The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-04-14

Tn making tnelT predk, oHol tiJ after 2 a. m, Riordan and McGal' killed a prison guard, John Hartye and an Ossining policeman, Jame Pagan. Their companion in the sen sational escape, John Waters, 50 was killed in the fight in whict Pagan was shot to death.
 Police Lieut.. Frank D. Carlson O Ossining. who crossed the river witl other officers to take up the chase telephoned the report of the capture to headquarters here.
 Caught by State Police
 Riordan and McGale were cap tured by state police near Rccklane lake, not far from Route 9-W, ( main highway to Albany. They wert placed aboard coast guard boat fol the return to prison.
 Riordan, McGale, and Waters hae shot their way out oi the prison hos. pital where one was an inmate at. tendant and the others patients feigning illness.
 Two bloodfounds from the Haw- thorne state police barracks put of- ficers on the trail of Riordan and McGale. The fugitives had sought sanctuary in patch of woods on a rocky hillside rising from the Hud- son in the Palisades Interstate park area about two miles south Of Hav- erstraw, N. Y.
 The hounds picked up their trail on the shore and about 50 state pc lice, OIining officers, and park po- lice closed in.
 While police were scrambling ur the rocks, Riordan and McGale emerged from the woods with theii hands up. They were seized, and state troopers signaled coast guard cutter on the river to put in to shore.
 The boat docked at @ park steari- boat landing and the convicts were put aboard and returned to Ossin- ing.
 After killing Hartye and locking up another guard and nurse, they fled through a narrow service tunnel which runs from the hospital base- ment to railway gorge beyond the 115-year old prisons walls.
 Fleeing through Ossining, they efl. countered Pagan and Patrolmar William Nelson. Pagan was killed but Nelson shot and killed Waters, 6 Manhattan robber servn'g l5 to 3t years for participation in the $l0,- 227 holdup Of the Consolidated Edi- son company in New York two years ago.
 Escaped Take to River
 While Nelson ran to telephone for help, McGale and Riordan fled to the river bank and forced Charles Rohr to row them across to the west side. Ossinging police, prison guards and state troopers were in1- mediately rushed across the stream In pursuit.
 Evidence indicated that the es- cape, first major break since War den F. Lawes took charge of the prison in 1920, was effected with inside help and had been long and carefully planned.
 Police believed Waters accom- plices in the Consolidated Edison holdup may have helped. Police Chief Spencer Purdy of Ossining said two men had been picked up in Ossining and held for question ing. They were William Wade, 32, of Manhattan, held for 10 months in connection with the Consolidated Edison robbery and released. and Edward Kiernan, 8. of Manhattan, who was released from Sing Sing In May 1940, after serving 10 years for burglary.
 All three had guns and they had keys to all three doors in the tur- nel, which carries steam pipe and electric cables from the New York Central Railway right-of-way to the prison.
 Break At BOO A. M.
 The break occurred shortly after 200 a. m, while Warden Lewis E. Lawes, who has ruled the prison 2l years, and most of the other ir- mates, including Richard Whitney, embedding former president of the New York Stock Exchange, and Fritz Kuhn, embedding former leader Of the German American Bund, were asleep
 The three who broke were serving IS years or more for robberies. Their feat was similar in some re- spects to that of James Pallister and Frank Roehl, who broke out of the Sing Sing death house in a rain storm and crossed the Hudson river in a rowboat in 1893. Their bodies were found floating in the river 10 days later. Each was shot through the head and their slay- ings never were solved. The two survivors of today's break escaped across the Hudson in a rowboat during a rain storm.
 Killed Bandit Led Break
 The break was believed to have been led by Bandit John Waters, 30, New York, sentenced on Feb. 27, l940 to 15 to 30 years for com- plicity in the $10,227 hold up of three tellers of the Consolidated Edison Company. Waters was the inmate attendant in the hospital He was killed in the fight with two policemen in the street.
 The other fugitives were Joseph Riordon, 24. New York. another bandit, imprisoned Feb. 28, i04Q foi IS to 90 years for robbery. and