The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-08-18
Story Of Wealthy Madman's Thrilling Escape.

Thaw's escape by a plot after five
years of futile fighting in the New
York courts combines all the romantic
and sensational elements of fiction.
From the moment that he dashed
through the gates, eluding Keeper II.
II. Barnum, while milk was being de-
! livered at the institution, Thaw disap-
| peared as completely as though the
earth had swallowed him up. Resi-
dents of villages near the Connecticut
border and on a line between Mattea-
wan and South Norwalk saw the auto
mobiles, one a landulet and the other
touring car, dashing by at 20 miles
an hour and some thought they recog-
niZed Thaw and two other men
crouching in the touring car. Then all
trace was lost until the thread is
picked up at South Norwalk. There it
as learned that three men left a dust
overed motorcar about 10 o'clock and
Immediately went on board the yacht.
! ! The yacht at once put to sea under a
full head of steam and soon was lost
to sight.
"cU Ftdnneo Escape.
The escape of Thaw was planned
with the utmost precision and went
through without hitch. Thaw arose
at his usual hour Sunday. After he
had taken his breakfast he went into
the store-room where he has been en-
ployed to do odd jobs. After spending
few minutes there he went into the
I'd IL Srr hot
which was unusual for him and was
otherwise attired for the outside.
Keeper Barnum was in the yard at the
time.
In a listless voice Thaw bid the kee-
per good morning and remarked about
tn heat.
Then he took several turns up and
down the enclosure and leaned against
the gate. For many months Thaw had
assumed the same attitude at the
same spot and Barnum paid no par
ticular attention to him. At 7:45 the
milkman who supplies the institution
with milk drove up and rang the gong.
Barnum looked through the peep hole,
saw who it was and opened the gate
No sooner had the milk man entered
than Thaw galvanized into activity
With the spring of a panther he was
through the gate. Just a short time
before a laudulet had apparently bro
ken down outside the asylum gate. The
driyed got down beneath the machine
and was tinkering with it when the
milk wagon drove up. AS soon as the
institutions gate opened the repairs
apparently were made for the driver
climbed into the machine and was just
about to start when Thaw bounded
through the gate.
Dashes Away In Auto.
The fugitive jumped into the ma
chine. The power was instantly turned
on and the machine sprang forward
About a mile on. the landulet overlook
the eighty horse power touring car
which had been seen at the hotel and
Thaw was transferred. Then began
one of the widest and most spectacu-
lar automobile rides in history At
StormviIle, ten miles east of Mattea-
wan, persons declared that FIVE men
surrounded Thaw in the touring car
and that each clasped a revolver in
his hand. evidently prepared to shoot
down an yone who interfered with the
cars progress. Pedestrians and car
riage drivers east of Stormville said
the touring car was going nearly so
miles an hour. Many persons were
nearly run down and killed.
Captain Mills in charge of the mo-
tor service at the ROTOR Point Hotel,
south Norwalk, Conn, said he had no
ticed the yacht on which Thaw is sup
posed to have escaped anchored on