The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-02-19

tress.
Among them was Pat McDer-
mott, the red-headed trigger
man who helped ambush and as
sassinate Don r. Mellet, crusad-
ing editor of the Canton Daily
News, two and a half years ago.
The others escaping we're:
William w. Young, So, Marietta,
serving life for his part in the mm-
der of Policeman William w. Boyd;
committed June %, 1925.
James A. Walton, %, Cuyahoga
Falls, serving ten to twenty-five
years for robbery; committed Dec.
%, 1927.
Mike Jacko, 10, Cleveland, serv-
ing life for first degree murder;
committed Sept q, 1927.
Joe Russo, %, Cleveland, serving
ten to twenty-five years for rob-
berry; committed Oct. II, 1926.
Seven other prisoners in the same
cells with the men refused to leave,
but one of them admitted he played
q jews harp while his fellow prison
erS cut through the cell door bars
with a hack saw.
Clerk Discovers Break
The break was discovered by &
prison clerk Fifteen minutes later
posses of prison guards and police,
organized under direction of War
den P. E. Thomas, started man
hunt which many fear may end in
death.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, as one Of
the most insolent killers ever COM
Victed-never will be captured alive,
in the opinion of prison officials.
The delivery was brought about
with inside help, Warden Thomas
declared. He said an investigation
revealed that two prison guards
j, B. IsaacS and Charles Schibley--
entrusted a convict plumber with
the key to the door Of the prison
ventilator Monday. 1t was through
this that the prisoners. made their
way to the penitentiary roof. The
door had been unlocked for tflem.
Two of the prisoners were con-
fined on tier three. 1t was here
that me convict with the iewsharp
played soft lullabys while his COM
panions sawed,
Saw Way Free
From tier three. the two prisoners
made their way to tier six, where
McDermott and two companions
we're. The latter three already had
sawed the cell doors and the five
then made their way to the door
of the ventilator.
Making their way through the
yentilator shaft, the convicts
climbed TO the roof, then walked
across the roof to a point above
Warden Thomas quarters. There
one Of them produced the. rope,
which had been fashioned from a
cell mattress, suspended it from a
iutting spike, and one by one they
slid TO the ground.
1t was dark. Three inches OF
snow coated the ground and snoV
was still falling, mufaing any
sounds the prisoners may have
made
Thomas believed McDermott en-
gineered the delivery. sMcDermott
has conducted a tenacious battle for
freedom, but the state board Of
clemency repeatedly has turned him
down.
Considered Dangerous
He was considered one of the most
dangerous prisoners in the peniten-
tiary. Two guards and the prison.
er plumber will be subjected to In
tensive questioning Thomas said
the guards would be dismissed.
Thomas said the two guards had
not satisfactorily explained their
whereabouts while the delivery was
under way. The prisoners supposed
~ were counted as usual at q. m,
but none was reported missing.
McDermott was convicted In De-
cember, 1925, and was sentenced TO
life.
Although he was known 10 be the
key man" in the Mellett assassina-
ton, he stood trial and received
sentence without word. The state
had offered him leniency and
friends and relatives implored him
to confess.
McDermott surrendered at his
home in Nanty Clio, Pa, through
his brother.
He was alleged TO- have been one
of the gunner hired by Ben Bud
ner. son of millionaire junk dealer
and a powerful force in the Canton
underworld. to slay Mellett, who was
conducting an anti-vice crusade Ia