New Britain herald., 1930-01-21
DEPUTY. WARDEN BELIEVED PRISON
 PLOT ONLY JOKE
Continued From First pagc)

Continued From First paGc) the prison, two hacksaw blades.
 The officer inquired what the saws were for. The inmate said they were for Lalone to make his escape with; that if Lalone could get out he would be able to get papers that would prove this inmates inno- cence and he would go out a free man. The officer informed him that he was a very foolish man to un- dertake such a desperate thing.
 Never Told New Warden
 "The officer informed me that on the following morning he reported in detail the entire attempt 10 bribe to Mr. George Patterson. the acting warden. Mr. Patterson was acting warden during the last ill- ness of the late IT, K. w. Scott and continued 10 serve in that capacity until November %, 1929, tho date of the appointment Of Charles S. Reed as warden, by the board Of VI that he had heard nothing from this report, that the acting warden. Mr. Patterson. never talked to him regarding said report from that date, November 4, 1929. until after the escape of these three men on Saturday morning, January 4, 1880 exactly two months from the date l,ot att ,,tr t,ri ported to Acting Warden Patterson.
 This officer informed me that tho night after the escape he went to Chaplain Grady and told him tho whole story. The chaplain advised him to sec the warden. Before see ing the warden he told two other officers of the attempted bribc. The next morning I heard of this at tempt to smuggle hacksaw blades into the prison and sent for this Of fccr. He informed me in detail of the whole transaction as above re- lated. I interviewed Chaplain Grady and he informed me that this officer had come to him and told him thc entire story.
 Others Heard Of Plot
 "I also interviewed the two other officers and they informed me that this officer had been told hy them Of this attempted bribc the night after the escape, January 4. l called MT. Patterson. who, when this at | tempt to bribe was made was acting warden Of the prison, into my office and told him what I had just heard | regarding this attempted bribery Of an officer and the smuggling of two hacksaw blades into the prison. He, | MT. Patterson. informed me that the | officer had told him on November 1, 1929, while he was acting warden, that an inmate had approached the i officer with an offer Of $2.500 in cash, if he, the officer, would bring | in to him, the inmate, two hacksaW blades.
 "I asked Mir. Patterson whether or not he had reported this attempt cd bribe to any other officer or 10 any member of the board of direc- tors and he said he had not. l quote from his statement: From the way it came to me at the time 1t did not seem to require any alarming ac- ton being taken
 Considered It All In Fun
 'I asked Mir. Patterson if he did not think this was most alarming attempt to smuggle hacksaws into the prison and an attempt to bribe an officer, and he replied: I did not consider the matter important enough to be drastic, believing the remark of the inmate to the officer as being a wise retort. l did have the inmates cell searched and made inquiries of officers as to what were his habits
 II asked Mr. Patterson why. in matter of such importance, he should not have gone to the deputy and other officers and the boa1"l of directors with this whole affair; that it seemed to me incredib'n that such a serious matter could have been passed over so lightly. He replied: I thought it was only a joke
 The kitchen officer informed me that he had gone to Patterson while he was deputy and asked that Lalone and Moulthrope be moved from the kitchen where they had been assigned: that the officer ! did not like their actions and that he was suspicious of them. Later Lalonc was taken out of the kitch- cn and put to work in the bakery. an adjoining room from which he and the two other men escaped,
 "i.alonc was received at the prs- on on October 19, 1928 and assign ed to the work in the kitchen on December II, 1928. He was serv- ing life sentence.
 "MouIthrope was received at the prison May 17, 1929. and assigned to work in the kitchen September 12, 1929. He was serving a sentence Of IS to 25 years.
 "I have made diligent inquiry from the assistant deputy and other officers whether or not they had ever heard even a rumor of this at tempt 10 smugglc hacksaws into the prison and bribe an officer and they all have told me that they have not.
 Having these facts, MT. Patter- son was permitted to resign as deputy warden.