The Tulsa star. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1913-1921, 1915-06-19
LOST" MEN IN JAIL
Queer Cases That Are a Matter
OF Record.
Felons Forgotten and sequestered In
Probably the Safest Hiding Places
In Which They Could Posi-
bly, Find Refuge.

man may be lost. whether he loses
himself or is purposely placed In a
maze from which he cannot find his
way out But the case OF Rocco Rug
gerio. who was recently dug out OF
the Queens county Jail by accident
and placed on trial for murder in the
first degree, is very much out of the
ordinary. says the New York Sun. Six
months previously Ruggerio was In.
dicted for murder and placed In the
Jail. The papers I'm his case disap.
peared The district attorney wanted
to check up his cases and asked the
Jail warden for list Of his prisoners.
Ruggerios name was on the list. No
body seemed to know anything about
the case. Search Of the records dis
closed the indictment. Strange as this
case is. a Chicago incident of like
character two or three years ago was
even more remarkable A prisoner
named Philip Dubois was arrested and
placed in Jail on charge of felonlous
assault. Political friends were able
to secure a series Of postponements OF
the case and have the papers altered
so that the charge was changed to
simple assault To help the deception
along Dubois was declared to be dy.
ing and was sent to the hospital pend
ing the disposition of his case
One day at the hospital the screen
that had separated his cot from that
of the next patient was Unexpectedly
I taly hn
across Dubois saw that the very man
he had assaulted was his hospital
nelghbor. On recovering from the
wounds inflicted by Dubois the man
/ had contracted pneumonia and had
| been transferred to the pulmonary
ward. He was on the verge of asking
| to have his bed changed when Dubois
begged him not to do so. promising
to pay him well If he would keep his
secret. This he agreed to do for a
certain sum.
| II was when part of this sum was
being passed to him by Dubois
friends that an attendants suspi-
cions were aroused Investigation
was made and the deception discov-
cred Dubois was convicted and sen.
fenced. When the time came to ar
raign him new papers had to be
made out, for he was officially lost on
the books as man charged with a
felony.
Which recalls the case Of William
Haverhill. a forger of Philadelphia.
who was being brought from San
Francisco to the Quaker City some
years ago by a special deputy sheriff
named McCarty. McCarty had had
an attack of brain fever just before
being sent across the continent with
the requistion for Haverhill
They were nearing Denver at noon
on their return journey and were
seated in the Pullman, McCarty hav.
ing handcuffed his left wrist to Hav-
erhills right. Haverhill surmised the
reason at once. lie lost no time. lie
managed to jerk McCarty forward a
! trifle In his seat, so that his body
reclined more toward the back OF
the chair, and then tilted the officers
head back so he seemed asleep. lie
waited his chance. and when most OF
the passengers got out to stretch their
legs he took the handcuff key from
McCartys pocket and unlocked him
self
He was searching for McCarty's
money when the "All aboard"
sounded, so he had barely time to
slip off the train. Without cent
in his pocket he could not ride a mile
or purchase a meal. But he was a
man of quick thinking. He walked
right up to a policeman and spat on
his shoes. He was rebuked; he
"sassed" the officer. thereupon he
was arrested. receiving a sentence OF
three months as a vagrant. lie had
served two months when an inter
cepted letter sent from the Jail by
him gave the necessary clue to the
mystery that had been puzzling the
San Francisco and Philadelphia police
ever since the unconscious McCarty,
stricken anew with fever. was car.
ried from the train to a hospital