STILL AT LARGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 215, 11 September 1925, Page 5

STILL AT LARGE.

■ BRASTING AND O'BRIEN. | HOW THE THREE ESCAPED. " A HACK SAW OBLIGATO. Brasting and O'Brien, who, together . with Hansen, made a daring escape from , . the cells at the police station on Wednesday night, after cutting through one of the thick iron bars, are still enjoying . their liberty. The man responsible for the early , recapture of Hansen was Detective Sutherland, who discovered his quarry , enjoying a meal at a piecart in Quay ' Street just opposite the Ferry Buildings. The police did not take any fur- ',• ther risks with Hansen, who was . promptly consigned to Mount Eden prison, a place from which he will find escape a little more difficult. The incident of Wednesday night's escape from the police lock-up, although ; serious, for all three men have been '. described as criminals of a bad type, : also had its amusing side. A number of ' people who happened .to be in the ! vicinity of the police station listened to the efforts of the vocalist of the trio j < behind the grilled corridor. Those who i were walking down OTtorkc Street were i attracted by a resonant voice singing the well-known ballad "Thora," and at the , time they were under the impression , that a member of the force was "guilty" of the performance. It is not j an unusual performance for a drunk to ] lift his voice in song while in the lock- ' up, but none of the concerts have lasted ' as long as that which was given on Wednesday night. "Thora" was ; sung ( ; over and over again for nearly two ,' ; hours. Evidently during the progress ' of this one-song concert a confederate < \ had run up the motor drive leading from { ; O'Rorke Street to drop a welcome hack | saw into the cell corridor. It seems , \ fairly certain that while the song was j 1 being sung the saw was being drawn to j and fro across the stout iron bar, but ; not as an obligato to the vocal solo. The ) towel that is provided for prisoners' use j ' was hung up after the iron bar had > been sawn through. The towel was ■ "just drying," so far as the police were , 1 concerned, but to the three men it , ' served its purpose by hiding the missing - bar. Brasting, Hansen and O'Brien selected , the best time to make good their escape, i Having been in the police lock-up ever . 1 since their arrest, they well knew that j the watchhouse-keeper would pay his 1 usual visit of inspection at 10 p.m. They also knew that the room just opposite ' the grilled corridor would he vacated by '. • the detectives at 10 p.m., when they go oil duty. It would have been an impossible task to squeeze through the 9 hy • 18-inch aperture in the iron bars while • the detectives were seated at their desks ' right opposite. - Quite a number of persons well acquainted with crinie and criminals have I expressed the opinion that reticence on t the part of the Inspector of Police in the I present case was unfortunate. They are of opinion that it would have assisted the police if the names and descriptions of the three men had been immediately handed to the Press for broadcasting.