The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-06-14
ESCAPE OF TWO CONNECTS
THEY BREAK THROUGH THE ROOF
OF THE INSANE WARD.
Reward for Their Capture-Master Key
UnloclSs Their Cell Doors-Dumnies
In Cots Deceive Night Waterman.

ia SOtD DGCetpo
Hartford June 13-Ferdinand Szan-
tho, an Austrian, and Frank RuskoW-
ski a Pole, inmates of Wetherst1eld
State prison, escaped from that institu-
tion at about o'clock this morning.
The prisoners We're not missed until 6
o'clock. At that hour the prison Off
cials discovered that the escaped men
had left dummies in their cots, thus
keeping the officers in ignorance of
their departure during period of three
hours.
Warden Garvin, upon learning of the
escape, Immediately ordered his officers
to institute a search for the men.
HOW THE CONVICTS ESCAPED.
The story of the escape is an inter-
esting one, and is thus told in the
Hartford Times: AT dead of night
Szantho, having placed his dummy
carefully in his cot, unlocked the door
of his cell, No. 81, with a master key"
This tool was made ingeniously out Of
the bone handle Of a toothbrush. He
had started portion of the LOCKWOOD,
and that he might relock the door at
ter getting into the corridor he mad
made a rude wooden lock or button to
which was attached string. When
once he was out in the corridor, with
the silent effigy counterfeiting him in
the cot, he fished through the bars of
the cell door for the string to the but
ton. His fishing rod was wire with
q handle of about six inches and
twisted turn for hook. Finally loop
ing the loose end of the hanging string
with this he twisted it, thus pulling the
button until it fell across the crack OF
the door and locked it. 1t was indispen-
sable to the success of the crafty con-
vict's well planned campaign to lock
the door of his cell. If left unsecured
the door might have been blown open
by the draft in the corridor and so
have betrayed to Night Watchman Guy
c. Woods the prisoners operations
Once out in the dark corridor, the
shifty Austrian slipped in his stocking
feet around corner to cell No. IS. Here
he
SIGNALED TO HIS FELLOW CON
VICT,
whose effigy was safe and sound in the
cell cot. With his master key he
opened the door and Rushkowski noise
lessly stole out, also in his stocking
which are on the first boor.
They then made their way to the sec
ond floor, watching their opportunity to
evade the Waterman. Gaining the up
per story they proceeded to the store
room, from which they took bolt of
ticking. This was to serve them in
good stead a few minutes later, They
also took the outer clothing of Day At
tendant Lewis R. Severance. taking a
gray cutaway coat and a gray vest and
also light brown suit with sack cloth. |
From the second floor
THEY WENT TO THE ATTIC.
A half hour, or may be an hour of |
solid work was awaiting the shifty run
aways. 1t was their plan to make fast |
an end of the ticking to rafter, then |
cut through the sheathing of the roof, |
brake away four or five of the states
on the roof, pass out through the aper-
ture and work down over the studded |
roof to the caves trough and thence go
down hand over hand to the yard be-
low
To cut their way to the outside of the
roof they had knife and a combina-
tion saw and knife. The knife was
merely thin, sharp blade about an
inch long, inserted in piece of whitfield
wood. The combination instrument had
a blade even shorter In the blunt edge
was notched eight little teeth with a
depth Of about sixteenth of an inch.
With these crude instruments they cut
out two strips of the sheathing about
eighteen or twenty inches long. The
width of each was about six inches.
The next "stint" was to break away
the Stating. After securing an end of
The bolt of ticking to the rafter selected
one of them pushed up through the
jagged hole and finally reached the well
come ground west of the insane ward
The other followed. The fugitives left
he ticking hanging and lost no time
n disappearing. They left their tools
IN the attic floor. In addition to the
Instruments described there was an i'm
)rovlsed screwdriver. There We're also
he ends of two candles made from par
Lf1ine wax used in polishing the floors
Repairs were made on the roof this
by convicts, under the super
Tision Of one of the engineers, Boss r. L.
Talton of the farm gang supplying an | I
extension ladder and some of the pris- i
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