UNKNOWN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1397, 3 November 1886, Page 3

UNKNOWN

It was oat ia Australia (said a writer la a London Paper) I had gut tired of footing it over the highways of New South Wales, and one day borrowed a horse to make travelling easier. For some reason I never could understand, they ca'led t stealing ; and I was arrested, bound over, and sent to an upcountry goal. The place was full of hard cases ; and I hadn't been in there three days when we formed a plot to break out. Every country goal b a its weak spot This one was strong in doors and bars and walla, bnt weak at the bottom. It would be no job at all to go through the floor and tunnel eat. There were six cells In one corridor and sixteen of u* In ’he crib. Ten of us hud, therefore, to sleep on cots outside of the cells. v 'e t ct- 'ho cell farthest frrm the door to begin operations in. There was no watch kept on us at night; and before morning we had a fine tunnel started. There was a goaler, a stup'd boy of IS as turnkey, and the goa ! er’s wi f e. Eve ■ • thing was passed in to us through a wicktt; and there was ro cell for the goaler to come among us. It was a terrib’y i t:' g place, just the ssme ; and the only weak spot, as I have said, was the chance f r a tunnel. A chap usmed lb-dying Bill, who wss In for burglary, superintended the iob. He pert ndtd to ki-ow just which way to head the turnd, and just bow far to dig to come out in the all. y behind the goal;,and of course none if ua Interfered. At the end of three days we were a’T ready to go out. The idea, was ot course, to go at prisoners was taken very 111, at d we put off the escape for another 24 hours. About midafternoon of the next day there was an alarm of fire ; we concluded to go ont then. Dodging Bill had dug as near the sut» face as he dared. He now passed on ahead to break out the way ; and we followed close upon his heels—that is, three pr four of us. The tunnel was short, and would not hold over three or four. The others stood to creep in as we crept put. I was next to Bill, and ss he broke the crust and dsylight streamed in, I beard a scream from a women. Next moment there was a dash of water into the tunnel, followel by anoiher and another | and enough came in to drown US. We had to ‘shin' back, and Bd: was half dead when we seized his heels and drew him out. What had happened ? Well, the tunntl was too short by Ifi fee*. Instead of coming up in the alley, Bill brok&M roi t D d in the back yard, and right at the feet of the gaoler’s wife, who was washing. A» the ground gave way, she saw a hand and arm ; and, being a quick witted woman, she tumbled to the tunnel plot. There were three tubs on her bench ; and sbe poured the contents of each one Into the hule, and then ran in and brought a boiler of hot water, and swished that in for good luck. Thai didn’t satisfy her that she had driven us back ; and she put a wooden conductor under the pump, let the other end to the hole ; and she didn’t stop pumping for an hour. Such was the grade of the tunnel that we were ankle-deep in water in the corridor before she ceased ' perations. It was a fine display of woman’s ready wit, and, although we were half starved and sha kled to the cell doors for the next fortnight, none of ns held any grudge against the gaoler’s wife.