ESCAPED PRISONERS

Evening Star, Issue 23698, 4 October 1940, Page 4

ESCAPED PRISONERS

NEARLY SURPRISED IN OAR THEFT POLICE CLOSE TO HIDING PLACE (Per Unitv.d Press Association.] AUCKLAND, October 3. Tho four prisoners who made a sensational escape from tho Auckland 1 I’ison early on Tuesday evening arc still at Definite information that tho escaped men had camped on tho property or J. Martin Wilson, Shore road, Remnera, was obtained by tho police. Important developments have been the discovery of three pairs of prison trousers and two pairs of prison socks on Mr II 'Non & property, and the theft early this morning of a small car from tho garage of Mr A. M. Jackson, Orakei road. Remnera, and reports from two women in this vicinity that they saw three of the escaped prisoners. It is thought likely that the prisoners, after dashing from the car in Crowhurst street. Newmarket, at 6.15 p.m. on Tuesday evening, made their way along tho railway line and climbed up aelay bank to gain the rear of Mrs West s house in Ayr street, from whose property an overcoat, a cardigan, a pair of socks, and a tomahawk were stolen, and that until early this morning they had remained! in the vicinity of the foreshore between Judge’s Bay and Hobson Bay. Large numbers of police thoroughly searched this locality all day yesterday, without finding any trace ol the fugitives, who evidently watched tho proceedings from their place of hiding. There is good reason to believe that last night the escaped prisoners camped on Mr Martin Wilson’s property of 17 acres, and that they lay in hiding not many yards away from a large circular summer house, in which two constables were keeping vigil for the fugitives. It was because of the discovery made by Mr Wilson at 8 o'clock last night that a number of police were rushed to his place to search for the prisoners. SURPRISE FOR OWNER. After listening to a radio message at 8 o’clock warning the owners of all cars to remove the keys from the ignition switches, I went out to my garage to take my switch key out,” said Mr Wilson this morning. “ I did not take a torch with me, and I did not have a match. The garage doors were open. I went into the garage, and was surprised, to find that the key had been reriiovcd from my big sedan. Then I got a further surprise to find a large brand-new axe lying on the rear seat of the oar. This was my own axe, andl it had been taken from the tool shed in the garage. I immediately telephoned the police, and a posse of men was sent out, Two of them stayed all night and waited iri the summer house at the back of tlie garage, but they saw no sign of the prisoners.” This morning, shortly after 6 o’clock, about 20 detectives and constables under the charge of Sub-inspector Flail arrived at Mr Wilson’s house and made a close search of the property, which affords good cover in some long grass. Under a tree on tho top of a steep cliff above the sea in Hobson Bay the police found three pairs of trousers, two pairs of prison socks, and a tomahawk. The nearby grass had been stamped! down, indicating that the prisoners had spent some time there. The prison clothing was wet through. Two overcoats were found to have been stolen from Mr Wilson’s garage. It is possible that other articles of clothing were also taken. W.*AViV , AV.W.>JV.V.