WAIKERIA ESCAPEES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 56, Issue 4016, 23 February 1938, Page 6

WAIKERIA ESCAPEES

TWO MEN DASH FOR LIBERTY. ONE RECAPTURED LAST EVENING. Quite a lot of excitement was caused throughout the district when it became known that two prisoners had escaped from the Waikeria Borstal institution—one on Sunday evening’ and the other on Monday afternoon. The men are Richard Jackson Ruff Moyle and Moses Tito, a Maori. Both had been admitted to the institution only a week or so ago, Moyle coming from Rotorua and Tito from North Auckland. Moyle is 27 years of age, 6ft in height with a ruddy complexion and black hair. Tito is 20 years of afee, and sft Ilin in heigth. Both men were wearing Institute clothing, consisting of white moleskin trousers, blue striped shirts, grey coats and heavy boots. They were allowed the usual liberties, not being regarded as men likely to attempt to escape. (Moyle was attending a number of horses at the No. 2 Camp, a mile or so from the main building, and shortly before 8 o’clock on Sunday evening he was missed by a warder, and the alarm given. Tito was’ one of a gang working near the residence of the superintendent, Mr D. Dunlop, when he asked permission to get a drink of water. This being granted, Tito walked off, and then suddenly dashed into an old drain, and tunnel. Search was quickly made, the other men of the gang being assembled and taken to the main building while warders and other members of the staff set about locating Tito. He, however, had worked his way into some rough scrub and thence to a plantation, where all efforts to locate him were unavailing. Search was maintained throughout the night by various parties, and again on Tuesday. One warder actually saw Tito making his way towards Ngaroma late on Monday nig’ht, at a point not far from Mr J. R. Kay’s ho.me, but Tito elused pursuit by taking to the bush again. Traces were found of him, but it was not until early last evening that he was recaptured—considerably the worse for his experience, for he was badly scratched and his clothes tattered, and he was very much in need of food and drink. Tito was taken back to the institution, and search concentrated on finding M>oyle. The search led across country towards Parawera and Owairaka, but up to the time of going to press his capture had not been effected.