GAOL BREAK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 234, 2 October 1940, Page 9

GAOL BREAK.

FOUR MEN ESCAPE.

WARDERS ATTACKED.

ONE IN GRAVE CONDITION.

In the most daring prison break ever staged at the Auckland gaol, four prisoners, including a murderer, after a brutal assault on warders, gained their freedom at 6.10 last evening. A fifth prisoner was captured by a warder before getting clear of the prison environs.

The fracas which preceded the escape resulted in injuries to four warders, three of whom were admitted to the Auckland Hospital. The condition of one is extremely grave. The other two are progressing satisfactorily.

The four criminals are still at large. They were last seen in a motor car which they converted to their use, coasting down the incline from Seccombes Road, to Crowhurst Street, Newmarket. Unable to start the car because the ignition key was not in the switch, the escapees hurriedly left the vehicle. Since then no trace has been found of them. Throughout the night over fifty detectives and constables combed the city and suburbs in search of the fugitives, while police officers in every part of the province watched main roads and bridges, and stopped ana examinee every car.

The Injured Warders.

The warders injured were:—

Mr. Joseph Graydon Crawford, aged 62, married, of 5, Orakau Road, Epsom, a fractured skull. He has not yet regained consciousness and his condition is very grave.

Mr. Joseph Wenzl Scholium, aged 32, married, of 29, Carlton Gore Road, slight concussion and scalp wounds. His condition is not serious. Mr. Arthur Burgess, aged 43, married, of 57, Boston Road, Grafton, laceration of the scalp. Condition satisfactory. ; ~ '■ ~. , .„„ , Mr. James Carson, of No. 2 Cottage, Prison Reserve, Mount Eden, injury to the shoulder, and was able to proceed to Mβ home after receiving attention. De.sription of Criminals. The following particulars of the four criminals who escaped were supplied by the police :— Randall Reginal David Smith, aged 27, labourer, serving a life sentence for murder, is 6ft ljin in height, has a fresh complexion, light brown hair, blue eyes.

David Fraser Watson, aged 21, seaman and labourer, sentenced in September of last year to 18 months' reformative detention for arson. He is sft lOiin high, has a sallow, freckled complexion, black hair and brown eyes. Bryan ' James O'Hehir, aged 23, sft lOin high, fresh complexion, brown hair, brown eyes, has the tip off his left forefinger, warts on the back of the left hand. He was serving 18 months' reformative detention on nine charges of burglary, and was to serve a further year for escaping from custody in Christchurch in August last. John Henry Silva is sft lOJin high, has a dark complexion, black hair, brown eyes. He was sentenced in Christchurch in October, 1939, to two years for breaking, entering and theft. He is 25 years of age, and a labourer and butcher by occupation. Escape Well Planned.

The escape was apparently carefully planned, and the five criminals acted in concert. Shortly after six o'clock several prisoners were released from their cells by Mr. Burgess for the purpose of attending a physical training lecture, when he was set upon and knocked unconscious. Mr. Burgess was allegedly thrown into an empty cell and left on the floor. His keys were taken from him and the door locked. It is alleged that Warders Crawford and Scholium, on going to the assistance of Warder Burgess, were attacked in the, corridor and struck with either a hammer or a length of lead piping, for such weapons/were found in a sack by a fourth warder. Mr. Crawford was knocked unconscious by blows which hie received on the head, the bloodstains on the cell doors\and on the floor' of the corridor indicating, that a tremendous: struggle had taken place between wardere and prisoners.

Warder Scholium wae also thrown into a cell and the door locked on him. Other w ar ders coming on the scene attended to their injured colleague* and began a search for the prisoners, who were nowhere to be seen. Iron ■ grille doore communicating with other parts of the prison were found open. There was no sign of the keys, but against one.' wall'in the yard was a tall, ladder, up which the five prisoners had scrambled to gain the outside. Mr. Carson, one of the wardere who gave chase, inter-, cepted one of the prisoners, and after; a struggle succeeded in overpowering him and taking him back to the prison.

The other four prisoners quickly gained Mountain Road and went into Seccombes Road, where they entered a motor car owned by Mr;. Frank Lavin, released the brakes and coasted down hill into Crowhurst. Street, about a quarter of a mile away from the prison. Unable to start the car on the flat, they quickly left it and disappeared. The owner of the car, Mr. Lavin, of Wellington, was having dinner with some friends in Seccombes Road, and parked hie .ear outside tie house. '".While- •*» wem 9* dinnw * s°***

'came to the door and aeked if the car* belonged to anyone in the houee," said Mr. Lavin to-day. "When I told her it was my car, she said: 'Well, it has just disappeared with four prisoners in it. , lat once organised a search party from several other men in the house and set off to try and find the prisoners, telling my host and hostess to telephone the prison and the police. We could find no trace of the prisoners, so I went to the Newmarket police and reported the matter to Constable Foster, who acted with promptitude. He recovered my car within six minutes and quickly organised a hunt in streets and alleyways for the escapees."

The prison surgeon, Dr. C. H. Tewsley, was summoned to the gaol and he attended the injured warders, stitching head wounds on two of the officials before all were sent to the Auckland Hospital in a St. John ambulance. Widespread Search. Within a few .minutes of the first report, fast police cars, packed with detectives and constables, were dispatched to various points where it was thought the fugitives might be found. One car speeded along the Main South Road.

Meanwhile all police stations in the North Island were advised of the escape by telephone and given the names of the prisoners at large and instructions for main roads and bridges to be carefully watched. The widespread search for the four fugitives was quickly organised by Superintendent J. Cummings and SubInspector S. G. Hall, in charge of the detective staff. Every available detective and constable was brought on duty and stationed at various points in the city .and suburbs. Throughout the night they cruised about in police cars in the country, the city and the suburbs. Theft in Parnell.

No motor car has so far been reported stolen. Only one theft is reported — from the washhouse at the rear of Mrs. West's house in Ayr Street, Parnell. During the night a man's raincoat, a pair of socks, a tomahawk and a woman's cardigan were taken, the theft being discovered at 6.45 this morning. Detectives inquired into the theft this morning, but it is impossible to state that the theft was committed by any of the escapees. Arundel Murderer. Smith, one of the escaped prisoners, was sentenced to death at Timaru on February 4, 1938, having been found guilty of th© murder of Mr.- William Gaby, an elderly storekeeper, at Arundel, Canterbury. However, the sentence was commuted to one of life imprisonment.