The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-04-14
John Hartye, Prison Guard, Was Shot Dead
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Charles McGale, AZ, sentenced Jan. 13, 1886, to 15 years for robbery.
 The prison had been considered virtually escape-proof. It was cells for 2,7l8 inmates and has housed as many as 2,800 in recent months.
 The three convicts were on the third floor of the hospital build irg. The two patients" sprang from their beds fully dressed, joined by Waters, each armed with revolver. They shot John Hartye, a guard, through the back, killing him in- stantly, and ran downstairs to the ground floor, where they encounter cd another guard and another in- mate nurse. They roughed up these two, took them to the basement, handcuffed them and locked them in the hospital steam tunnel.
 Policeman Goes Down
 About quarters of 8 mile from the prison, the fugitives were halted by Patrolmen James Pagan, 36, and William Nelson. There was fight and Water and Pagan were killed.
 The two surviving corvicts fled to the dock at the foot of main street and held up Charles Rohr, fisher man. They made him row them across the river to Rockland Lake, on the west bank, midway between Nyack and Haverstraw. Rohr was released without injury.
 Meanwhile, Ossining police found a machine gun in an automobile parked at the railway station and other policemen picked up two men for questioning in the business sec- ton of the town Police said the two suspects had criminal records, and that they might be implicated In the prison break.
 Police believed the break may have been engineered by outside members of the Consolidated Edison hold-up gang.
 The guard locked up in the steam tunnel was Matteo D'Simone. One of the three fugitives suggested that they kill D'Simone, but another objected: No, we've shot one al- ready. We're getting out of here. Never mind shooting anyone else" It was agreed then to lock up psi none and the inmate nurse so they could not sound an alarm.
 Only Two On Guard D'Simone and Hartye were the only guards on duty in the third floor of the hospital at the time of the break. There is a rule requir- ing the switchboard operator in the main office to communicate with the hospital, to ascertain if all is well, If the guards do not report by tele- phone every half hour. When no re- port came at the appointed time the operator called the hospital. failed to get an answer, and summoned Maynard Darrow, sergeant of the guard, who went to investigate.
 Darrow found Hartye on the floor dead, and the others missing. He awakened Warden Lewis E. Lawes and notified Ossining police.
 An investigation disclosed that the fugitives had obtained possess sion of keys to all three doors Of a narrow service tunnel running from the hospital, underground to the main lines of the New York Central Railroad which is in a deep cut be- yond the prison fence.
 Fisherman Held Up
 Rohr, the fisherman, said he was packing his catch on the dock, pre- paratory to starting for the Fulton Fish Market in New York City as usual, when he heard shots in the distance.
 Tt seemed only about two min- utes later that I saw two guns stick ing in my stomach" he said. "One of the two men said, we just shot cop; let's get going I pointed and said, there's my boat; take It. one of the men nudged me with a gun and said, get in there and row.
 T rowed them through the dark ness for an hour. sat in the bow and while I was rowing the three and @ half miles across, one of the men sat amidships and one sat on the stern seat. They kept guns aim ed at me all the time, and they whispered to each other.
 "When we got to the other side, in the rocks just north of Rockland Lake, they started talking about killing me. I told them that every body knew me in this vicinity and knew my boat and that they were sure to get caught if they killed me. They finally decided not to, and let me row back. feel pretty nervous" The rain prevented the use or bloodhounds in the hunt for them, which was joined by large force of state troopers. The fugitives were wearing the white shirts and grey trousers of their prison uniform.
 The tunnel through which the convicts escaped carries steam pipes, electric cables and other service equipment.
 They proceeded uptown, along the railway tracks until they met the two policemen. Patrolman Fa- gan was shot in the heart and Wa ter was shot in the head by Patrol man Nelson.
 Later this morning 24 prison guards armed with rifles were sent across the river to join local and state police and sheriff's deputies in the Inan-hunt.
 Meanwhile. fourth fatality was attributed by LaweS to the break McGovern Miller. 36. of New Ro-