The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-03
WALKS OUT or COURT.
FRANoTs. WORST OF THREE COR
MANS ARRATGNED, POSES AS JOE.
Gcne Half an Hour Before His Escape Waa
Disoovered-Msde Tracks Whom Hall
Way Down stairway-Swiftly Took
Advantage Of Coincidence Of Names,

Way Down Stairway Took
Advantage Of Coincidence Of Names.
That II was easy for q prisoner 30 escape
from tho Court Of Special Sessions was
demonstrated yesterday morning when
Francis p. German, 81 years old, OF 486
Eighth avenue, and No. 8,Aoo in the Rogues'
Gallery, calmly walked out without excit-
ing comment or attracting notice from
any Of the dozen oops on guard. BE got
away by impersonating Joseph German,
whose case for failure to provide for bis
family preceded that OF the man who es-
capped. German was gone half an hour
before anybody In the court knew It.
There were n~inety-two cases on the
calendar. Justices Deuel.. Zeller and Ohm
stead were on the bench, Deuel. presiding.
Prisoners who had peer unable TO get bail
are brought over In patches Of fifteen from
the Tombs and penned In q small rallied
enclosure at the right side Of the court
room. Francis P. German was seated
there. The charge against him was petit
larceny. the theft OF $26, and he had been
unable to get the %, 900 bail fixed by Magis-
trate Barlow In the jefferson Market court
on July "a. His case on the calendar was
No. II.
Outside the rail on the benches with the
witnesses and spectators were two other
Germans, Frederick, charged with as
sault, and Joseph, charged with failure to
provide for his wife and children. The
first was on ball, the second on parole.
Frederick Germans case W No. 90, that
Of Joseph No. IS. The three cases were
about half an hour apart.
guhap NJ 90 Tho aaoa, ,lk Naaa Nvaa CALLED
Clerk Culkin had to repeat It twice before
Frederick Gorman responded. Francis p.
German In the pen sat up straight, as II he
thought his ase was being called and
wen started to rise to 30 to the bar. Tho
cop at the gate Of tho pen motioned him
back and Just then the man wanted hurried
forward. HIS case was continued on bail
and he left the court. After nearly half
an hour Of the dreary routine Of ANAL cases
the clerk called loudly,
Joseph German, failure 10 provide, on
parole Without a moments hesitation
Francis P. rose quickly, and the cop at the
gate. believing two Germans must be the
limit, let him out this time. The prisoner
got to the bar In four steps and looked
right at Justice Deuel.. Waiting for q few
minutes to see II Agent E. F. Jenkins Of
the Society for the Prevention Of Cruelty
to Children or anybody else would inter-
pose any objection, Justice Deuel. oon-
oluded that the prisoner was doing bis
duty as husband and father and said that
he might go, that his parole would be oon-
tinued another month.
Bending his head humbly the prisoner
turned and walked out OF the court room.
He had TO pass the gate through the outer
railing, where a policeman Is stationed,
and out through the door leading into the
corridor, where two policemen are on guard.
Once half way Town the stairway leading
to the ground floor German decided it was
time to hurry. He took the fifteen steps of
the bottom half in two jumps and went
THAT lawyer must be IN a turr'ble hurry"
said the, elevator man. who later recalled
the incident.
When case No. II was reached Joseph
German, said to b 70 slightly W. deaf si;S %h0 should
forward. He had been 30 far back he had
not heard his name called and thought his
turn had now come. just as his examina:
tion was about to begin Henry Greenfield
Of 100 Warrington avenue. The Bronx,
by the prisoner who had escaped, jumped
up and told the court that there was a mis-
take, that the prisoner at the bar wa not
the man who had swindled him.
Then there was q hurried investigation
and it was clear that the worst German
Of them all had made his escape. The GODS
made a great show Of hunting for him,
looking under benches and desks, and one
excited policeman even pulled out the
drawer Of a rolltop desk as II he hoped
to find German there.
German posed as the secretary OF the
Underwriters' Fire Extinguisher Company
and advertised for agents. offering a salary
of $40 a week. From zach he exacted q
cash bond varying from s25 to $3.50, as the
dupes' circumstances permitted. To all he
proved to be wholly unstable, and when
they would return after a hopeless canvass
and demand their money his method was
to glibly tell them to first keep their end
of the bargain-to canvass for three months.
That provision had been inserted in every
contract, As a rule they just threw up their
jobs and said good-by to their deposit.
Young Greenfield brought the matter to
the attention OF the District Attorney, who
had German arrested. While tho case was
pending an investigation was made and
twelve additional complaints were secured,
in sums ranging up to $3.50. This evidence
will be given to the Grand Jury and indiot-
ments for grand larceny on several counts
are expected daily against German. Assist
ant District Attorney Lockwood felt 80
6uT6 OF Cnls tnAt no naQ dbk6Q opeCldl
Sessions to have a care and hold German
when his case came up. He hoped to send
him to Sing Sing for many years.
As German had been in the Tombs and
could hardly have heard Of the coincidence
of two other German cases on the same
docket 30 as to make his plans the c~leverness
of his escape stands out. Some even in
sisted that German did not at first realize
the situation, and that it was only when he
heard the Court say your parole Is on
tinued" that he woke to his chance. Clerk
culkin thinks German up to that point
was honestly answering what he supposed
was his wi call. He must have done
some rapid thinking in that event.
Germans escape is attributable moro
to the system of arraigning prisoners than
to any negligence by. the policemen on
guard. Prisoners entirely unknown to
the cops are let up in patches Of fifteen
from the prison downstairs. With them,
as they come up, are the papers which
go to the clerk. All that the policemen
In the room know Is that they are responsible
for 80 many prisoners at a time and they
don't know one from another.
SECOND WILL BY MISS TALMAGE.
-s-