Boys Saw Leap From Wall

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29932, 20 September 1962, Page 14

Boys Saw Leap From Wall

Overlooked by sentries but watched by two schoolboys. La Mattina scaled the wall of Mount Eden prison. He was recaptured an hour later, hobbling with a badly hurt foot, after riding in an Auckland Transport bus with other passengers from Khyber Pass road to Symonds street. He did not resist arrest after this third prison escape since his death sentence in December. 1957, was commuted to life imprisonment. At 8.35 a.m. La Mattina scaled the wall of the prison only about 100 feet from an armed guard in a tower of the west wall. Two schoolboys from St. Peter’s College saw the prisoner dangling from the wall by his finger tips, then drop 20 feet to the ground. Crawled Down Bank William Haagh, aged 13, and Adrian Anderson, aged 12, watched La Mattina roll over in pain. “He crouched by the wall then crawled across the open ground, down a bank and across the railway line then up on to the kerb oL Boston road,” said William. “He then limped across the road and sat down outside the garage and took off his shoe and massaged his ankle. “He was mumbling to himself all the time and waving to us and other boys to keep back from him.” he said “We knew he must be a prisone: by his clothes and the number on his shirt but, gee. we didn’t know it was La Mattina," said Adrian. "A bloke from the garage came out and asked La Mattina wa was the matter. He pointed to his ankle and just then the telephone went and the man went back inside the garage. Tried Car Door

“Le Matina then dragged himself across the road and tried the door of a ear parked there. It was locked and he sat down on the footpath and took off his boot to look at his ankle. "Then he started to make his way up the street and we lost sight of him." The boys told a master of their school of the incident and be telephoned the police. La Mattina hobbled on to Khyber Pass and there flagged down an Auckland transport bus. He was about 150 yards from the stop, but the driver stopped. He got on to the bus, paying for his fare. The bus was carrying passengers, but nobody took par-

ticular notice of La Mattina, who must have got off the bus again in Symonds street. From there he hobbled over to the Orange Dance Hall in Newton road where he was caught. “Last Time” To the detectives, he muttered something like. “This is the last time ” La Mattina was carrying about Bs. his razor, and a pair of dark sunglasses and their case The prison superintendent (Mr H V Haywood) said that a full investigation of the escape is being made He believed the escape was planned rather than haphazard, said Mr Haywood who suspected La Mattina had been given help in his escape Mr Haywood said the prisoners were paraded in the penal yard at 8 a m They were sorted into work parties and then a call was made for sick parade La Mattina fell

out and joined the sick parade of about 70 men. The work parties were then marched out and after them the sick paraders who went into a part of the north wing. La Mattina should have been in that parade but it was not known whether he was Mr Hayward said there was a sentry on the tower overlooking the parade yard and there was a security officer—always a senior man—to see the yard was clear before the sentry came down The usual routine was followed The security officer gave the all-clear signal at 8 15 a m and the sentry came down The yard must have been empty at that time Mr Haywood said it was not known who was missing until a check was made after I thi report th t someone had gone over the wall Search For Rope The prison was being thoroughly searched this afternoon for the rope La Mattina I claimed to have used and efforts were being made to track down his accomplices Superintendent Haywood said La Mattina was not being kept in the prison infirmary He was in “a very tight cell,” and might be incapacitated tor a week to a fortnight Eventually, he would be charged with escaping La Mattina has tried to escape three times since ne was sentenced to death on December 2. 1957 for the murder of Wellington Garibaldi Club caretaker Angelo Ordorico the previous September Each time he has told police he will escape again, that he hates gaols and “unfair” New Zealand laws, and that he wants to see his sick Italian mother again His death sentence was commuted to one of life imprisonment three weeks later, and he was brought from Wellington to the Auckland prison Eight-Day Search He was first found missing after a sick parade on April 11. 1960 After an eight-day nationwide search he was found crouched in a hole under the iron roof of the prison. His second bid was made with a cell mate, convicted car converter and burglar. Eaward William Tell, aged 24, in the early hours of April 2 this year He and Tell forced open their cell window, cut the bars with a serrated knife, squeezed through it to a glassstudded internal wall which was floodlit, and from there crawled to an outside wall anJ jumped down to the road. This time his freedom lasted for two days. i