The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-18
THAW ESCAPES
FROM MATTEAWAN
CONTINUED From page one,


80 miles away accomplished his es-
cape.
Tonight he was still at large and the
hospital authorities felt certain he was
outside the state. once beyond its
boundary Thaw is free Only months
perhaps years, of litigation can bring
him back to Matteawan and then only
In one event-that he be adiudged in
sane in the state to which he has fled
Five eonfederates manned the car in
which Thaw escaped and big black IL
mousine which trailed it past the asy-
lum gate. The police have the de-
scription of 'rhaw's confederates and
the names under which they registered
al a local hotel Friday night and are
seeking them.
The hospital authorities believed that
Thaw had fled to the shore of Long Is
land sound and boarded yacht wait
ing with steam up to rush to Europe
Reward Offered for Fugitive
reward of $500 for Thaw's appre-
hension has been offered by DR.. r. T.
G. Keib, superintendent of the asylum
Howard H. Barnum, the attendant ut
the gate, past whom Thaw flashed in
his break for freedom, Is under ar
rest. and other arrests are expected to
follow in the rigid investigation begun
by DIR. Keib.
The shades We're drawn in the dormi-
tories and the inmates were getting
their second sleep when, Thaw, fully
dressed, left his room this morning
The mil<man's cart was rumbling on
the road outside as he walked through
10 =fn int
or yard of the asylum grounds Bar
mum. sole attendant at the road gate.
was pacing back and forth whom Thaw
closed the storeroom door behind him
and apparently did not grasp IN sig
niicance of Thaw's early rising.
Long years of residence at the asy-
lum and reported declarations by Thaw
that he would never attempt to obtain
his freedom except by legal means had
established Thaw's status as 'trustyv
There was little out of the ordinary
In his appearance, even at so early an
hour in the court yard, and if Bar
mum saw him--as to this no one save
the hospital authorities could say to-
night, and they refused to tallk-he
raised no question.
A sx-cyinder touring car, black
and GO-horsepower, followed by a lmou-
sine, also black loafed lazily
along the road as the mill1man drew
near TIE gate l1aW stunning a lew
feet away apparently unooncerned
waited till Barnum unlocked the gate
and swung it wide TO let the milkman
enter At the same moment The two
cars drew up on the farther side of
the road opposite the gate and stopped
their engines throbbing.
Whisked Away in Big Packard
As Barnum stepped aside for the milk
man to drive inside the grounds he
heard the gravel crunch beneath Thaws
feet and looking up saw Thaw flash
past him straight for one of the waiting
cars With shout Barnum started n
pursuit but a flying leap landed Thaw
safe in the car. The automobile wheels
began turning before the keeper fairly
reached the roadway and they were
throwing up a cloud of dust before ne
had gone 25 feet.
Down the roadway the cars sped in
whirling cloud of dust that quickly
blotted them from sight. For moment
Barnum shaded his eyes with his hand
and watched them; then with the first
great blot on his career of 20 years
as keeper, he dashed madly back into
the grounds and locked the gate.
"Thaws gone--escapedp' he shouted
bursting into DR.. Keib's presence. And
in a moment the hunt was on
The great black car flashed like a
thunderbolt through Stormville 10 miles
east of Matteawan, along the road 70
the Connecticut line. Early rIsers in
the little hamlet saw three men-and
Thaw--crouching low to escape the
sweep of their rush through the air.
They were going 10 miles an Lour.
They were 10 minutes out of Mattea.
wan.
Stormvllle marvelled at their speed
and watched them melt away in the
dust of the state road.
The limousine had been left behind
At the speed at which the touring car
travelled through Stormville he should
have reached the state line within hall
an hour.
Barnum's breathless declaration at the
asylum brought DR. Eieb, to his feet like
pistol shot. Within a moment he
was standing at the telephone and as
Barnum poured the story into his ears
repeated it over the wire to police head
quarters. Matteawan became the center
of a widening ripple of telephone anc
telegraph alarms as Dr. Kieb planned
pursuit.
He might as well have tried to chase
IL inch shell. The ten minute start, til,
high power of the car in which Thav
made his flight, the nearness of the Con
necticutt state line toward which Thav
was heading and the inferior power of tn,
pursuring cars initiated against him an,
made the chase hopeless After he ha,