Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-08-19
Darts for Liberty Through Open
Gate and Jumps Into Waiting
Machine.
HE RACES FOR STATE LINE
Car Makes Seventy Miles an Hour
and Pursuers are
Bahled.
He RACES FOR STATE LINE

Matteawan, N. Y, Aug. 18.--
Harry X. Thaw, the slayer of Stan
ford White, escaped from the hos
@pital for the criminal insane here at
7:45Goclock yesterday morning. A
dart Tor liberty through an open
gate, a dash into the open door Of
a powerful automobile that stood
quiyering outside, and flight like
a rookie. 20. the Connecticut state
line, thirty miles away, accomplish
ed his escape.
Last night he was still at large,
and the hospital authorities felt GER
tain he was outside the state. Once
beyond its boundaries, Thaw is free.
Only long legal struggle, meaning
perhaps years of litigation, can
bring him back, and then only in
one evant-that he be adjudged in
sane /, the state to which he has
fed.
Five confederates manned the car
in which Thaw escaped, and a big
black limousine, which trailed it
past the asylum gate. The police
have their license and the names
UNI .er which they registered at To-
cal hotel Friday night, and are seek
ing them.
The hospital authorities believe
Thaw has fled to the shore of Long
Island sound and boarded yacht.
waiting with steam up, to rush him
to Europe. n
A reward of $500 for Thaw's ap-
prehension has been offered by DR..
r. f. c. Kieb, superintendent of the
asylum. Howard H. Barnum, the at
tendant at the gate, past whom
Thaw flashed in his break for free
dom, is under arrest, and other ar
rests are expected to follow in the
rigid investigation begun by Dr..
Kieb.
The shades were drawn In the
dormitories and the inmates were
getting their second sleep when
Thaw left his room yesterday morn
ing. The milkman's cart was rumb-
ling on the road outside as he walk
ed through the store room and into
the outer court or yard Of the asy-
lum grounds. Barnum, sole attend
ant at the road gate, was pacing
back and forth when Thaw closed
the store room door behind him, and
apparently did not grasp the signif-
icance of Thaw's early rising
Years of residence in the asylum
ana repeated declarations by Thaw
that he would never attempt to sb-
tain his freedom except by legal
means had established the madman's
status as "trusty."
There was little out of the ordin-
ary in his appearance, even at so
early an hour, in the court yard and
II Barnum saw him, he raised no
question.
A six-cylinder touring car, black
and sixty horsepower, followed by a
limousine, also black, loafed lazily
along the road as the milkman drew
near the gate. Thaw standing few
feet away, apparently unconcerned
waited till Barnum unlocked the
gate and swung 1t wide to let the
milkman enter. At the same moment
the two cars drew up on the further
side OF the road, opposite the gate
and stood still, their engines throb
bling.
As Barnum stepped aside for the
milkman to drive inside the grounds
he heard the gravel crunch beneath
Thaw's feet and, looking up. saw thu
madman flash past him straight fol
one of the waiting cars. With ;
shout Barnum started in pursuit bu
a flying leap landed Thaw safel!
within the car. The wheels wer,
slowly turning before the keeper ha'