Norwich bulletin., 1914-04-11
PRISONERS ATTEMPTED ESCAPE.
George Patenaude and James Nicolet- ii Break Away From Officers But Are Rscaptured.

George Patenaude and James Nico- letti, two prisoners sentenced by Judge Shumway during the March term of court to serve terms in the state reformatory at Cheshire, made sensational and nearly successful attempt to escape Friday morning in this city while they were being put on to the morning express for Hartford. The men have been held at Brooklyn jail since they were sentenced last month the sentence to the reforma- tory being for an indefinite period.
 They were in charge of Sheriff John o. Fox and Deputy Sheriff George F. Holbrook when they made their des- perate break for liberty. The men had been brought up from Brooklyn jail in an automobile.
 When the prisoners and the escort tering a car of the express while 1t was standing at the local station, Sheriff Fox at the head of the line, the prisoners following and Deputy Hol- brook bringing up the rear, Patenaude and Nicoletti turned and made a break out through the vestibule, shaking off their handcuffs, which they had managed to unlock with a piece of steel while they were in the auto mobile on their way up from the jail.
 Once out of the car Nicolett turn ed south and, running at top speed, made a strenuous effort to outdis- tance the sheriff and a score of on- lockers that immediately took up the chase. Nicoletti picked out familiar ground for Sheriff Fox to chase him over, the part of the city where the sheriff's place of business Is located, and the fleeing fellow was soon over taken and again placed in custory.
 Petenaude made his break for liberty in the opposite direction from which Nicoletti ran, Deputy Shirtf Holbrook and all of those who were active and had not gone with Sheriff FoX's party going along on his trail. Patenade ran in behind the A. and P. store on Elm street ducked into the cellar and se- creted himself behind some boxes, but he was pulled out and taken back to the station.
 The break of the prisoners and the chase stirred up a flare of excitement in less time than 1t takes to set it down. There was plenty of uncall- ed for, but thoroughly appreciative as sistance from those about the station in helping rund up the runaways, who were at liberty only very few min utes.
 While the chase was on. however, the train that was to take the officers and prisoners had gone on its way so NicolIeti and Patenaude were kept in the agents room at the station un- till the 1O30 train came along. the wait beling less than an hour.
 Patenaude explained how easy 1t had been for him to pick the lock of the handcuffs that the prisoners had shaken off and how he had accom- plished it with little piece of steel which he afterwards picked up near the station at the place where he had thrown it away and showed .' to those who heard him tell his story.
 According to what Patenaude told some people he had unlocked the cuffs soon after the machine which brought them here had left the jail, but the prisoners had decided after gauging the speed of the machine not to jump out. as they had at first planned. on account of fear of serious injury They finally decided to wait until they got to Putnam and then try their luck which was not in real first class work ing order Good Friday, as subsequent developments demonstrated.
 Nicoletti is one of the pair of Black Hand men who sent letter to An tonic Vito. the Thompson contractor. demanding that he leave st,000 at a designated place in the nearby town under the pain of death F ile failed to carry out the order Angelo Di Angelis, Nico1etti's partner in the af- fair, was given q jail sentence when the two pleaded guilty to the offerso mentioned last month, but Nicolettl