New Britain herald., 1928-02-22
BERSIG IDENTIFIED BY POLICE AS AN
 ESCAPED CONVICT
Fineaprins Prove Mn Shot in Hartford Came From Prison
 lt Thomiston, Nc.
BROKE AWAY IN JUNE,
 1925, WITH THREE OTHERS

lJSmt Nonho W Dtcpncu HOp"
 Was Serving Eight Year Sentence
 for Breaking and EntoFing-Man
 Thought Responsible for 1heatef
 Breaks in Connecticut Stiu in
 Serious Condition.
 Hartford, Feb. c2 R-George F. Bersig. 27. now in a critical condi- tion at St. Francis hospital where he was taken Monday morning after he was shot by Policeman Daniel Hurley when he attempted to escape after being placed under arrest, was identified today by Thomas F. Sulli- van. fingerprint expert of the local police department as Stephen Hoppe, an escaped convict from the Maine state prison at Thomaston.
 Robbed Theaters.
 Bersig, who is believed by the police to be the man responsible for the Palace theater robbery in Nor wich on Sunday night, was arrested in 8 store on Front street. Monday morning. Policeman Hurley's atten- ton was attracted to an automobile parked by the curb and upon inves- tisation he found several rolls of money in the tonneau in bags bear ing the mark of the Norwich thea ter. He sought the owner of the car and placed him under arrest. Bersig broke away but was unable to make good his escape for a bull let from Hurley's pistol brought him down.
 The shot lodged In his right lung.
 Under the direction of Captain Frank santoro, head of the detec- tive bureau. efforts were started immediately to identify Bersig and this morning MT. Sullivan reported that Bersig was Stephen Hoppe. who escaped, in the company of three other convicts from the Maine peni- tentiary on June IS. 1925. He was sentenced from Somerset county on February 3. 1925 on charge of breaking and entering and larceny to a snaxinum of eight and mlmi- mum of four years and on another charge on the same date of breaking and entering and larceny to 8 maxi- mum of six and a minimum of four years.
 $500 Reward.
 There is a $500 reward in Mains for the capture of Hoppe. Exam ination at the hospital disclosed tha, Bersig had been shot on some pre- vious occasion in the leg. Hoppe is also wanted in Vermont and in Quincy, Mass. A reward of 31,600 ia offered for his capture by that city. He is also wanted in Worcester Mass. for burglary.
 The Hartford police are working on the theory that Bersig may be the man who committed series oi robberies in the automobile estab' lishments along the East Hartford Boulevard during the winter.
 Detective Sergeant Patrick J sheren with Detectives Thomal Hickey and Philip J. Dooley. yester. day arrested Frank T. Hickey. 1s of 727 Asylum avenue on a charge of passing a fraudulent check and obtaining money under false pre-. tenses. The youth was at one time manager of store on New Britain avenue owned by Bersig, but claim ed to know nothing of his employ. CTS affairs.
 In the police court today Hickey'' case was continued to March un der bonds of $500.
 Montpelier, Vt, Feb. 22 R-- Stephen Hoppe. arrested as "Georg' F. Bersig" in Hartford. Conn.,. after he had been shot while running away from a policeman. is wanted in Vermont on charge of breaking out of states prison about veal ago. He had been sentenced aftel conviction for robbery in Proctors vile, where a store was broken into Hoppe was wounded when he wal captured at that time.
 In escaping from the Vernon prison he scaled the walls of the in stitution. He was traced for som' distance before the trail was lost.