Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 February 1912 — FLEES FROM PRISON [ARTICLE]

FLEES FROM PRISON

Convict, Who Escaped, Tells How He Did It Prisoner at Sing Sing Used Iron Bars and Blankets Walked Only Three Miles When Police Chief Nabbed Him. Ossining.—Francesco Doliano, a convict serving an indeterminate sentence of from two years and six months to five years for assault in the second degree, escaped from Sing Sing prison at about two o’clock in the morning and. was captured Und brought back after eleven hours of freedom. He has served one year and three months of his sentence. The escape was not discovered until the officers made their morning count at 7:30. Keeper Murphy then discovered that the cell was vacant, and a hole in the roof told the story of the escape. The whistle was blown and Warden Kennedy had a description of the prisoner telephoned to all the neighboring police stations. About 12:40 in the afternoon Doliano was captured at Briarcliff by Chief of Police Keator of that village. Doliano made no resistance and was brought back to the prison. After wandering about for eleven hours Doliano was only three miles from the prison. He was* on the state road, headed for New York. He was familiar with the village, having been employed for two years on the estate of David Rousseau, owner of the Rousseau Electrical works at Ossining. When questioned as to the manner of his escape Doliano said that he had secured two pointed iron bars from the foundry of the prison, where he was assigned to work. With these he removed a stone from the roof of his cell, on the top tier, and taking his blanket and the two Iron bars he drew himself through the aperture into the space above. This was at 10:30 o’clock on Friday evening. Using the same tools, he made a hole through the roof of the building and found himself in the open air. Near the edge of the roof he found footing on a beam to which the telephone wires leading to the building were attached. He broke off several of

these wires ahd twisted his blanket and the wires lnto a cord and then lowered himself half way down, from which point he descended to the ground by means of the window bars. The jobs must have been finished between 1:15 a. m. and 7:15 a. m., because the telephone wires were used at 1:15 a. m. and at 7:15 a. m., when the operator called up the guard post to which they lead he could not get connection. When captured Doliano was dressed in convict garb with the exception of hi? cap • and gloves, but he had covered the telltale buttons of his prison suit with black cloth. He is a powerfully built man, five feet nine inches tall and weighs about 170 pounds. The hole in the roof seemed hardly large enough for a ' child to get through. His hands were torn and bleeding. Doliano’s punishment will probably be a forfeiture of the short time allowed for good behavior.