Congrats on gorgeous birth year nickel 1905!
Not sure if Richmond Indiana news article I found online is same John Rizio but possibly could be. Here are contents of front page of pictured newspaper article.
The Palladium- Item - December 23, 1953
John Rizio and Sgt. Elwood Clark, Lawrence Harris, Harold Ryan and ... ft - MM II- '"II I . I . Patrolman Norman Seikel takes the part of Robert Dowling, escaped prisoner, while Patrolman Capt. John Rizio in re-enacting hotel. Fourth and Main streets. , Seikel shows how Dowling der a hat on the bureau in Room Rizio, shows how Rizio lunged at Dowling's wrist, starting to disarm him. Day's News Spotlight Focused On Richmond Police As Reporters, Cameramen Quiz Captors OF Convicts Richmond became a focal point of national interest Wednesday morning as word spread of the daring capture by local police of the two escaped convicts from Michi gan. Telephones jangled in the Rich mond police station and at The Palladium-Item as newspapers from Detroit, New York, Chicago and other large cities wanted ah on-the-spot account of the capture of the pair. Movie cameras were set up in the police station in order to obtain sequences for use on nation-wide televsion news casts Mayor Lester E. Meadows lauded the officers and the police department for their alertness and determination in catching the convicts. "I'm very proud of the department," the mayor said. "The work by the department in the last three davs has demonstrated the ef ficiency and co-operation that exists. The citizens of Richmond have a real police department." Two guards from the Jackson, Mich., prison returned the escaped convicts to solitary confinement in Cell Block 15 Wednesday evening. That was the scene of the prison mutiny in April, 1952. Eight of the 13 escaped convicts are already in solitary confinement there. Three more were due there Wednesday night from Detroit, j where they were nabbed Monday. Photos taken bv The Palladium- Item were driven to Dayton, Ohio, v 'A N I ife - ' l ArMf 1 I ffy -.- v. ? i ?,4 Richmond police department took and the two prisoners, Roman Police Chief Lucas Rone, Harold Ryan, "stands in" for Dowling s capture at the Mack attempted to grab a gun from un 10 in the hotel. Ryan, posing as for transmission by wirephoto to newspapers over the country. A Tuesday edition of a Detroit oaDer was noticed in the office of The Palladium-Item telling of the two of 13 escaped convicts that were still at large. In a two-line six-column banner the paper said, "Police Press Hunt For Last 2 Felons." Another head- line said "Toughest of 13 Escapees Still At Large." Sgt. Elwood Clark said both men were about "out on their feet" for lack of rest. The two thugs told Clark that they had not slept except for short naps since their escape from prison. That amounted to about 82 hours. One of the men, asked how far it was to Kentucky. When an officer replied that it was about 70 miles, the man replied, "We wouldn't have made it anyway, I was too tired." The convicts were thought to have entered Richmond by way of U. S.-27 although they had not traveled that route all the way from Jackson,. Mich., from where they escaped. "We couldn't," one man said, "there were too many cops. In Detroit they were really breathing down our necks," he added. Both men appeared clean shaven, Dowling was dressed in a rumpled brown suit while Usiondek was attired in grey slacks and a green shirt. When arrested Dowling had $7.62 in cash and Usiondek had $9.47. . Usiondek is the larger of the two men. He is about five feet. eleven inches tall and of a husky rl Sj xF -s-eS VI V v j - ' I Dart in the capture of the Michigan convicts here Wednesday. Left to right, front row, are Capt Usiondek and Robert Dowling; Captain John Rizio, at the camera, and Robert Matheny, for spotting the parked auto of two escaped Michigan prisoners. The two men, patrolling on South Third street, spotted the car and asked for a stolen car check on it. It turned out to be one stolen from Detroit on Monday night. A young Detroit engineering salesman, Robert D. Fulmer, jr., parked it in front of his girl's house to pick her up, leaving the motor running. Returning in less than a minute, the car had disappeared. A neighbor told Fulmer that two men had just driven the car away. Fulmer, just back from a business trip into Ohio, had planned to leave Thursday for a holiday in Philadelphia. He reported to police the car was covered with mud from his trip to Ohio. i build. He weighs about 185 pounds. , Dowling is smaller and is about j five feet, nine inches tall, weighs about 150 pounds. He According to the International News Service, three of five persons in Detroit who were placed under police guard while Usiondek roamed in freedom expressed relief when told of his recapture, When Usiondek was tried for murder he had vowed revenge on all the persons that had testified i againsi mm. Mrs. Frances Kanarsk, sister of Pete Kubert, one of Usiondek's two murder vcitims, left her home immediately to go Christmas shopping in downtown Detroit. She testified in Usiondek's murder trial and was placed under police guard once his escape was announced. Mrs. Edward Lowandowski and a brother, Steve Janowski, also said to be on Usiondek's "revenge list," were joyful at the news pnth h. CnHoi fo,re ih.t !!,inn. dek w ould come to their homes "disguised as Santa Claus and kill us." "What a Christmas present!" de- clared Mrs. Lowandowski. Circuit Court Commissioner Tom Pasieczny, former assistant Wayne county (Detroit) prosecutor, who piloted the state's case against