New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-07-03


Christopher Kiernan. youth whom they as
saulted in the street on Saturday evening. He
died in Roosevelt Hospital just a moment too
soon to identify his assailants. Citizens caught
the Toccis and handed them over to the police.
who placed them for the night In cell No g. Of
the upper tier. In a detached brick building used
as prison In the rear Of the West Forty-sey-
enth-st. Police Station.
ESCAPE M.:DE EASY.
Probably they expected to be good and
stay there, but being ignorant men, and seeing
nothing TO detain them. but rather the means
OF escape placed conveniently at hand. and with
no one to watch them, they decided TO go away.
The thing was ridculousy easy. The lock Of
the cell consists only OF bar on the outside
which falls INTO a notch. IT is simply huge
latch The door hangs on primitive hinges, con-
ssting OF a pin fitting into eye. Near the
top of the door is piece of metal. which IL
supposed to prevent the door from being lifted
but II is set too far down from the top to no
OF any use. The two Italians lifted II off its
hinges so lightly that they made no sound.
Setting 1t down they stepped out.
They took off their shoes next and descended
the stairs TO the courtyard between the prison
and the station house. At the bottom OF the
stairs they found another door. II has a Yale
lock. This might have bothered them II It had
been locked. But 1t wasn't. The police say Il
has not been locked for two years. They feel
injured II one suggests that IT ought to have
been. They think that unreasonable The lock
was badly rusted. tney say. and these prisoners
took mean advantage.
Passing through the corridor door the Italians
found themselves in a high walled courtyard.
nd g1.ht>
one How TO scale the wall? Nothing easier.
The obliging police had left ladder Just where
they could not fail TO see It, They raised II
and quickly mounted 10 the top Of the wall.
The police say this is the ladder used for clean
ing the station horse windows. and the COURT
yard is the only handy place TO keep IT, The
high and expensive wall is a clear indication TO
prisoners that this is a place of confinement and
that the ladder is not intended 10 be used In
escapes. These Italians had sense Of the
fitness Of things.
From the top of the wall they looked down
into the adjacent yard. 1t would be long drop
for a and he might break an ankle. or at
least make loud noise when he struck the
pavement at the bottom. How 10 get down
quietly? It would be pity 10 turn back with
liberty so close at hand. they thought. Some
one else must have thought that before. for
stout vine OF vigorous growth, with twisted
stem as thick a rope, had been trained UP
the outside Of that wall from the ground to the
top. Down this. hand under hand, they crept
and free. The police say the vine was
Intended solely for ornament. The men left only
two pairs Of large and monumental shoes be-
hind.
II they had 1Ot been in such hurry they
might have seen that the fre-escape OF the
10 cd
the top of the wall by a short ladder which
permanently stands on the wall itself The fire.
escape reaches nearly to the ground. They
could have used this with their shoes on, just
as we'll as not.
Edgar Sharp was the doorman on duty on
Saturday night He has been the force
thirtv-two years Only one other prisoner has
escaped from his in all that time. He
saws he looked at the Toccis at 5:45 on Sunday
morning He was then engrossed for twenty
minutes in the section room and reception room
OF the station attending to the duties incidental
10 the turning out Of the dog watch. Wnen
this was done he says he took another look AZ
the CELL and saw that the Toccis were gone
He ran into the reception room and shouted to
Seroeant BURNS THE two murderers have
esce pedr' Captain Andrew ]. Thomas was i'm
mediateIy aroused. and all was hustle ana
hurry Police Headquarters were informed, ana
a general alarm was sent out. Thirteen men
of the West Forty -seyenth-st. squad were AZ
once ordered into plain clothes and dispatched
IN search the streets and byways. The entire
reserve force was routed out TO aid In the hunt
ON the first floor OF the prison, which was re-
built two and half years ago. are hfteen cells.
seven used for men and eight for women. On
the second floor reached by an outside stairway.
are eight cells all used for men. How the pris-
oners escaped was plainly seen. None or ths
other prisoners saw them go. or would ahmt
seeing them. After scaling the low fences OK
several back yards the Toccis entered FORTY
eiohth-st through an alley. No trace OF them
could be found It was suspected that they had
boarded a freight train on the New-York Gen.
trail and Hudson River Railroad, ana the
Poughkeepsie police were warned to look out
for them. They had no money. When searched
after their arrest, the police took so % from
savenio and 55 cents from Nicolo Those sums
with two knives one stained with Kiernan's
blood. were all they possessed. Neither can
sneak English. Through an interpreter they
had told the police they lived at One-hundred-
and-afteenth-st and First-ave. investigates
proved this untrue.
CURIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE.
A1Ase -