Evening journal., 1893-05-19
AN UNSOLvED MYSTERY
Theories Regarding the Deaths
Of the Two Convicts
WHO ESCAPED THE CHAIR BUrD1BD


How Did Boehi and PaIlister Lose Their
Idvesg-The Suicide Idea Untenabie-A
Philadelphia surmise-y yariou. Ingsn-
ious Coujectures Concerning an Unpar-
alIcled Case.
NEW YORK. May 10 The mystery
surrounding the deaths Of the two es
Gaping convicts, Roehl aud Pallister, is
one Of the most remarkable in the an
nails Of crime Roehl's body was found in
the river well over toward the west
shore just above Sing Sing. Pallister's
body was picked up very near the chan
mel, perhaps a mile and half above the
prison. These facts show that neither
man got far away on the wild night
when they scaled the fence on the river
front of the prison.
According to the testimony of the
physicians, based on an examination of
the lungs, neither ROehl nor Pallister was
drowned There was fracture on the
back Of Roehl's skull two and a half
inches long and blood clot on the brain
that weighed more than an ounce
There was a bullet hole over his right
ear. The bullet passed downward and
lodged az the angle of the left jaw. The
skull must have been fractured before
the bullet entered his head The blood
clot could not have formed had there
been an outlet such as was offered by
the bullet wound.
One theory which can be made to har
monize with the known facts Is that Pal
lister, sitting in the boat behind Roehi
struck Roehl with an oar, fracturing his
skull, aud then taking the revolver from
lioehl's hip pocket finished the Job by
shooting him. AS to the motive IL may
have been anyone of dozen things
fear that the boat would not hold two.
belief that one man would have better
chance to escape than two, hope of secur.
ing money which he may have believed
Roehl had. This theory contempates
the suicide OF Pallister with Roehl's re.
volver which has not been found.
Both men were dead, according TO the
doctors, before they fell into the water.
and either one of the two killed the other
and then himself, or they killed one
another, but what was the motive in
either case?
Superintendent Linden Of the Phila-
IfNN
condemned men awaiting summons ia
the death chair should roam at large in
prison like Sing Sing; that they
should overpower one keeper with per
feet ease and without resistance. and
then wait noncbalantly for the ap.
pearance of another keeper and disarm
MIA in the same matter.of fact way,
and follow this up with "A successful
/ a. hU J..
| prison, is quite incredible on the sup.
| position that the keepers were doing
their whole duty and were not party
to the enterprise. No outcry was made
no attempt at pursuit. The course OF
the men was unimpeded They reach
the prison grounds Now, what occursi
Do the escaped men cross the riveri
| Residents in the vicinity say that no
boat could have lived in that river on
such an awful night as that was
Il believe the two men never crossed
the river. and were not permitted to
make an attempt to do so. think there
| is little doubt that one man was struck
down aud both of them shot TO death be
fore any embarkation was possible The
idea that either OF the men shot the
other is absurd No two men would
elaborate such plan of escape and then
set to numbering each other as soon as
they were free
Police Captain "Dick" OConnor Of the
| West Thirtieth street station is firm
believer in the theory that Pallister and
Roehl were murdered while trying Ia
board the mysterious schooner said tC
have lain off Sing Sing prison the night
the murderers escaped.
What is more likely than that they
came alongside the schooner said to have
been in the river and that, seeing &
chance to escape If they could induce the
captain TO take them, they tried to board
the vesselg
when they clambored on board, tn,
captain, mistaking them for river
thieves calls his crew aud fights the tw,
escaping murderers Roehl draws hii
revolver, but before he eau use Il he i,
struck down by one Of the crew, which
would account for the fractured skull
He drops his revolver on the deck Of tn,
sloop and II is captured by one of thl
crew, or perhaps the captain himself
''Pallister is shot and either falls bacl
or is thrown into the river Then, a
Roehl tries TO regain his footing, a bulle
from the revolver finishes him, and h.
too, falls or is thrown into the river.
"The captain of the schooner, anxiou
to avoid possible trouble, hoists his sail
as soon as the storm subsidies, and hi
disappearance successfully covers up al
trace of the shooting"