New-York tribune., 1921-12-27
Five Prison Rioters Saw
Way Out of Auburn, but
Pause TO Help Mate
Who Breaks Leg i'll Fall
Fugitive Hiding
In Box Is Slain
Felons Reached Wall and
We're Hunting Ladder
for Pal When Trapped

Associated PRESS Five cOnvlctS, re-
Gently found guilty of rioting in the
ward of Auburn prison. failed in an
attempt to escape on Christmas night
through their efforts to carry away
one OF taeir number who had broken
his leg in fight, This became known
to-day when prison officials announced
one criminal had been slain and the
others recaptured,
Cutting their way out of the cells
in the Auburn prison, in which they
had been confined during their trials
for riotiug. the convicts dropped into
the outer yard, when one became Grip
pied. The alarm was spread while
he was being taken IN WncctbarroW
across the yards and some of his COM
panionS we're searching for ladder
with which to scale the outer wall.
Convict Slain by Searchers
The crippled man and two others were
caught Immediately, but the other two
we're not recaptured unit. they were
discovered this morning hiding in a
packing box III a private office. A bull
let fired to frighten the fugitives killed
one, who was crouching in the bottom
Of the. bsN.
The quintet. all OF whom came from
Buffalo. had been serving long terms
Tor manslaughter and highway rob
berry. Clement Pacyna was the felon
slain. and those who planned escape
with him were John Wydro. Alexander
Y. Kalimovski, Walter Gahdik and
Frank Lu0ick.
During their trial they were placed
in cells usually occupied by condemned
prisoners. Each day they were taken
into the courthouse and each night
returned TO their cells. Convicted.
they faced additional sentences during
the current term o. the Cayuga County
Court.
Al o'clock last night, when the jail
count was taken. the five men were in
their separate cells. When twenty five
siinuses ater a keeper looked through
tae bars the five cells were empty.
+ The sixth cell still held its prisoner,
vho had refused to Join the break.
Investigation showed that the con-
the five cells Then, mounting on one
anofher's shoulders in the corridor,
they sawed through the bars protect
ing the skylight With a rope made
Of blankets they climbed TO the roof.
Making their way to the roof Of the
old execution chamber, they dropped
INTO the outer yards. kalimowski
landed on barrel, fell and broke his
lsg and hip.
Reluctant to abandon him, his fell
lo1* prisoners held 4 brief parley and
then placed him in the barrow and
Wis elCd him to the outer wall. Many
valuable minutes had been lost and it
became evident that they could not
haul him up with rope to the top of
the wall.
Breaking into a cabinet shop, two of
he prisoners obtained ladder. 1t was
several feet too short.
While the convicts were looking FOR
another ladder the alarm was sounded
and guards appeared on the walls with
loaded rifles.
Kalmowski was the first TO fall into
sle clutches of the authorities and
captured. But a search OF several
hours failed to reveal the remaining
pair
Guard Narrowly Escapes Death
At 1 o'clock this morning Patrick j.
Mohan, Il guard, looked into an Office
which had not been searched earlier
Dseause the ooor was found boltsd AS
.Nohan entered. he said he saw n ydro
Standing in the packing box with
hammer raised to brain him.
Mohan said he fired two shots TO
scare Wydro. From the box came a
scream. Pacyna. out of Mohan's sight,
had been mortally wounded. Wydro
promptly surrendered. Pacyna died an
hour later
Wydro was serving twenty years.
The accumulated terms of Pacyna
amounted to forty-five years and ter
months The others, with the exception
OF Gahdik, who would heve been re-
leased next year, had long terms to
serve
Warden Edgar S. Jennings and Su
perintendent Of State Prisons c. +. Rat
tigan have begun a full Investigation
TO determine how the prisoners OBJ
talncd saws.
BUFFALO, n. Y, Dec. GA Cana
dian penny sent Clement Pacyna to Au-
burn prison, where ne was killed to-
aay in an attempt to escape. When
New York Central passenger train No.
b was held up at the Clinton Street
"f' on October 21, 1920, the big penny
was taken b the robbers from a pas
senger who lad carried it for years as
pocket piece. When Pacyna was ar
rested. two days later, the penny was
iound in his pocket, and this resulted
IN fls conYi ,tion and sentence Of forty
years.
Pacyna was first convicted of high
way robbery in 1918 and was sentenced
70 Auburn for nineteen years, but
Inroueh tAe clemency Of Governor
nmith ne was released only a few days
.elore the hold-up which sent him back
10 nriso,