The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-11-07
THREE INSANE FUGITIVES
THEY ESCAPED FROM THE M6D-
 DLETOWN RETREAT.

One of the Trio is Castagnetti, the Mur-
 derer, Serving Life Sentence for Killing
 Compatriot-Story of His Crime-Has
 Been an Inmate of the Retreat Four
 Times-How Their Escape Was Effected.
 Three prisoners have escaped from the insane retreat" was the telephone message that came from Middletown to Sergeant Mcbride at the police head quarters about S:3O o'clock last even- , ing. The word was from the superin- 1 tendent of the retreat
 He described the men as John Castag- netti and Peter Hurley of this city and Henry Peters who claims a residence in Paterson, N. J.. but who was sent to Wethersfield from New London county. All three of the men are state prisoners committed to the care of the retreat by the prison insane commits sioners.
 The escape of Castagnetti brings to the minds of the police authorities and many others of this city the murder committed by him on Oak street on the night of July P, 1883, for which crime he was serving life sentence in Wethersfield prison, imposed at the January term of the superior court in l 1884
 | The story of the murder and the sub- sequent capture of the murderer is as | follows: Castagnetti, who was known as John Costello, and several compan- l ions spent the early part of Saturday evening, July 21, on which the crime was committed, in Burns saloon on | Oak street. The men becoming ex- ceedingly quarrelsome and offensive, Burns. the proprietor, turned them into the street and closed his doors One of | the men, named John Rizzo, had been making himself particularly obnoxious to Castagnetti. On leaving the saloon the two men stepped into the middle of ] the street. continuing the quarrel. | Castagnetti drew revolver and shot Rizzo, the ball passing through the stomach and small intestnes. Rizzo was taken to his home at No. 20 Fac l tory street, where he died at il o'clock Sunday evening.
 l Immediately after the shooting Cas- | tagnetti made his escape, eluding Pa trolman Lannigan, who rushed to the scene of the affray as soon as he heard the report of the pistol. The patroi- man was joined by his associate, Car ney, now retired, and both gave chase 1 to Castagnetti, who turned and fired at Lannigan with the same weapon with which he had shot Rizzo. Fortu- ! nately the ball went wide of it's mark, { or the second murder might have been placed against Castagnetti. As the fll- l ,gitive had been in the habit of work | ir,c o% f1.aC Fr, vEy1
 went in that direction
 The police took up the WestviIle
 trail late Sunday afternoon, July 23.
 but before the officers arrived at West ! v1lle the fleeing man had taken to the i woods An unsuccessful search was made. Late Sunday evening Patrol- men McBride and Ahern were sent to 1 Bridgeport in quest of Castagnetti. | They searched the Italian quarters Of
 that city, and were returning to this city when about one-half mile this
 side of Milford Center the officers met
 a man whom they though was Castag- netti. Acting upon this they took the
 man in custody, and brought him to l this city. Castagnetti still carried the revolver that had given Rizzo his fatal
 wound.
 Castagnettis defence at the trial was
 insanity, but in spite of this he was | sentenced to life imprisonment at | Wethersfield. He has continually kept
 up the insanity plea, and has been an
 inmate of the insane retreat four times
 since he was sent to Wethersfeld. The
 police expect to capture Castagnetti in
 this city, as he has friends here, and
 it is thought that he will try to find | them
 Patrick Hurley. who escaped with
 Castagnetti, was serving a term Of | three years in Wethersfield for assault
 ing a child. He was sentenced on July 1 5, 1894. He was from this city.
 Henry Peters, the third fugitive, was
 sent to Wethersfield from New London
 for horse stealing. He was sentenced
 on June 8, 1895.
 The superintendent of the retreat
 caused an alarm to be sent out all over the state for the capture of the prison l CTS. The authorities at Middletown
 last evening could give no account of | the manner in which the prisoners | made their escape.