Evening star., 1952-06-22
n Of 300 Fugitives
From Brazil Prison
Retaken in Gun Fight
BY the Associotsd Press

dIulcO COuVlCLS WHO escaped III
stolen boats from their island
prison after killing is guards and
civilian employees.
The prison doctor and a radio
operator died of wounds later.
Among the captured was the no
torious criminal, the Blond Dev-
H." q leader in the break from
Anchieta Island yesterday. One
convict was killed and another
wounded in the battle near the
coastal town of Ubatuba.
Late tonight the Secretary fol-
Public Security in Sac Paulo' an
nounced order had been restored
on the embattled island after
Army Col. Benedito Hidalgo ac-
cepted the surrender of the re-
mainder of the fugitives hidden in
the woods near the prison.
Authorities identified the Blond
Devil" as Samuel Freire. serving
"a years for murder and robbery.
The prisoners, about three
fourths of the islands prison pop
ulation Of 400. overpowered theil
guards, seized machine guns ano
rifles from a depot, and dashed fol
the mainland three-tenths of q
mile away. There they landed and
struck terror in the small towns OF
Ubatuba, Sac Vicente and Cara
guatuba, about 100 miles south
Of this Brazilian state capital.
Called for Reinforcements.
Federal troops, air force planes
and navy boats were rushed to the
area. The police chief at Caragua-
tuba reported his men had claSheo
with one band of convicts ano
called for reinforcements.
The biggest group of prisoners
about 200. was reported fleeing
toward Parati northward from
Ubatuba, a small port town o1
l 900. Air force planes tried tc
track them.
The prison revolt started shortly
after noon yesterday among 7(
prisoners cutting firewood. They
suddenly overpowered five armed
guards. Taking the guards guns
the wildly yelling convicts stormed
the prison gun depot. There they
grabbed six light and four heavy
Imachineguns and 60 rifles as well
las twenty thousand rounds of am
|munition.
Director Locked Up.
Thus equipped. the convicts
quickly overcame the remainder
of the islands garrison of 40 men
and freed all prisoners who wanted
to make the break. The prisons
director. Sadi Ferreira, and the
chief Of guards, 1t. OSwaldo Silva
were locked up.
Ubatuba's police chief, Dangler
Guimaraes. said troops which were
rushed to Anchieta today to re-
store order found the bodies of ten
military and five civilian employees
in the prison compound and in
some building partly burned. The
prisons doctor and a radio opera
tor died Of wounds today.
Not all the convicts Joined the
revolt. Guilherme Melo of the Sac
Paulo State Security Office said
go prisoners helped the guards in
battling the rebels.
Mr.. Melo said the exact number
who fled the island was not yet
known. But he believed not quite
300 got away, although more than
that took part in the revolt. First
reports said 400 left the island.
Wounded Guard Swims to Port
A guard wounded in the arm
swan the three -tenths of a mile
from Anchieta to Ubatuba and
gave the alarm while the fighting
between convicts and prison guard;
was still raging. That warning
gave Ubatuba police time to pre-
pare defenses and keep the
dangerous criminals from landing
directly in the small port.
Instead, the boats carrying the
prisoners were forced to Swinf
away and land on q beach neal
the town. There Chief Guimarae.
and his men ran into a group o1
convicts and killed one and injured
another in gun battle before the
% convicts. including the "Blonc
Devil" were arrested.
The Blond Devil" is well known
and feared by Brazilian police
Three times before he has escaped
from different prisons. He recently
was transferred to Anchieta Island
from the penitentiary in Rio de
Janeiro.
Wives and Children Shared.