The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-23
POSSE GOT THE DROP.
Crimes in Flight Likely to
Keep Both in Cells for
Life.
ESCAPE NOT PLANNED
Acted on Impulse, Both AS
sert, and Hoped to Reach
Canada.

Warden Lewis e. I.awes is expected
TO return to Sing Sing Prison to-day
with George Stivers and Martin Bas-
sett. escaped oonvicts. who were cap
tured yesterday In the woods on the
southern slope Of Kearsarge Mountain,
near Warner. N. r.. after they had
Teen hunted for almost twenty-four
hours by more than 500 deputy sheriffs.
policemen and farmers.
Warden Lawes telephoned the prison
last night he had taken charge OF
both Stivers and Bassett. and that
when he returns he will try 20 have
them indicted on four counts OF jail
breaking. felonious assault, carrying
concealed weapons and grand larceny.
They also face three charges OF high
way robbery In Connecticut and SINH
lar charges in New Hampshire. There
is little doubt that both will spend the
rest of their lives in prison, although
Bassett, had he not attempted to es-
cape, would have been released in
seven weeks.
Tired and dirty and hungry. with their
pockets filled with pistol ammunition. but
with their nerve shattered so they lacked
Abe courage to use their guns, Stivers and
Bassett were captured yesterday without
difficulty and without danger to the two
men who caught them. Edwin l.. For
saith and Carl w. Rowe. two members
OF the posse formed by Sheriff Wooster
of Warner to search the woods for the
convicts pushed further into the under
brush yesterday than any other of the
searchers. They came at length TO
stone wall In the centre of a tract of
dense woods. They followed the fence
and 1t led them TO little used roadway,
bordered by an abandoned apple orchard.
Were Munching Apples.
The two men, with their rifles ready
for instant use. crept along the side of
the wall and when they got to the end
OF 1t they rose TO their feet and looked
over. Not more than twenty feet from
them they saw Bassett and Stivers. dirty
and unkempt, lying at full length on the
grass under an apple tree, munchlng
apples, great piles of (which lay before
lHeIu- CllNCIb anu IodSsttt SctAtiCu "
think the two men were hunters. The
convicts half raised themselves on their
elbows, yelled n greeting. and then
5tivers shouted:
Tell us the way TO Bradford"
NO" replied Forsaith but we can
tell you the way to Sing Sing
Stivers and Bassett leaped TO their
rect and Stivers reached for his gun but
10th Forsaith and Rowe covered the con-
victs before they could obtain their
Weapons. Stivers and Bassett sur
rendered readily enough when they found
two rifles pointing at their heads. and
Torsaith kept them covered while Rowe
handcuffed them and tied their feet to-
gsthcr with ropea Stivers and Bassett
rcemed to be glad their attempt TO es-
cape was at an end
We've had pretty tough time" said
stivers. I'm glad we're through with
t."
Rowe stood guard over the two men
while Forsaith went to a nearby farm
house and telephoned Sheriff Wooster,
ard additional posse men were sent to
help take the prisoners back TO the VIII
l1gc of HennilSer where the Sheriff and
Warden Lawes had established their
headquarters Then they were turned
over TO Lawes and n group of keepers
from Sing Sing. and later taken TO Con-
cord and placed in jail pending their re-
turn to New York.
Countrywide Aroused.
The hunt for Stivers and Bassett
which aroused the whole countryside
and brought out more than five hundred
men armed with rifles. shotguns. pistols
pitchforks and every conceivable kind
or weapon. began late Thursday after
noon when they were seen to jump from
stolen automobile and run into the
mountains at Henniker. near Warner.
This was after they had attempted to
hold up restaurant I'm Henniker to OBJ
tain sandwiches. The restaurant man.
not knowing who Stivers and Bassett
were. drew n revolver and chased them
from his place. after which he tele-
what had happened.
The Sheriff at once identified the two
men ns thieves who had stolen an auto-
mobile In Concord and as men who
answered the description of the escaped
NluE ClHs COHNtCtS. Tie Deknn TOrntnE
posses at once. notifying the country in
the vicinity OF Warner and Hennlker,
and also asking that policemen be sent
from Concord. 1t was a matter Of only
an hour or so before the woods In which
the two men were hldlng were surround
cd After that their capture was re-
garded az only matter of time. because
while there was n way OF escape it
would mean that the men would have
70 20 back into the mountains and make
their way into Salisbury. Sheriff woos-
ter did not believe the two men pos
sessed sufficient knowledge OF woodcraft
or OF the country TO do this.
1t developed yesterday after their cap
ture that this was the very thing that
Stivers and Bassett tried TO do. but they
we're not successfuL They spent all OF
Thursday night running about the woods
trying TO find their way out. but they