w 24th year Bats fail Spoliator J 1989 successful St. Joe ousts East Catholic Pr-actice aided tor scholarships /3 in Ciass L baseball tourney /II spelling champ /6 u iianrhpHtPr Irralb N Friday, June 2, 1989 Manchester, Conn. — A City of Village Charm Newsstand Price: 35 Cents Merrill Vote valid, eludes ■ 1 8th counsel m anhunt TORONTO (AP) — As police continue a massive manhunt for Frederick Merrill near the jail he escaped from, the suspect may be tells board hitchhiking along a Canada ex­ pressway about 40 miles west of Toronto, police said. the district would have to have a By Alex Gfrelll Police said Merrill, 42, who year under a clouded regime.” Manchester Herald escaped from Toronto’s Don Jail Landers could not be reached on Wednesday, may be headed this morning for comment. The election of Thomas E. for Canada’s less-popuiated pro­ In his memorandum. LaBelle vinces where he is less likely to be Landers as president of the Eighth Utilities District was valid quotes from American Jurispru­ recognized. despite a discrepancy between dence, a legal encyclopedia, that, Police interviewed a truck “A charge that illegal votes were the number of votes cast and the driver Thursday who said he cast in favor of a candidate is number of voters checked off on a apparently picked up Merrill necessary and the party disput­ Wednesday about 40 miles west of voter list, the district’s legal counsel says. ing an election has the burden of Toronto, a little more than an Attorney John D. LaBelle Jr. proving for which candidate the hour after his escape. gave the opinion in a Thursday votes were cast... The candidate “He said he just got out of jail,’’ memorandum that he delivered receiving the greater number of said Blair Holland, a truck to the president and the district driver. Board of Directors. Landers was See VOTE, page 10 Holland said he dropped Mer­ elected May 24 by a 7-vote margin rill off along the highway that led over Gordon B. Lassow. Lassow’s west to Windsor, Ontario. Can­ campaign manager, Betty Sad- ada, near Detroit. Reginsid PInto/Mancheeter Herald Unemployment loski, had questioned the Holland said that his passenger GARDEN ARTS — Kimberly Raymond discrepancy. Arts in the Garden, a festival to be held at did not reveal his name and told rate dips; job him he planned to hitchhike to a and Heather Whitford, students in the the corner of Porter Street and LaBelle said in the opinion. “There is no presumption of nearby jail in Milton, Ontario, Connecticut Concert Ballet, rehearse a Westminster Road. Story on page 17. fraud or impropriety. Even growth falls where his brother would be dance they will perform at Saturday’s released. though more votes were cast than were marked on the voter list Police said that Holland was WASHINGTON (AP) - The "40 percent’’ sure after seeing maintained at the front entrance nation’s unemployment rate to the auditorium, that fact alone photographs in a lineup that the dipped to 5.2 percent in May but — man was Merrill. Holland’s re­ O’Neill defends tax increase, does not establish fraud or prove in a signal of a slowing economy port of sighting Merrill, one of 400 that an excessive number of — job growth fell to its lowest that police have received, is the ballots were cast. level in more than three years, “The narrowness of the margin strongest clue that the escapee the government said today. has left Toronto. calls it ‘thing we had to do’ of victory cannot be used in The civilian jobless rate, taken conjunction with the disparity in "I couldn’t understand the fella from the Labor Department’s By Peter Vlles Wednesday, defended the new vote total and checkoff total to going to pick up his brother union can say the same. monthly household survey, fell without a car, though,” Holland The Associated Press taxes, saying they would help “In states surrounding us that invalidate the election because no from April’s 5.3 percent, in line said. “He was just babbling keep state programs funded and have income taxes, for example, determination of who voted for with the expectations of analysts. nonsense, saying things like how HARTFORD - A day after he help cities and towns avoid local are floundering their way along. which candidate is possible.” But non-farm payroll growth, signed a $694 million tax increase. property tax increases. We in Connecticut took positive Landers beat Lassow by a vote he had never been in a big truck taken from a separate survey of Gov. William A. O’Neill des­ The tax increases, effective of 137-130. A total of 269 votes were before. I was happy to get him out action, clear direction. We’ve business establishments, was