Williams news., 1915-07-08
=[6Sf7' MEN IN JA|E|
Queer Cases That Are a Matter
 of Record.
FeIons Forgotten and Sequestered in Probably the Safest Hiding Places In Which They Could Fossil
 bly Find Refuge.

There are many places where a
 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 in his case disap- peared The district attorney wanted to check up his cases and asked the jail warden for list of his prisoners. Ruggerio's 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 felonious assault. Political friends were able to secure 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 taken away. and happening to look across Dubois saw that the very man he had assaulted was his hospital neighbor 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 we'll if he would keep his secret. This he agreed to do for a certain sum.
 It 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 a man charged with a felony.
 Which recalls the case of William Haverhill, forger of Philadelphia, who was being brought from San Francisco to the Quaker City some years ago by special deputy sheriff named McCarty. McCarty had had an attack of brain fever just before being sent across the continent with the requisition for Haverhill
 They were nearing Denver at noon on their return journey and were seated in the Pullman, McCarty hay ing handcuffed his left wrist to Hav- erhill's right Haverhill surmised the reason at once. He lost no time. He to jerk McCarty forward a trifie 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. He waited his chance, and when most of the passengers got out to stretch their legs he took the handcuff key from McCarty's 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 a cent in his pocket he could not ride mile or purchase meal But he was a man of quick thinking He walked right up to policeman and spat on his shoes. He was rebuked; he s'sassed'' the officer, thereupon he was arrested, receiving a sentence of three months as vagrant. He 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.