them was found. though every hiding
place was searched. was finally conc iuded that
the escape had been long premediated, and that
friends of the prisoners were near at hand with
other garments for them.
THE MEN WHO ESCAPED.
The two men who escaped were caught last winter
after number of houses on the Hill" in Brooklyn
had been robbed by burglars, who entered second
story windows They had attempted to get into
the house of James Mccoy, in South Portlandave.,
while the family at dinner; Clay. who was
light weight got to the top of the Intel stone over
the door, when II broke with him aud
he fell on the front steps. being severely hurt Mr.
Mccoy wcnt out of the other door aud aSked what
was the matter aud Lake said his friend was
drunk and had fallen and hurt himself. They were
SO weIl-drcsscd and 50 cool that suspicion was al
laycd. They would have escaped arrest had not
Detective Shaug messy detected their true charac-
ter while they waited ior a coach near Fort Greene
Park. Lake was sentenced for five years aud Clay
tary tlicy tried to escape by cutting hole in the
roof of the prison van
Watder Green, of tho ponitentiary, said yester-
day that he heard the alarm and ran down stairs,
heating two shots fired. he saw two men ruth
ming N Dougiass-s.. He followed them. and IN
crossing gily one was lost 20 sight. he other
was about 500 yards aYay aud he then tired ls re
yhyct But cid not thhk he wptlied the man.
he blamed Sntciiini In the boiet-hoiic FOR not
rtc ttii, iug the cscJpe t.. a tI
Sibtb Watdet iifren has been ~ ehatge 9f The
ptritctitit biiit 6ir rtydtet TITS sicctricl III es-
iapinr bcibir, brt sttbtil attiptS fatc bech p,c-
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