up of the truck, to be honest with cribed the unprecedented tax July 1, include raising the state moved forward, and I think cast but two were declared by only 101,000, down from April’s you.” hike as “one of the things we had sales tax from 7.5 percent to 8 overall we did the right thing.” invalid. Only 257 names were revised growth of 206,000 jobs. Merrill escaped from an to do” and talked confidently percent, increasing the corpora­ O’Neill also dismissed a recent checked off on the voter list. The May growth was the lowest "escape-proof” exercise area on about running for re-election. tions tax, and raising taxes on poll showing a serious dip in his Sadloski said today that she did month-to-month gain since 84,000 the roof of the Don Jail’s hospital “Well, of course, no one wants capital gains and dividends and approval ratings, and said he still not know what further steps added payroll positions were ward Wednesday, said Sgt. John an increase in taxes, including interest. plans to seek another term in might be taken. reported in March 1986. Zeggil of the Toronto police. me,” the governor told reporters As he has throughout the 1990. “We have to see what the For the past three months, an Merrill scaled a 12-foot fence Thursday at an impromptu news legislative session, O’Neill “Well, you’re never popular options are.” she said. average of only 160,000 jobs have topped with barbed wire, ran conference. pointed to surrounding states when you’re raising taxes, and She said she has been told by been added to non-farm payrolls “But it comes a point when you which also face fiscal troubles that’s understandable and I un­ the state Elections Enforcement across a roof and climbed down a each month, down from the drain pipe 60 feet to the ground have to do certain things and that this year. derstand it very thoroughly,” Division that it does not have robust average monthly gain of and freedom, police said . was one of the things we had to “The state of Connecticut had a O’Neill said. jurisdiction over elections in 270,000 jobs reported in 1987 and do.” problem. We have addressed that taxing districts like the Eighth “If we can get him back in here He said he will decide whether 1988. before he attacks anyone, that’s a O’Neill, who signed the tax problem. We have resolved that District. plus,” Zeggil said. increase and a $6.8 billion budget problem. And no other state in the See O’NEILL, page 10 Sadloski said, “I feel sorry that See JOBLESS, page 10 < Police have issued a Canada­ wide alert for the man. “He is desperate — he is facing a long term in prison,” he said. “Our main concern is his rough Challenges confront treatment towards women.” Merrill was awaiting sentenc­ ing on five charges including Chief Mace and his sexual assault, breaking and < entering, and robbery. It was Merrill’s fourth escape firefighting ‘family’ from prison. He escaped from Connecticut prisons in 1967 and 1968 and most recently on Aug. 23, Bv Alex GIrelll with 60 or 70 of them regularly Manchester Herald active in firefighting. Besides 1987 when he scaled a fence at the state’s maximum-security prison a training company for volun­ Soon after John Mace and teers who are less than 20 in Somers. Merrill was recaptured last his wife, Ginette, bought their years old, there are two 1 September as he worked in an house at 104 Irving St. and companies of firefighters. The < apple orchard in Upper Ham- moved from the south end of department is considering the stead. New Brunswick. town, a friend approached. formation of a third one when Merrill faces charges in Con­ ■ Mace with an application to the district takes over a necticut in connection with 1987 join the Eighth Utilities Dis­ firehouse it will get from the trict Fire Department. town under terms of a recently Mace had no experience in approved agreement over fire See MERRILL, page 10 firefighting, but the idea of protection and sanitary sewer being in the volunteer fire jurisdiction. department appealed to him. The department has been TODAY He joined in 1976. developing specifications for a Except for a couple of years mid-sized pumper it plans to when he dropped out to be with buy as a first-response truck Index his young children, he re­ for the new firehouse. Mace 20 pages, 2 fectlon* mained active with the depart­ said that the department will ment in various capacities. probably also station another Classified - 18-20 Obituaries-------2 He is bound to be very busy engine there, perhaps Engine Comics_____15 Opinion---------- 8 from now on because he was 3, a 1960 truck now at the Focus_______ 14 People----------14 appointed fire chief Jan.