Two Prisoners Escape From Mt. Eden Gaol

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 364, 26 May 1928, Page 1

Two Prisoners Escape From Mt. Eden Gaol

STILL AT LARGE MAY HAVE HAD OUTSIDE HELP ? Two prisoners, one a dangerous erimina!, escaped from Mount Eden Goal last evening at 6.10 o’clock. There was; no trace of them at a late hour to-day. Warders are scouring the surrounding districts, *nd all police stations have been instructed to keep a strict watch. The escapees are John Buckley and Frank Bailer. Both have relatives in Auckland. How the prisoners escaped is a mystery. The authorities do not know and can find no trace of anything which *nay have helped them to get away. It is believed that they possessed a key with which to open a door into hie prison yard, and from there, unknown to the warders, climbed the outside wall. There is also a theory that the men obtained outside aid, and that the escape was carefully planned, Probably from outside the prison. Bailer escaped from Mount Eden in 1323, and was recaptured latter at Whakatane. During the time he was W liberty he committed several crimes. He s a dangerous criminal, and aften he was recaptured that if he had been in possession of a gun the police would never have taken him alive. Buckley and Bailer had their evenmeal at 5 o’clock. Soon after 6 0 clock about 30 prisoners were pe.r-

ided for school and marched through separate wing of he prison. It is ought that they may have slipped , vlT f y *~ ul 'ing the march through the Their absence was first noticed oen the men were at the school. j search of the prison failed to re~*ern» so a search was made outm? 6 ’*. r ut by this time the prisoners Us t have been well away.

Both Bailer and Buckley can £'ve motor-cars, and it is thought h at they may steal a car and get •way from the city. 4 Tn ey ar ? habitual criminals and were u Sl -*ving a sentence of five years’

imprisonment with hard labour for breaking and entering and theft. Buckley is 25 years of age, and sft 7in in height. He has flaxen hair, grey eyes, a large nose and a fresh com-

plexion. Bailer is the same age as Buckley, but slightly taller. He is well-built, fair hair and blue eyes. Both were in prison clothes. In sentencing Bailer on June 2 last year his Honour Mr. Justice Herdman said the prisoner was a daring and dangerous criminal, and that he would not hesitate to use explosives. DARING RAID ON BUTCHER’S SHOP THEFT AT OTAHUHU OTAHUHU, To-day. A strange man, carrying a large piece of unwrapped meat under his arm, was seen furtively making his way through the main street of Otahuhu last night. It had been stolen from the butcher’s shop of Mr. T. H. McKechnie, Station Road, Otahuhu, at about 7 o’clock last evening. Entry to 1 lie shop had been gained through a side door. Mr. McKechnie was having ‘dinner in an adjoining room and heard the door slam. He immediately went out into the shop and found that 201 b. of topside steak was missing. There was no sign of the intruder, but later he was seen in the main street with the meat under his arm. It is thought that the intruder may have been one of the prisoners who escaped earlier in tin, evening from Mount Eden Gaol.