Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-11-13

this ever had been found it was thought
.,ossible that he might get some outside
help
The time came for the prisoners to go
to bed. Mulhall announced that he would
sit up and watch for any attempt by Gard
ner to escape.
Pyron was hoisted into an upper berth,
still with leg irons on. Gardner too was
wearing Oregon boots" and was hand
cuffed He asked permission to take his
coat off and one of his hands was released
from the handouts.
So swiftly that the officers had no
chance to guard themselves Gardner drew
a revolver and pointed it at Mulhall. He
had carried the gun in an improvised
holster attached to his undershirt and the
revolver was strapped tight to his body by
a narrow leather belt. Mulhalls hands
went up but Rickel, who was at one side
started to leap for Gardner. The bandit
swiftly plucked Mulhall's revolver from its
holster and turned it on Rinckel.
you are likely to be dead long time"
the bandit reminded him.
Rinckel's hands went up and Gardner
called to Pyron to come down. Pyron
clambered down, took the keys from Null
hall as Tom Wing had done with the guard
on the first occasion Gardner escaped, and
took off the handouts and leg irons. With
these he shackled Mulhall and Rinckel,
locking them fast to pipes, and Gardner
walked out Of the compartment, through
the car and stepped off the train.
Avoided Possible Recapture
BY Hiding in Small Town
Pyron lacked the bandits iron nerve
and at the last moment leaped through
window instead of following Gardner.
This gave warning of the escape sooner
than Gardner had intended. Pyron was
taken without trouble. Then the drag
net was thrown out for Gardner Not a
trace Of him was found and the old de.
vice of watching his wife was resorted to.
But by this time the bandit had learned
that there was danger in writing or tele.
phoning to her. Instead of going near any
of the places where he might be expected,
he vert to Centralia, Wash. There he
registered at the villages little hotel, the
Oxford House.
Mrs. Marion Howell, owner of the hotel,
became suspicious of her guest. She said
later she had no particular reason, but
was just warned by instinct. She appealed
to Louis Sonny, the towns police chief, de-
tective force and constable all in one I
Sonny went to the hotel and when Gard
ner appeared questioned him. Gardner
gave him plausible answers, but Sonny
finally held him up and removed bandage
which covered part Of Gardeners face.
There was no sign of any wound or in
jury. Sonny arrested Gardner. The
bandit told Sonny he wanted to play a huge
joke. The Federal agents were using
every resource of the Government to track
down Roy Gardner he said, and they had
failed miserably. 1t would make them
chagrined to learn that while they were
tearing UP the Pacific coast to find their
man he was the prisoner of small town
constable in small town lookup.
II am Roy Gardner" he announced
dramatically.
Sonny notified the Government agents,
who went In force to take Gardner to Nc.
Neil's Island He was loaded on a train
after being carefully searched was loaded
down with handouts and leg irons and
was chained to detectives
When the train reached Tacoma two
automobiles loaded with Federal officers
were waiting. In one Of these he was
whisked away to Steilacoom, where the
boat that runs to McNeil's Island was
waiting. The second machine, which had
trailed that in which Gardner was riding,
drew up and its occupants got out and
stood on the wharf while Gardner and his
guards were freighted to the island.
On this occasion they managed to land
Gardner safely In the prison and the
guards heaved a sigh of relief. 1t was
June II when the doors finally closed on
Gardner.
He took to prison life from the start and
often told his guards that had he known
how well he would be treated there he
would not have made so much trouble
about going. He wrote regularly to his
wife and the tone of his letters, which, of
course were read before leaving the
prison, half convinced the officials that he
had settled down to try to win clemency
that would shorten his long stretch of half
century In the short stay there he
made friends with the guards and be.
came popular with the other prisoners.
How he obtained the wire cutters is an
much of mystery as the source from
which he got the revolver he carried with
him from San Francisco county Jail.