Usiondek, was returned from Windsor, Ont., where police took him for safekeeping. Pasieczny was not immediately available for comment. The whereabouts of the fifth person marked for death by Usion dek were not learned. Usiondek was convicted in 1942 of a holdup murder of a Ham - back row, left to right, Patrolmen left, commends Officers Larry tramck, Mich., restaurant owner. He has been in prison 11 years on a sentence ot me lor muraer ana another 25 to 40 year sentence for armed robbery. Dowling has been in prison one year where he is serving concurrent terms of three to four years for larceny from a building and one to 15 years for breaking and entering in Detroit last May. The gun which two escaped prisoners from Michigan haa in their room when captured Wednesday is held by Police Captain Rizio, who disarmed the prisoner. French Christmas Mail Piling Up Due To Strike PARIS tiPl French soldiers moved i into post offices and railroad sta- in and out of the French capital i for the second day. iTD Pair Is Surprised In Room Of Hotel Men Surrender After Brief Struggle; Returned To Solitary Confinement Alert observation and fast, determined action on the part of Pachmond police officers early Wednesday morning brought about the capture of two widely-sought convicts from the Jackson (Mich.) rrisnn. Roman Usiondek, 37 years old, reported to oe a psycopauuc killer, and Robert Edward Dowling, 33, were apprehended by a quartet of Richmond officers after a brief but furious struggle in a room at the Mack hotel. Fourth and Main streets. Guards from the Michigan prison left here Wednesday afternoon at 1 o'clock with their prisoners. The men were handcuffed to one another and placed in the rear of a prison station wagon. The specially-equipped vehicle was due back at the prison before 6 p. m., and the men will be placed in solitary confinement. Police officers watched as the men were led out of the City building, where they had been kept behind bars for about eight hours. A heavy steel wire mesh separated the driver and guard from their prisoners. The capture was made as the result of what Police Chief Lucas Rohe termed "excellent police work." The capture of the two culminated 36 hours of exceptional police activity and brought from Mayor Lester E. Meadows immediate words of commendation. On Monday night, Chief Rohe, co-operating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), led his men in the capture of a Richmond ex-convict wanted for a Minnesota bank robbery. Less than 10 hours later, after a sharp gun battle following two filling station holdups, two men (Ohio bandits) were captured. See Two Loaves Of Bread At about 1:30 a. m. Wednesday, Patrolman Lawrence Harris and Robert Matheny spotted a late model Michigan automobile parked in the first block of South Third street. The car was splattered with mud, and, on inspection, the police discovered two open loaves of bread and a bottle of ketchup in the car. Cigarette butts were scattered over the floor of the car. The officers reported their find to Captain Rizio at headquarters and they watched the car for nearly four hours. At about 5 a. m., Sgt. Elwood Clark and Patrolmen Harold Ryan and Norman Seikel, led by Captain Rizio, entered the Mack hotel, Fourth and East Main streets. Upon inquiry of Earl French, desk clerk, it was discovered two men answering the description of the two escaped convicts had registered at the hotel about 9:15 Tuesday night. ine men nad no baggage and had walked into the hotel from the direction where the Michigan car had been parked, the clerk told the officers. The men had been assigned to Room No. 10, police were told. The four officers went up to the designated room. Capt. Rizio knocked on the door of the room. The convicts inside demanded to know who was at the door. "It's the police," Rizio said. When there was no answer Rizio ordered the men to open the door or it would be kicked in. Door la Opened A moment later Dowling opened the door. He was in his underclothes and apparently had just left his bed. Usiondek, apparently still half asleep, was seated on the edge of the bed, also in his underclothes. The four officers entered the room and began questioning the men. "We've found a Michigan car parked down by the corner and we'd like to talk to you fellows about it," Capt. Rizio told the convicts. The men, at first evasive and uninformative, gave their names as John O'Conner and Joe Beck.Capt. Rizio demanded proof of the identification and after a measured pause Dowling said. "Yes, I've got identification. I'll show you." He then started for a bureau in the room where his hat lay. Capt. Rizio followed a step behind the cornered convict. Reaches For Gun When he reached the bureau the convict lifted the hat up with his left hand and grabbed a 7.65 millimeter German automatic from under the hat with his right hand. "This is my identification," Dowling snarled at Rizio. Rizio seized the convict's wrist and with a quick twist sent the gun spinning from Dowling's hand. After a brief but heated struggle Capt. Rizio subdued Dowling while the other officers were holding Usiondek. There was one shell in the gun firing chamber, but the clip was not in the gun. but was near by. Extra shells were In a paper sack. Both men were brought to police headquarters where, after further questioning, they admitted they were the escaped convicts, j In a cardboard box found in the convicts' car police discovered an 18-inch, leather covered lead pipe. Road maps and other papers were piled in the box. (PAIR IS SURPRISED) (Continued on Page Two)
