The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-03
TWIN MURDERERS ESCAPE.
LIFT THEIR CELL DOOR FROM ITS
HINGES AND WALK OUT
One Caught, the Other still Free-frison
Doors, Equally Easy to Get Out Through.
Plentiful in tho City, 1t IL Said, but
Nobody Discovered the Trick Before.

Plentiful In tho City, 1t 10 Said, hut
Nobody Discovered the Trick Before.
Sareno and Nicola Tocoi. twin brothers.
who were locked up early Saturday evening in
the Vest For!y.seventh street police station
on charge OF murder. silent well until
o'clock yesterday morning. when they arose.
removed their cell door from It's hinges and
walked away. That is the story In nutshell OF
what. after the famous exodus from Ludlow
Street Jail In Sheriff's Tansen's day.is probably
the most remarkable escape from prison in
the history OF this city. In future some rural
districts will have the laugh on Manhattan.
Even in the country Jail in which there is ira
diton that prisoner refused to stay unless his
taller promised to keen the sheep out. no pris
oner ever escaped by lifting his cell door of its
hinges.
Nicola was rrested at 2:30 O'Clock in the
morning. probably about an hour and a half
afIer his escape. on the West Drive in Central
Park. near Tooth street. by Policeman George
Steeres Of the Park squad who saw him run.
ming uptown. barefooted and hatless. The
policeman hailed him. and when Nicola paid
no attention to his call. Steeres started in Dur-
suit. He caught the Italian after long run
and placed him under arrest as n suspicious
person. As he refused to say ANYTHING about
himself. he was locked up In the Park sub-sta-
ton at McGowan's Pass Tavern as John Doe.
suspicious" Later he was taken over to tho
East 1O4th street police station. and about
O'Clock reached the Harlem Police Court. In
the meantime the general alarm for the two es
capped murdsrers had been sent out from the
West Forty seventh street station. and the
prisoners resemblance to one OF the fugitives
noted. Policeman Convey. when sent for. at
once identified him. and he was hold without
bail by Magistrate Pool and sent to the Har-
lem Court prison.
Tho escape had not been discovered at the
West Forty-seventh street station until 6:l5
O'Clock. At that time Doorman Edgar Sharpe.
who was responsible for the safe keeping Of
the prisoners. not knowing then that one OF
them had been recaptured four hours before.
reported to Sergt. Townsend that both of tho
prisoners had been In their cell up to q o'clock.
fifteen minutes before. whom he had made his
last round.
They must have ESCAPED" the doorman
said. I'm the fifteen minutes in which was in
the station while tho dog watch was being
turned out"
The Tocci brothers were originally locked
up on Saturday night about x o'clock. Pc.
liceman Convey. who had arrested them. told
Sergt. Townsend who was doing desk duty.
that they had assaulted Christopher Herman.
II years old. at Tenth avenue and Forty eighth
street. and that Herman had been taken to
Roosevelt Hospital. Nothing was known Of
the nature OF Kernan's injuries by the police
until an hour later. when word was received
from the hospital that the boy was dying. Then
the prisoners were buried UP to his bedside
to be identified. but the police were too late.
Herman died Just as they got there The Tocci
twins were detained at the hospital iorG
enough for each Of them to have a slight scalp
wound attended to. and we're then taken back
to the police station.
Having Numbered once by falling to as
certain il Herman was seriously hurt until
It was too late to have his assallants identified
by him. the police committed second blum
der by putting the two prisoners in the same
cell. contrary 70 the regulations. though the
station lookup was not crowded. The Tocci
twins did the rest. The cells OF the West
Forty-seventh street police station are in q
two-story building back OF tho main building
and separated from 1t BY narrow courtyard.
On the lower floor there are eight cells for
women and seven for men. On the second
floor. which Is reached only by a short flight of
stairs on the outside Of the buildin z. there are
eight cells. all for men. They are arranged in
two rows of four cells each. extending east and
west 1t was in cell No. 3 In the inner row up
stairs that Doorman Edgar Sharpe locked the
two men. They were the only prisoners on
the second floor at the time. and for the
greater part OF the night mono OF the other
cells on that floor had an OCCUPANT. Down
stairs there were about ten prisoners.
Sergt. Townsend said yesterday that the
Tocci brothers were taken upstairs because
1t was early in the evening and they were per-
fectly sober. 1t saves trouble to reserve the
cells downstairs for drunken prisoners.
Neither Sergt. Townsend nor Capt. Thomas
could explain why the two men had been put
in one cell. Doorman Sharpa was out all day
hunting for, the twins. aud he didn't explain
h., ftArh Agn
The. second floor OF the prison house was
used for vagrant dodgers until two and a half
abolished When the cells were constructed
n. that time they were supposed 10 be up to
hae IN iron a99 1nn % IF t do not ut ,ne
it was this that the Tocci brothers discov-
cred and took advantage Of; The cell doors
:ai. woven together basketwork fashion. with
meshes between the intersections Of the strips
bars. each as long % the door is wide. One
and on this il works as on a pivot. An irgn
box, attached to the door; contains the lock-
holds the and Of the bar fixed in an iron catch
projecting from the brick easement at the side
The depression in tho iron catch in which
the end OF the bar rests when one Of the cell
doors is locked is an inch deep. BY raising
tho door on It's hinges a hairs breadth more
than an inch the efficacy OF tho lock is over
come and the door swung omen. The hinges
when strips OF leather we're discarded as n
means OF holding doors In place. Each con.
ais IS OF Il straight pivot pin an inch long pro-
Jec,ing from the easement over which are
| slpIed the iron rings attached to the door.
There are no nuts ON top Of the pivot pins to
prevent tho slipping up Of the rings. but the
| maker Of the cell door placed at the top Of it.
an irop nanGe. six inches wide. extending In
toward the interior OF the cell. This 10 sup
| posed to come in contact with the brick work
! az the top OF the doorway when the door II
! closed and to prevent II from being raised but
| II doesn't. ThAre is SPACE OF an inch and
| half between the fango and tho bricks. so that
! ANYBODY who can lit POO pounds the weight
OF the door. a triile oyer an inch can get out of
any Of the cells Ms easily as II he had the kew.
There arc scores OF cell doors like these in the
| city. Cant Thomas Of the West Forty-ssventh
! street station said yesterday. but tho Tocci
| brothers have been the first to discover tho
! trick Of raising them
| After getting out OF thSir cell it was plain
! sailing for the twins. because tho iron door
! between the corridor on the second floor and
/ tho outside stairs was wide open. II has been
! for q wear and n half because all that time the
lock has been broken. The fugitiyes went
: down the fifteen steps to the courtyard. where
! IhaY innnh 4 lnlder- with Tint they scnled Il