New-York tribune., 1919-07-16
Posses and Dogs
Trail Jail Breakers
In Jersey Marshes
Pair Escape From Hacken.
sack After Beating Guard
Unconscious and Capture
Ridgefield Park Officer

= Business men and public officials Of
bergen County, New Jersey, together
with some of the county's smartest
dogs, went man hunting through the
local meadows and swamps yesterday
AT 2 O'Clock in the morning an open
season had been declared on two
negroes, George Brown, 21, of New
ark, and William Mckinley, 2S, of West
New York, who escaped from the coun-
ty jail at Hackensack by battering the
night warden until he lost conscious
ness. Two hours later 300 men, heavi-
~ armed, were flashing lights every
where through the deep grass of the
meadows, into which the negroes had
disappeared
The only man who encountered the
negroes at close range was Constable
William H. Melia, of Rdgefield Park.
ne was walking along the West Shore
Railroad tracks shortly after O'Clock.
after the alarm for the negroes had
been given. One of them had crossed
the Hackensack River in boat stolen
in the face of pistol shots by James
McNiece, q Ridgefied Park policeman.
Mella was looking between freight
cars when one of the negroes leaped
on him, sinking his teeth in the con-
stables right forefnger, which was on
the trigger of his automatic pistol. The
teeth of the negro sank to the bone.
Melia fought, but soon the negro had
wrested away his revolver, blackjack
and pocket fashlight.
Now march ahead of me-" Melia was
ordered, and he walked down the
had vanished. The vicinity of the at
tack was searched thoroughly in the
belief that McNiece might have wound
ed the fugitive. No trace of him was
found.
The dogs made scant headwav
through the marshes, losing the trail
continually because of the numerous
creeks which rib the meadows. After
few hours the dogs were withdrawn
from the hunt.
"These are only crap shooting
negroes, though bad men," said the
sheriff. "Now, if they were couple
Of murderers we might go to the ex- eSe
pense of getting airplanes. But we
won't quit this search until We have
caught these men.
The police of Hackensack, Little
Ferry and Ridgefield Park joined in
the quest. They made strenuous efforts
to locate the negroes during the day, but
declared toward evening that they prob
ably had escaped on freight train Of
one of the three lines which span the
meadows. County detectives attached to
the office of District Attorney Huckin
were assigned to the hunt.
Brown and Mckinley were confined
on the second tier of the Jail, which is
new and modern. This tier is reserved
for prisoners of the more dangerous
character. Sheriff Courier said yester-
day that Brown was considered the least
dangerous of these prisoners and acted
as trusty. He had the freedom of the
tier, which is inclosed on two sides with
heavy barred DOORS
=, According to the Sheriff, Kenneth
Meyerhoff, the night warden, was max
ing his l o'clock rounds, when Brown
shouted that Mckinley had thrown a
fit Meyerhoff went downstairs for
some medicine. He returned with it and
entered the tier. AS he passed through
the inner door Brown crashed a chair
on his head and b,th negroes trussed
HIN up with strips of towels and the
bedsheet. They took his keys and opened
doors, locking each one, until they
reached the street. They wore brown
jumpers, but were without shoes and
stockings.
The hunt will be continued to-dar