Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-05-11
KILLED BY HIS COMRADE'
Murderer Roehl's Body Found
in the Hudson.
VERDICT OF THE coRoNER's JURY

The Body Had Been in the Water Near
Sing Sing Since the Night of the Es-
oape-Pallister the Author of the
Crime-Motives for the Deed.
SING SING, May 11.-Much of the mys-
terry that has surrounded one of the most
daring and successful dashes for liberty
in criminal annals was cleared away yes
terday when the dead body of the chief ac-
tor in the desperate struggle for freedom,
Frank w. Roehl, was found floating in the
Hudson near Rockland, directly across
from this place.
Since the escape during the terrible
storm on the night of Thursday, April 90
of the condemned men, Frank w. Roehl
and Thomas Pallister, from the death
house OF Sing Sing prison, the country has
been secured and constant watch kept
by the best detectives for the fugitives.
Not a trace of them, however, could be
discovered and the story of their flight
was becoming forgotten when the Hudson
gave up its secret.
After the body had been lowed across
the river to the prison dock, the prison au-
thorities were notified and the coroner
sent for. He viewed the corpse and Or
Drs. Irvine and Sheehan to perform the
autopsy.
The autopsy revealed a wound in the
right side of the head made by a bullet
that penetrated the skull and passed
through the brain and lodged in the left
side of the head. The bullet was 49,
calibre. There was also q fracture on the
skull two and half inches.
The verdict of the jury was: ''F. Roehl
came to his death between April 20 and
May 10 in Westminster county, N. Y, from
a bullet wound and fracture of the skull
produced by a person or persons to this
jury unknown and supposed to have been
done by Thomas Pallister, who was in
company with him while escaping April
| 20 from the condemned cells in Sing Sing
| prison"
Roehl was dead before he struck the
water. DIR. Irvine says either wound
| would have killed him.
Principal Keeper Connaughton identified
| the body by the two pictures he had given
| to Roehl. r. T. Irvine, the physician,
| identified him by his teeth, two of which
| are missing. State Detective Jackson and
Death Watch John Derrenbecker and w.
/ J. Ford also remember having seen Con-
| naughton hand pictures to Roehl.
The coroner examined the three fisher
men. One of them, Cronlk, said: eve
| were out hauling out nets, and while about
| ], 900 yards from shore saw a body and
| thinking it might be one of the escaped
| men, we rowed to it, tied a rope around it,
| rowed' ashore and notified the prison Off
Gals. Connaughton and jackson came UT
and identified It, shall lay claim to thu
| reward"
The night on which the tw o condemned
| murderers escaped was u violently stormy
one, and they imperilled their lives by at
tempting to cross the Hudson in row.
boat The authorities think 1t probable
that Pellister, realizing that two men could
not escape in the little rowboat, had killed
| his companion so that his own escape
might be made easier.
They have another theory al so that Pal
lister murdered Roehl for the purp ose O
| robbery. Roehl WAS reported to have re
ceived several Thousand dollars from hi
1 relatives in Germany to aid him in his es
cape, and his lawyers in this city say the.
believe the report to be true.
Keeper Connaughton thinks Palliste
reached Haverstraw and made good hi
escape. He laughs at the rumor tina
Roehl had money, and believes neither O.
the men had cent.
The authorities are of the opinion tina
Pallister may have been swamped by thu
turbulent waters and drowned after he had
killed Roehl, and careful search of the
river is being made for his body. Thu
| boat in which the two murderers attempte
| to cross the river was fou nd safe on the
| other side, however, and 1t seems probable
| that Pallister succeeded in crossing.