The morning call., 1892-01-06
A CLEVER ESCAPE.
How Four FOrgers Broke Out Of
a Turkish Prison.

Some of the methods devised for the es-
cape of unjustly imprisoned men would
make a professional "crook's" hair turn
gray. Yet wild. impossible and absurd as
many OF these fanciful descriptions OF
imaginary misunderstanding may seem to be,
they are more than eXcelled. says the New
York Tribune, by chunk OF hard, solid
fact now on record in Inspector Byrnes
office at police headquarters.
What can be stronger, more dramatic or
richer in incident than the story teld by
Charles Becker, the forger and counter
feiter, Of his escape from Constant n0ple
prison in company with "Joe" Elliott and
Ivan SiScOviteh? This illustriOus trlum-
vlrate of stars made a specially Of the
forged blu and draft line Of business All
hands were caught, convicted and sem
fenced to three and half years imprison-
ment at Smyrna. But the Jail at Smyrna
had only mud walls, and the accomplished
New \ ork thieves could have broken it any
time. The country stopped them. Out of
that they could not get. For Security's sake
the authorities transferred them to Con-
stantin0ple, and there the four men found
themselves in prison OF the old fashioned
kind, with walls four feet thick, heavy cell
doors and cast-steel CRATE bars an inch and
half square.
Strong as the prison was, however,
Becker, Elliott and Siscovtch had soon
formed plan to get out Of It, Mrs. Sisco-
witch was pressed into service, and gave the
three men material aid from outside the
prison. Inside of a month the plans were
laid and perfected. The cell doors were
locked at the top and bottom. Although
each cell had its key, there was general
key which fitted every one Of them. There
is no warden ia Turkish prisons. He is rep
resented Dy a prison marshal. Now, it
a hat al q
going round the prison was suddenly called
away, and ran out, leaving the key sticking
in the keyhOe of a cell-dOor. When he
came back the key was still where he has
left it, but neat impression in soap
TepOsed Snugly in the pockets of one Of
the gang. Mrs. SisCOYitch' struggled into
the prison couple of keys, some little filed
aud Turkish caps In order to find their
way through COnStantinOple after datk the
gang would want lanterns, and with these
also the interchangeable confederate in petit
coats was promptly at hand. Becker, Ell
lott, and pal named Chapman were in one
cell, SiscOvltch being locked up In another
with some sailors. When SlscOVitch had
been locked up for the night, Beeker, whose
turn did not come until few minutes later,
slipped round the corner of the corridor to
the cell, and Wlth his duplicate key unlocked
it again. Then, almost under the noses of
the guards, he got back TO his own cell and
placidly awaited his own turn to be locked
in. When the guards were in bed and snOr-
ing SiscOvitch crept out of his cell and with
the skeleton key released Elliott and Becker.
Chapman peacefully slept through it ali,
and the others thought it pity to disturb
his rest They left him in peace, ana made
Decline for the room where theiI clothes
were piled away.
This room they broke sOpen. found their
clothes, and then without difficulty got into
the prison-yard The wall was fOrty-twO
feet high, but over the arching Of the main
gate there was a grating, and the rope which
they had kept secreted was ready to their
hand. Elliott, being the highest of the
three men and as nimble as a squirrel,
climbed to the top Of the archWay.
las luck would have il" says Becker in
telling the story. "Eii0tt stepped on the wire
of the big prison bell leading into the room
where slept the Keepers head clerk. The way
the bell jangled frOZe us stiff. The jig looked
up if ever it did. We'd had lots OF fun with
that bell. The wire ran under the Cell win
dOws on its way, and we used to hitch
bent pin to a string and fool him by setting
her going"
1t vas just that little circumstance that
saved Becker and his friends. The clerk
woke up. rubbed his eyes, and with a curse
to the four practical jOkers went to sleep
again. The three prisoners waited a few
minutes and then went to work. The rope,
weighted with piece of wood, was thrown
up to Elliott, who securely fastened it to
the grating. Then the others climbed up
after him and let themselves down on the
other side OF the wall.