Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-07-17
THREE BAD men
Will PAY WITH.
LIVES AT JOLIET

JOLIET, ILL.,, July 16. (P--Roberto
Torrez, Walter Stalesky and Charles
Duckowski, three OF Illinois most
desperate criminals, were left of seven
who slew Peter Klein, deputy warden,
and escaped from the new "break-
proof" state penitentiary at Statevill,
near here, on May S, 1926.
They were recaptured only to par
ticipate in two more daring attempts
to escape. Torrez was Mexican,
Stalesky and Duchowski, Americans.
In the first break, James Price
made good his bid for freedom and
is still at large. With the three fl
nally doomed to hang three others
Bernardo Roa and Gregorio Rizo,a
Mexicans, and Charles Shader. Ameri-l
can, and youngest OF the lot--Were
recaptured quickly and sentenced TO
death.
The case of the six was pending
before the state supreme court when
on March IL, last, the three MeXl-
cans sawed their way out of their
cells and shot their path to liberty.
Roa, gigantic man, got clear de-
spite iameness from some of 21 bull
let wounds inflicted in his recapture
after his first escape. Rizo and Tor
reg. the latter wounded, we're retaken
on the outskirts of Chicago after
they had shot two policemen.
Special guards were assigned, but
four of the five remaining convicts
again tried for liberty a month ago,
while their case was still pending
before the supreme court. Stalesky
and Duchowski got no farther than
the Jail yard, where in fight CEN
tering about the scaffold built for
their execution, they were recaptured.
Shader, triple slayer at q, escaped.
RHO was killed with bullet fired by
policeman from the very galloWs
upon which he was to have been
hanged Torrez refused to try 1or
liberty in that break.
A few days ago the supreme court
affirmed the conviction OF the three
survivors.
It is not established that May 5
was decided upon for the first prison
break for any other reason than that
plans were matured on that date.
But that, nevertheless, is the "Cinco
de Mayo,' one of Mexico's most popu-
lar military holidays. Likewise July
Is is another that stands out in
Mexico's history for upon July Is,
1867, Benito Juarez re-entered the
capital after the execution OF En-
peror Macmillan, heralding the rise
of the new republic.
For sheer audacity the original
break from the Stateville prison is
1lnparalleled in Illinois. The seven
conyicts made their way to the office
of Deputy Warden Klein and beat ana
stabbed him to death. A guard cap
tain, slashed across the hand, was
forced to march at the head OF the
seven convicts for a quarter OF a
mile across the prison enclosure ana
out the big gates as II they were
members of an outside working parry.
Then the captain was forced TO
telephone for his automobile, and IN
II the convictS escaped, taking the
cantain along. They chained him to
a tree and continued across country
until their automobile skidded into
ditch. It was nearly two hours be-
fore the Staying of Klein was dlscov-
cred and an alarm sounded Mean
while the conyicts fled far, commit
ting new depredations to obtain ire
arms and clothing.
Two were recaptured the same
night, two the next morning, and
Shader a few days later. Duchowski
got to Mexico, but was lured back
across the international line and re-
arrested.
At the time of his first escape,
Stalesky was eligible for parole. All
the others faced long prison terms
for robbery or murder.