Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-02-20
TO INVESTIGATE
THE ESCAPE OF .
ANTONIO GOMEZ.
Police Commission Asks PATROL
men to Explain Sensa-
tiOnal Affair.
YOUTHFUL BANDIT
DIES FROM WOUNDS
by Detective Sergeant Har-
ris While Trying TO Avoid
Recapture.

Porto Rlcan. who was shot and fatally
wounded late Saturday afternoon by
Detective Sergeant Jack Harris, Of
headquarters, as he was making on al.
tempt to avoid recapture, after he haI
escaped from the custody of Patrolmen
-Sickles and Campbell, at the doorway
of the county jail. at New and W.lsey
streets, two hours previously. died at
st. Michaers Hospital at $40 O'Clock
last night.
The escape and recapture will be
made the subject of an official investi-
CATION by the Board of Police Commits
sioners at their weekly meeting this
afternoon. Until hat time the com
m~issioners, Chief Michael Corbitt and
Captain M. j. Ryan are keeping silent
and will not discuss the mater.
Escape Spectacular.
The attempted escape of Gomez was
just as spectacular as had been his
movements on Tuesday night that led
to his arrest. On Thursday night he
walked into the laundry of Charles
Wing, AZ Bruce street. He had been
there a night before and left a bundle
of laundry, evidently to get the lay of
the land, with a view OF returning ana
ropbing the Chinaman. Entering the
laundry he ordered the Chinaman to
throw up his hands, and when the
Celestial did not obey quickly enough
threw a heavy cold chisel at him, fol
lowing this with q shot from a revolver
which plowed through the fieshy part
of Wings stomach, i~nficting a painful
but not dangerous. wound.
Gomez rushed from the laundry and
took a backyard route through Morton
street. In the rear of rs he found
some mems clothing hanging on the
line in the rear of Israel Jacobs's tailor
ing shop. He made q bundle of this,
but on reaching the street was stopped
by Patrolman Daniel Rottenburg, who
noticed at the same time that Gomez
had a revolver in his hand. Rotten
burg had not heard of the shooting of
the Chinaman out closed in on Come
as the latter attempted to shift his
revolver to the right hand for the
purpose of bringing 1t to bear on Rot
tenburg. Rottenburg knocked him
down with a blow from his fist, and
took the CUR away from him and locked
him up. Later he was taken to st
Barnabas's Hospital, where Wing had
been removed, and was identified by
him as the man who had shot Inn.
Held for $4,000 hail..
The Following morning he was held
by Judge Charles It. Herr. of the
Fourth Precinct Police Court, in $5,0Ot
bail on the shooting charge. and IN
81, 900 bail for the robbery of Jacobs.
Saturday he was brought to police
headquarters and shown up to the de-
tectives, none OF whom had eve seer
the man before. Shortly before :
O'Clock Saturday afternoon Desk Ser
geant Thomas Tracy t~elephoned to the
First Precinct for a wagon TO Take
Gomez to the county jail. telling the
First Precinct sergeant to send two
good men. as Gomez was a dangerous
character. Patrolmen Sickles and
Campbell, both experienced officers
each weighing almost twice as much
as Gomez, who boasts of but lis
pounds, came for him.
was Not Handcuffed.
He was not h~andcuffed, and as hi
reached the jail yard jumped from the
wagon, climbed the jail wall, ran ovei
the roof of n couple of low buildings
and jumped to the banks of th'
Morris canal. AS told exclusivel,
in the Evening STAR Of Saturday, 6
general alarm was at nee sent out ant
every available officer in the city startec
on a hunt for Gomez. who was hatless
having lost his hat in the flight from
the jail yard.
Detective Sergeants Mcconnell ant
Harris were early at the Jail and started
a search of cellars In the vicinity, i
having been reported that Gomez hat
been seen in q building at SO Norfolk
street. He could not be located there
and Mcconnell and Harris traced hin
through to Newark street. Starting II
at rs Newark street, which is half of
five-story double tenement house, occu
pied by Italians, Mcconnell and Harris
searched the cellar. Gomez was no
found.
Found In Cellar.
AS the pair started to go into a celia
al 70 Newark street word reached tn
officers that Gomez had been caugh
outside. Mcconnell went to Investigate
this report. leaving Harris to search tn
cellar. AS he neared the middle. Har
his heard a sound and saw Gomez max
a break to get through a narrow Goa
hole. Harris followed him, almost tear
ing his overcoat from his back getting
through the narrow aperture.
Mcconnell. across the street, saw
Gomez come out. and started afte
him, but Gomez, who had already es
tablished a record as a runner, wa
off like a. shot. He ran across tn
street and into a back yard at Z
Newark street. 1llen jumping fences
like a deer Ihe sped to No. Sc. with Nc