Evening star., 1926-11-04
TWO ARE ARRESTED
IN TOMBS BATTLE
Attempted Prison Break Re-
suits in d Deaths and 3 In
juries-Guards Alert.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, November 1.-Two
men were arrested today charged
with aiding the spectacular attempted
break from the old Tombs prison
yesterday in which four men were
killed and three injured.
They were Oscar Amberg and
Robert Warner of Brooklyn. Am
berg, the police said, is relative
of Hyman Amberg, alleged murderer.
who shot and killed himself when
escape from the high prison walls
became impossible.
The arrests were made at their
homes Just before dawn. The police
said they were suspected of being
implicated in smuggling weapons to
the prisoners who made their unv
successful dash for liberty.
Warner, who is "a years old. has
been arrested four times since 1925.
charged with larceny. robbery and
assault, but was discharged each
time, police records show. Amberg
has never been charged with crimes.
Police Claim Proof.
Police said they had positive proof
that the two men were implicated In
the attempted break They said
Warner visited the Tombs twice yes
terday, once with Mrs. Michael Nc
Kenna, wife of one Of the trio who
tried to shoot their way to freedom.
During the shooting, according to
police, Warner sat outside the prison
walls in an automobile with the en-
gine running. When 1t was evident
the attempt had failed, they said, he
drove away.
On his visit to the prison Warner
was said to have given the name of
Herman, Amberg. He talked with
Hyman Amberg for an hour the first
time and for 90 minutes the second
time. which was only about an hour
before the shooting began.
Yesterday morning, police said,
Oscar Amberg was seen riding in an
automobile with Warner and was be
lieyed to have been hanging around
the vicinity Of the prison during the
day.
Guards Watch Prison.
The old Tombs prison was under
a heavy guard of patrolmen armed
with rifles today. The dead are
Peter Mallon. warden; Jermiah
Murphy, guard: oliver Glantz,
alias Berg, alias Burke, a Chicago
gangster recently br0ught here to-
face a charge of robbery, and Hyman
Amberg. under indictment for muir
der in a jewelry store robbery.
The wounded are Daniel O'Connor,
guard: ]. Allen Steadwell, a spec
tator and Michael (Red McKenna,
a prisoner charged with murder In
connection with the robbery of the
Reid Ice Cream Co. McKenna was
said to he so badly wounded he
would probably die.
Three prisoners started the at
tempted break yesterday that threw
hundreds Of other prisoners into a
near panic and brought 800 police
men to battle with them in answer
to a riot call.
Police say there have been sew
eral attempts at Jail deliveries since
the Baumes law, providing for extra
heavy sentences for old offenders.
went into effect a few months ago.
hut this attempt was one Of the most
spectacular in the city's history.
The three reported sick and were
being taken to the prison physicians s
office when they rushed the main
gate of the prison with pistols OBJ
tanned from an unknown source.
They demanded the keys from Louis
Lorch, gatekeeper who disconnected
them for moment by walking to-
ward them, although he was un-
armed.
They fired a fusillade of bullets at
him. but missed and then ran into the
prison yard. shooting at Warden Nal.
lon when he appeared at his Office
door. Mallon was wounded then and
died later.
Laughs Before Suicide.
They took refuge behind a coal pile,
on the spot where a gallows stood be.
fore the electric chair was installed at
Sing Sing. There they stood off a
siege for half an hour that held spell
bound spectators who lined Office win.
dows and fire escapes overlooking the
prison yard.
Steadwell. an assistant superin-
tendent in the cards division of the
New York Life Insurance Co., was
wounded in the hand when a bullet
crashed through the window of his Of
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