The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-04
BLAME FOR TOCCI ESCAPE.
"IT WASN'T MT Fault" THE PRE-
FAILING SENTIMENT.
Charges Made Against Doorman Sharpe,
whose Only Hope Seems to he Theo-
sophie Defence-Othera May 10 Tried

Charges Made Against Doorman Sharpe,
whose Only Hope seems to he n Theo-
sophie Defence-Othsra May Bo Tried
Lhter-No Trace of sarenio Tocci.
The finger OF accusation is being pointed in
various directions by that part Of the police
force most Interested. not to say implicated. in
the escape OF the Tocc brothers from the West
Forty-seventh street station early Sunday
morning. The two Italians were arrested on
Saturday evening for assaulting Christopher
Herman. who died late in tho evening at
Roosevelt Hospital. subsequently the pris-
oners lifted the door OF their cell. or the doors
OF their cells,for the doorman now says he con-
fined them separately until the bolts slid clear
OF the catch. walked out through door which
hasn't had an effectua lock for couple OF
years. more or less. found ladder in the court
yard, presumably left there to facilitate further
the exit Of any persons who might find the
life within too combining. mounted to the top
OF the wall and went away quite comfortably.
leaving their shoes behind for the station po-
lice. possibly on the kindly principle that the
policemen's own shoes would presently be
found undesirable of occupancy. Some two
hours after the departure Nicola Tocci was
caug hit in Central Park. The other brother is
still at liberty.
1t wasn't my fault" is the prevailing senti-
ment now heard at the police station and at
Police Headquarters The only man who ad
mits any blame is Doorman Sharpe. and he
now has charges pending against him.
Sharpe's mistake was in reporting that he saw
the prisoners in their cells at 6 a. m. AS Nicola
was captured at 2:30 q. m. this seems unlikely.
unless the Italian possesses an astral body. and
theosophy is one Of the few lines OF defence not
yet adopted by delinquent policemen. What
Sharpe probably saw was the prisoners shoes.
AS the footprint in the sand suggested to Rob-
inson Crusoe the arrival Of savages. so did the
shoes In the cell inspire Doorman Sharpe with
fallacious belief in the presence of man there
But Sharre m maintains that If the corridor lock
The GrGe5 the rms an hp P
lice Captain Thomas. who explains that he
has made three feaT Ts for new i9ck IN
wolves upon Inspector Thompson. The In
spector says with wealth OF language which.
mosphere will not be- here reprod uced. that he
sent the reuuisitions to the Chairman of the
soner sexton That ism the ' place for them
They should have gone to Sergt. Thomas
der Wbos whS IS in shage OF and YIN
being old ones. .sergt oBrien never got the
what has become Of the acquisitions. Proba-
Inspector THOMPSON has. made charge
against sharpe OF making n false report as to
represented only by their shoes. Capt Thomas
has made charge OF letting prisoners escape
against Sharpe And now the Inspector is
thinking Of making another charge. believing
that Sharpe put both the men into one cell.
otherwise how could either one OF them have
lifted 200 pound door unaided he asks But
II is to be feared that the 200 pound doors
have lost weight. and II the Inspector will go
up there some day when he hasn't anything
else to do (its in his inspection district and he's
supposed to look after the locks and doors and
such mattersl. he will find II not SO hard a mat
ter as he might suppose Areporter succeeded
in lifting one OF the doors yesterday without
the expenditure OF sufficient energy to disable
the average man. A great many policemen
tried II yesterday and commented regretfuy
on how easy 1t was.
At the Forty-seventh street station they
loudly denounced SerRt. O'Brien. who fixed
the doors, Inspector Thompson loudly de-
want to know why the Inspector didn't see to
II that the acquisitions for that new corridor
lock were put through. And after all the re-
elimination Is over. the police will undoubted-
ly come to an agreement among themselves
that the persons really at fault are the Tocci
brothers
Nicola Tocc was taken to the West Fifty
fourth Street Police Court yesterday and from
there transferred to the Coroners office where
Coroner yucca committed him to the Tombs
without bail to await the result OF the inquest
into the death OF Christopher Herman. Late
last night the police had found no trace Of
Sarenio Tocci