WELL-PLANNED ESCAPE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19582, 11 September 1925, Page 8

WELL-PLANNED ESCAPE.

TWO PRISONERS AT LARGE. HACK SAW USED TO CUT BAR. (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, September 10. Enterprise and cool daring enabled three prisoners to escape late last night from the detention cells at tho City Police Station where they had been placed pending their removal to Mount Eden Gaol. A tuneful voice and a hack saw played important parts In the episode. The three men —Ernest John Brasting, aged 28, Gustav Henry Hausen, aged 24, and James Harold O’Brien, aged 2D—were convicted yesterday on charges of unlawfully converting motor cars to their own use and of being found in possession of explosives without lawful excuse. Hansen was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, O’Brien to 9 months, and Brasting to fi months. They were also committed for trial in connection a number of charges of breaking, entering, and theft. Although described by the magistrate as criminals of a bud type prepared to prey of the community like wolves on sheep, the men, instead of being securely locked up in cells, were given the freedom of a grille enclosed corridor facing an open space at the rear of the police station. It is assumed that the prisoners were handed a hack saw by an accomplice, who would have no difficulty, under cover of night, in reaching them by using a motor entrance that leads from O’Rourke street to the rear of the station. Members of the police force on duty at the office or resting in the residential quarters of the police station last night listened with a good deal of pleasure to tho singing of one of the prisoners in his cage. Singing in the cells is no unusual performance, but the impromptu concert last evening lasted from 9 o'clock for nearly two hours, and no suspicion was raised, but it is certain that this sustained burst of melody was designed to drown the sound of a hack saw as it cut its way through one of the square rods in the stout iron grille. When tho watchhonse-kccper made his rounds at 10 p.m. the men were still there, but when another visit was made to tho corridor shortly before 11 o’clock it was teen that the prisoners had disappeared. A short length of one of tho square uprights of tho grille had been cut _ away, making an opening measuring eight inches, through which the prisoners apparently made their escape. This would apnear to be a difficult feat, but each of the men is about sft Sin in height and of medium build. Once throughthe grille, the men were in tho open yard of tho station, and had simply to walk through the open entrance gate to freedom. It is also stated that tho men took a towel provided for prisoners and hung it on tho rails of tho grille, ostensibly to dry, but it can be assumed that it would l>o useful to cover tho partially-severed rod should police attendants visit tho corridor while tho work was in progress. Extraordinary precautions were taken hy tho police to prevent the nows of the escape leaking out, and all day to-day they were extremely reticent. In fact, Inspector Eales, who might bo expected to bo in possession of all known details of affairs, mot all inquiries with a disarming smile and tho statement that ho did not know anything of tho affair. A series of pressing questions, however, drew an admission that he had hoard of tho escape, and was oven aware that one of the men had been returned to custody. This was Hanson, who was found in the vicinity of tho waterfront at about 1 o’clock this morning, and wa-s quickly returned to the cells, whore no mistake was made as to his security. When tho escape was discovered all available men wore sent out to search for the escaped prisoners, but only. Hanson was pick fed up. It would seem fairly evident that tho prisoners contemplated an attempt to regain their freedom and had carefully planned it. To carry out their scheme it was necessary that they should be held overnight at the police station instead of being sent up to Mount Eden Gaol. Their trial lasted three days. When an adjournment was taken on Mondav afternoon they asked that they be lodged at, the police station cells, as they wished to communicate some information to tho police which would load to the recovery of the stolen property. •This was agreed to, as was a similar request on afternoon. If any escape was contemplated it failed to come off on Monday or Tuesday evenings, and on Wednesday, after they had been sentenced on tho summary charges, they again asked to be returned to tho police station, as they wished to identify witnesses whom they wished to have subpoenaed to appear on their behalf at tho Supreme Court when tho indictable charges were heard. This was a reasonable and not unusual request, and, had it not been granted, they would all have been sent to tho greater security of Mount Eden Gaol. At a late hour to-night the two missing men were still at liberty.