New-York tribune., 1920-02-04
Fuggitives Dug g
From Cave in
Sing e Sing Yard
Hiding Place of Two Prison.
ers Missing Since Sunday
Was Provisioned for a
LongRetreatUnderground

ferclVal McDOnough and Alfred
Fricdlander, Sing Sing prison con-
vlcts, who had been missing since the
p. M. count last Sunday, were
dragged last night from a dugout in
the prison yard, where they had lain
for more than fifty hours. They had
TODD enough to last two weeks, ciga-
rettes, blankets, extra underwear,
solldlhed alcohol for cooking, a frying
pan and hammer and file.
We're here. We'll come out!" Fried
lander shouted as keepers pick
pierced the roofing of the cave and
pulled up a plank. 1--WE expected to
stay underground two weeks, and
thought by that time the search would
be called off and we could make a
getaway he said.
Warden Lewis E. LaweS is con-
vlnced that more than one of the fell
low inmates of the green auto" ban
dts. as they were called, knew where
they were hidden. The covering over
of the ramp by which they descended d
to their subtcrranean refuge proves
they had at least one confederate.
They told the warden they entered
the dugout about o'clock Sunday
afternoon, a time when all of the pris-
oncrs had the freedom of the yard.
Nervousness Betrays Plot
The warden's suspicious that the
hiding place Of the fugitives was
known to their fellows were aroused
Monday afternoon when he was dis
cusslng the supposed escape with sew
eral men working at the coal pile in
the north end of the yard. He observed
that they were nervous, shuffling their
feet uneasily. A little later Keeper
John Farrell, in charge of the coal pile
squad, told Lawes of the discovery of
some fresh clay, just beyond the coal
pile, heapcd on the frozen snow that
has covered the ground for more than
week. The warden put some pris-
oners to digging in that section Of the
yard yesterday morning, but they ac-
complished nothing
esterday afternoon all the prison.
ers were locked in their cells at a
O'Clock and thirty keepers and five
clerks set to work excavating in the
vicinity of the coal pile Lawes him
self lent a hand. They dug for two
hours.
Slmultaneo eously the picks of Keepers
Robert Underwood and Arthur Fergu-
son struck wood reverberation an
swered the impact of their implements,
winch they saw were imbedded in a
plank. They drew it up cautiously
others standing back from the aper-
ture, their fingers on the triggers of
their guns.
Fugitivcs Make No Fight
Then Friedlandcr cried out his sur
render
The rccapturcd convicts steadfastly
refused to tell who dug the cave or
when the work was done. Prison Of
hclals believe it was eXcavated last
summer. After Friedlander and Me-
Donough had been locked in their cells
Warden Lawes and his subordinates
closely examined the dugout 1t was 6
1eet square and feet inches deep.
The ceiling consisted of six 12-inch
planks, and upon these was packed six
inches of dirt. Over this earth Law the
same depth of frozen snow that car
pets the remainder of the yard, and it
was evident that this had not been dis
turbed, proving that the excavation
was made before snowfall.
"A sloplng runway, or ramp, led from
the surface into the dugout proper.
The opening at the upper end had
teen covered with planking, earth and
snow by confederate, after Fried
lander and McDonough entered their
hiding place.
Equipped for Long Hiding
Besides canned corn and beans. the
convicts had supply of potatoes and
some bread. There were three heavy
blankets and three extra suits of un-
derwear in the cave. These and the
remainder of their siege equipment
they had purloined from time to time
from the prison stores, they told War
den Lawes.
McDonough and Friedlander proba-
bly, will be transferred to Dannemora
They will lose the credits which would
have shortened their sentences. Nc
Donough, second offender, is serving
a fiat term of forty years. Friedlander
is serving from eight to sixteen years
They entered prison March 2l last. af-
ter conviction, with four others, of
robbng the passengers and crews of
several trolley cars near the Kings
Queens county hne. McDonough is
twenty-five years old and Friedlander
nineteen. Both lived in Brooklyn.