The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-04
NO CAGE CAN HOLD Them
Four Clever American Criminals
Who Broke Out Of q Turk
ish Prison.
The story Told by Charles Becker.
the Counterfeiter and
Forger.
1t Reads Like ans Old Time Noval but
' Has the Elements of Truth
In 1t. -E =

The sensational writer, both Of the past
and present, has found IN the CONVEX
prison a fruitful field OF operation. says a
writer in the New York Tribune. In the
ENGLISH melodramatio novel of the old
school it was u favorits practice of the
writer to involve his hero in some dlhieulty
with the legal authorities which invariably
lad him inside tho walls of PsntonSille,
Portland or Dartmoor. Then the hero had
to ESCAPE. Sometimes he did it single
handed. Sometimes-as i'll Hawlsy smait's
story, Broken BondsH-hs was aided by
the inventive genius of the low-comeay
burglar, specially introduced for the puf-
nose. But whether he went it alone, OF
rather in double harness, he was always
sure to accomplish his object by means the
most weird and wonderful. The novelist
had here q chance to give the fullest scope
to his imaginative powers. lie avsllso
himself of it with enthusiastic ardor. Some
OF the methods devised for the eacaps OF
upiustIy imprisoned men would make a
professional CROOKS" hair turn gray. Yet
wild. impossible and absurd As many OF
these ~fanciful descriptions of imaginary
K ErlSON-DE3HhlAK Ady 49, "
more than excelled by a chunk OF haru,
solid fact now on record IN Inspector
Byrne's Office at rolice headquarters.
What can be stronger, more dramatic or
richer in incident than the story told ~
Charles Becker. the torger and counter
feiter. Of his escape from a Constantinople
prison in company with 'Jos" Elliott and
Ivan Siscovitch?
This illustrious triumvirats of stars made
a speciality of the forged bill and draft line
Of business. After a series Of adventures IN
this country. Elliott and Becker found that
the atmosphere Of America was unpleas-
sntly warm, n went to southern Europe,
whers they at once began to flood turkey
with small drafts. and forged letters OF
credit. In Europe they met Slscovltcn ana
Joe" Chapman. and the four acted in con-
cert. All hands were caught, convicted,
and sentenced to three and a half years
imprisoument at Smyrna. But the jail at
SMYRNA had only mud walls. and the four
accomplished Now York thieves could have
broken it ut any time. The country
stopped then. Out of that they could not
yet. For sscurity's sake the authorities
Transferred them to Constantinopie, and
there the four men found themselves in a
prison of the old-fashioned kind, with walls
four feet thick, heavy cell doors and cast
steel crate bars an inch and 3 half square.
Strong az the prison WAS, however,
Becker, Elliott and Sisco,itoh had soon
formed a plan to get out of it. Chapman,
who was as nervous as q kitten, WAS, for
rsasons OF policy, carefully excluded from
the scheme. Mrs. Siscovitch was pressed
into service and gave the three mon ma
terisl aid from outside the prison. Inside
OF 4 month the plans were laid and per-
fected. ii cell doors were locked at the
TOP and bottom. Although each cell had
its key, there was a general key which fitted
every ono of them. There is no warden in
Turkish prisons. He is represented BY a
prison-marshal. Now it happened one
dav that the marshal, while going round
the prison, was suddenly called away Il
ran out, leaving his general key sticking in
the keyhols of a cell door. Whom he came
back the key was still where he had left it,
but a neat impression in soap reposed
snugly in the pockets of one of the gang.
Mrs. Siscovitch ~smuggled into the prison =
couple of trunk keys, some little files and
Turkish caps. In order to find their way
through Constantinopls after dark
tho gang t Would , want 4ha lantern ;n1:,
fatigabls confederate in pettiooats was
promptly at hand. Becker. Elliott and
Chapman were in one cell, Siseovitoh being
locked up in another with some sailors.
When Siscovitch had boon looked up for
the night Becker, whose turn did not come
until y few minutes later, slipped around
tho corner of tho corridor to the cell, and
with his duplicate key unlocked it again.
Then, almost under the nose of the guards,
he got back to his own cell and placidly
awaited his own turn to be locked IN.
When the guards were III bed and snoring
Siscovitch crept out of his cell and with the
skeleton key released Elliott and Becker.
Chapman peacefully slept through it all,
and the others thought it "a pity to disturb
his rest. They left him in peace, and
made a bas-line for the room where their
clothes wero piled away.
This room they broke open, found their
clothes, and then without difficulty got
lrto the prison yard. The wall was over
tor.y-two feet high, but over the arching of
the main gats there was a grating, and the
rope which they had kept secIeted was
ready to their hand. Elliott, being the
lighteBt of the three men and as nimble as
e squirrel, climbed to the top of the arch
way.
"As LUCK would have it.' says Becker in
telling the story, Elliott stepped on the
wire of the big prison bell leading into the
room where slept the keepers head clerk.
The way that bell tangled trozo US stiff.
The jig looked up If ever it did. We'd had
lots of fan with that bell. The wire ran
under the oell windows on its way, and we
used to hitch q bent pin to a string and
fool him by setting her going"
1t was just that little circumstance that
saved Becker and his friends. The clerk
wok, up, rubbed his eyes, and with a curse
to this four practical joksrs went to Elee,
again. The three prlsoners waited a few
minutes and then went to work. The rope.
weighted with a piece of wood, was thrown
Ut TO Elliott, who securely fastened it to
the grating. Then this others climbed up
after him and let themselves down on the
other eide Of the wall. About sixty dogs
had been doing under the shadow Of the
wall. and, thus awakened, began barking
loud enough to wake the dcad-or anything
but a prison warden. No ono stirred, how.
ever, and rs soon rs Elliott found the
matches which he had dropped and lighted
the lanterns the dogs became quiet. Then
the three men tried to find Mrs. Siscoyitch's
rooms. While wandering around thew
heard the rattle of the watchman's night