New-York tribune., 1916-06-23
Slayer Seeks To Know
How He Got Into Sing
Sing Padded Cell.
REVOLVER A MYSTERY
TO PRISON HEADS
Hard Luck" That He Did Not
Escape, Say Condemned Mans
New York Friends.

Oreste Shillitani awoke in a padded
cell at Sing Sing yesterday morning
lie peered through the wicket at the
guard stationed outside. How did |
get here" he whispered. Though weak
Of voice and apparently exhausted. the
Paper Box Kid" was as lucid as ever.
At the same moment two wounded
men, ono Of whom probably will die, lay
in the Ossining Hospital, suffering
from the bullet wounds they had re-
ceived when, unarmed. they faced the
maddened Shillitani in a corridor Of
the Death House.
Some time ago. following out ideas
for the reform Of prison methods, all
guards were compelled to give up their
firearms. Four months ago, still further
to humanize the treatment OF prisoners,
the nightstick was abolished. SO Daniel
Mccarthy and Ernest Bullard had only
their two hands TO defend themselves
with when an armed and demented con-
vict attempted to escape.
Revolver Still a Mystery.
How the man in Murderers' Row got
possession of revolver no one at sing
Sing could explain. Members or a con-
demned mans family are his only pos
sible visitors, and Shillitani was visited
Wednesday by his brother and sister
in-law Yet, with a grating between
the visitors and the man in the cell, and
with prison guards in sight, the pos
session Of the weapon IS more thah
ever mystery.
Shillitanfs sister-in-lsw. on q second
visit yesterday afternoon, had no soIu,,
tion to offer Although not asked
directly whether she had anything 10
do with il. Mrs. John Shillitani fastened
to explain that it would have been I'm
possible for her to pass the revolver
while the guards were looking on.
Later in the day the murderer asked
10 see Spencer Miller, deputy warden
but told him nothing that would help
clear up the affair. Although clear
enough in mind, he seemed to know
nothing about the night before. Mr..
Miller said that he considered 1t pos
sible for Shilltani, who is Of high
strung, nervous temperament, 10 have
been out of his mind after his trip to
Ossining Hospital, where he was re-
captured.
Chauffeur Speeded Away.
The presence OF an automobile near
the prison last night leads the author
ties to believe that only the meres'
chance kept Shillitani from maxine
GOOD his escape. The slayer's swim
down the river so delayed him that
the driver Of the car, supposed
frightened by the blowing OF the prison
whistle. started at top speed for New
York before the condemned man couio
reach it. The latter started running
but either lost his way or was unable
70 think. lie was naked and raving
when he reached the Ossining Hospital
Sam Shillitani, a brother, said las'
night it was hard luck that the boy
failed 10 get home. His mother, he
thought. was pining away. and II was
only a matter of little while till she
would die.
"It'd be nice" he added. "if she could
have seen the kid before anything hap
pened 10 her
The feeling that the recapture was
"hard luck" was frankly expressed by
neighbors and friends Of Shillitani on
Mulberry Street last night. About
twenty-five gathered in front Of his
home. 24l Mulberry Street, just few
doors from the place >Uere Shillltanl
killed three men about three years ago.
The crowd seemed TO feel that he
would have got back if he had not
gone out of his head too soon. II is
said many waited in front of his home
at the time he tried TO escape.