The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-01-15
LUDLOW STREET JAIL.
:aur Federal Felons ESCAPE and Only One b
Captured

New York Jan. 15.--Four prisoners
:cok French leave of Ludlow street jail
-arly last evening. One of them was
taught, more by accident than anything
else, by the local police The three others
ere still missing. Th2s far there seems
~ be no clew TO the Sarious directions
which they took after their most sensa-
tional method of flight from the prison
walls.
The fugitive from Ludlow street now
IN custody is Peter Masso, q years old,
born in France, who was charged on the
books of Ludlow street jail with bring
ing French girls to this country from
faris and other places in France for i'm
moral purposes.
Those who are still at large are:
William Post, % years old, a mail rob-
Der.
|. Michael Egan. "a vars old. q counter
teiter.
George Polyerannis. . Greek. also a
c0unterfeiter. us
The manner in which the men made
their escape was as follows:
The top tier of the jail on the east side.
the windows Of which look out upon a
large court yard which divides the Jail
from the Essex Market prison, had, until
lately, been occupied by United States
prisoners. A few days ago, however,
these prisoners were transferred to
other parts of the jail, and the upper tier
on the east was given over to plumbers
for repairs, thus leaving the cells empty.
The four men, who had the freedom Of
the corridor, made their way in the semi
darkness to the upper tier and twisted
the lock off from one of the unoccupied
cells. Into this they went, and from the
window of the cell. which looks over a
space of five feet to the prison wall in
which are the windows that open into the
outer air. 1t was not difficult to remove
the window, and this was done. Then
cne of the men took the dangerous leap
across the open space and landed on the
sill of the outer window. He had sharp
saw of some kind. for he sawed the
fourth stout bar in the upper frame of
the window. Ii is supposed that the saw
was one Of those left by the plumbers
who had been working there. After the
Tar in the window had been broken, the
bar being of iron and about half an inch
IN diameter, the halves were twisted SO
that q space a foot wide was made and
sufficiently long to permit body to
squeeze through.
The window on which the men stood
when they had clambered outside was
but q little less than 60 feet above the
ground. Five feet above them was the
roof of the Jail, with large overhansing
cornice. How l was done no one can
tell, but the men I'm some way swung
themselves from the cornice with the
yard yawning 60 feet below. and by main
strength lifted themselves to the roof.
On the roof they were safe for moment.
but there was a sharp spiked fence, 10
| feet In height. between them and the
adjoining tenement house roof This
! was scaled I'm safety, and then the men
had access to the stairway of the tene-
ment house by way Of the roof. 1t Is
| supposed that Masso was the first of the
| fugitives, and his encounter with the
| people in the house led to his arrest.
While the scene which ended in his be-
ing locked up was enacted, his compan-
ions in flight were secreting themselves
on the roof. About half an hour after
ward one OF them. a man In a light suit
the Greek, was seen to pass down the
stairs, and still later another stranger
was noticed to leave the building. When
the third Of the three still missing left 4,
Is impossible to say.
None Of the prison officials would
speak Of the case in the remotest way.