PRISONERS RECAPTURED

Taranaki Daily News, 13 February 1933, Page 9

PRISONERS RECAPTURED

MEN FROM WAIKERIA. SEARCH IN ROUGH COUNTRY. Taumarunui, Feb. 10. The three young men who escaped from the Waikeria Borstal Institute on Tuesday night, James William Burton, aged 18, Robert Morgan, aged 20, and George Michaelick, aged 21, did not remain at large long, and aU three have been recaptured. It was thought that the.three men were proceeding south", and a sharp lookout was kept by the police along the main highway. Nine warders converged on Ongarue from different roads by motorcar. Eventually the search was narrowed down to the main highway near Ongarue, where Constable Prussing, the local police officer, at about seven o’clock on Wednesday evening, caught one of the prisoners, Burton, and the other two escaped into the fern and scrub, which is very ..dense and about 12ft. high in parts. On receiving word by telephone Sergeant Sivyer and Constable Hedley, of Taumarunui, went out immediately and assisted in the search for the two men still at large until dark. They then re-, turned to Taumarunui with Burton, who was placed in the local police cell. Constables MacLennan, Bruce and O’Sullivan were then sent out and spent Wednesday night and yesterday searching the fern-clad country. The fern was very severe on the searchers’ clothes. As one of the escaped prisoners had discarded his coat, he must have had a bad time with only a shirt to protect his body. The search was continued all day -yesterday, without result. At 9.30 p.m. the two fugitives came out of their hiding place and were endeavouring to board a. goods train when they were seen and recaptured. The police and warders had the hiding place surrounded, so that there was little chance of the men’s escape. Morgan and Michaelick were taken by car to Te Awamutu last night. Burton, Who appeared in Court to-day, was remanded to Te Awamutu.