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Vol. 109.—No. 20. Postage Tn“ CVZ Tc\X ont^ST MILTON, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1968Police nab three escapees fourth criminal still freeA province-wide manhunt continues today for a young Hamilton man who escaped from Halton’s century-old jail in Milton Sunday night. But three companions who escaped with him by beating up two guards and stealing a guard’s car are safely back in their cells in Milton.Freedom was short-lived for the trio, who escaped about 7:50 p.m. Sunday by scaling a rear wall at the Brown St. jail'property. By 9 p.m. two had been apprehended and returned to jail, and the third was arrested at gunpoint a mile north of Milton just after 2 a.m. Monday.Police across Ontario are on the lookout for Robert James McCabe, 24, of 20 Gordon St. in Hamilton, who is still on the loose. McCabe is described as five feet six inches tall, weight 122 pounds, with light brown hair, hazel eyes and ruddy complexion. He was in jailawaiting trial on burglary and theft charges pressed by Burlington Police in June. When arrested he was on parole from Kingston Penitentiary where he had served a sentence for his part in a manslaughter case in Hamilton in 1964.McCabe is described by police as “dangerous” but Milton Police Chief Ray Andress was confident the man would be returned to custody soon.Recaptured were BarryMcKenzie, 24, of Hamilton; Edward James Woods, 21, of no fixed address; and Charles Lebar, 42, of Georgetown and Hamilton.McKenzie had already been sentenced to four years in jail last May for robbing a Hamilton motel, and had three months added to his sentence for his part in a cellblock beating of a prisoner at Halton Jail in July. He was held in jail awaiting trial on a gas station robbery in Burlington. Further charges of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon await him in London.Woods was convicted last week for the knife slaying of a Toronto youth at Burlington in the summer of 1967, and had been sentenced on Friday to life imprisonment.Lebar was awaiting trial for helping in an attempted robbery of a Burlington motel last August. He was on parole after a term in jail on an earlier robbery with violence charge.Milton Police Chief Ray Andress, who headed up the jailbreak investigation, said all three escapees were charged Monday with breach of a prison with violence”. Other charges are being considered.The bizarre escape, intense search, the daring recapture of three of the men and the all-night vigil of police officers around a triangle of bushland at Campbellville made it an exciting but fearful night for the villagers.The four men, cellmates in one block of the old jail, apparently overpowered jail guard Lawrence King, 64, of Milton in the shower room of the jail Sunday evening and beat him severely with clubs. Police said they broke up a pair of crutches one of the prisoners was using for a leg injury, and used the pieces for clubs.Mr. King suffered severe facial and head wounds and was later rushed to Milton Hospital in apolice cruiser. Tuesday, the hospital reported his condition was satisfactory and a nurse said he was “up and around” a little.The prisoners also beat up guard corporal George Hilton, leaving him with a broken nose, two blackened eyes and head wounds, then rifled his pockets and stole his money and car keys. They apparently got intothe jail office and rilledenvelopes containing the other prisoners’ belongings in their search for money.Escaping through the kitchen section of the jail, they scaled a wooden wall at the east side of the jail and drove off in Cpl. Hilton’s car, a 1961 Buick. A man spotted two of the men going over the wall and immediately notified police, who called for help from surrounding police departments and rushed to the jail.The jail doors were lockedfrom the inside and no-oneanswered the jail phone, so the fire department was called in with ladders to scale the wall and allow police to enter.Meanwhile a description of the wanted car was broadcast.Const. Dave Halliday of ^Waterdown O.P.P. rushed out \from his office and was sitting at the corner of Guelph Line and Five Sideroad in the centre of Campbellville when he saw thewanted car go past, headingnorth on Guelph Line. Heradioed his position and gave chase through the village until the Hilton car spun out ofcontrol at the entrance toHighway 401.Const. Halliday said he pulled his cruiser in behind the car and grabbed his 30.30 rifle. Heordered the men to lie on the ground and two of them,McKenzie and Woods, did. But McCabe and Lebar ducked out of his sight behind their car and tied into a nearby field leading to a bush.(Continued on Page 7)RECAPTURED AT GUNPOINT on Highway 25 north of Milton about six hours after a daringfour-man escape from the Halton County Jail Sunday evening, Charles Lebar of Georgetown and Hamilton is watched carefully by Const. Len Pickett of Milton Police. Two of the escapees were captured by an O.P.P. officer at Campbellville shortly after they escaped, but Lebar got away and stole a car from a neighboring farm. Const. D. Ormsby of Milton O.P.P. nabbed him in the stolen car. More pictures on the escapees on Page Bl.Press conferenceJim Snow predicts two-thirdsForce clean-up at old factory
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Milton Canadian Champion
Milton, Ontario, CA
Wed, Sep 18, 1968
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Carol H.
USA 11 Oct 2022
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Milton Canadian Champion
