FRENCH ESCAPEES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1711, 14 November 1887, Page 3

FRENCH ESCAPEES

There ara 500 of the very worst clans of criminals at large m Sydney, so says a gentleman with whom a representative of the " Evening News " had an interview. These criminals arar French esoapees. In the course of the interview the following conversation took place : —

Are there many escapees here ? — About 500. Do the police know of their presenoe ?— Why do not the police take action and secure the retora of these men ? - Becanee they do not oare to do do nntil they ate compelled. These extradition enquiries cost money, and bo long as the escapees behave themselves, the police shot their eyea to their presenoe. la that not a disgrace ?— It is a scandalous thing that the citizens should be allowed to be preyed upon by these, criminal vultures The eroapees are men who will stop at nothing short of murder —even not at that, for many of them are murderers. How do the esoapees live ?— On their wits mostly. Some of them work— not many. They mix with the lowreat class, and many of them live on the proceeds of vice. These fiends m human form not only prey upon the householders, but they help t* contlimanate all -with whom they come m oontaot. They are vicebreeding plagues. They are libels on the lowest forma of humanity. Where do they live ?— A great many of them live m the Woolloomooloo dUlrlot. Do not the Frenoh authorities m New DaledonU endeavor to capture the escapees ?— Not of tener than they can help. They may not assist the men to escape, but they do not objaot if the men can got away. It is a matter of polfoy, Etch prisoner costs about £50 a year ; therefore they save money if the prisoner can only muster courage enough to stand the hardships consequent on escape. What hardships ?— There was one case where some escapees were m an open boat for forty days, nix days wlthont water. They had a terrible time of it. Some of them got into the steamsrs as stowaways, and some are taken on as merchantman. Some captains are not very particular, and do not object to take a priaoner and allow him to work his passage.

How do they manage to get open boats m whioh to mako their escape ? — Steal them. In some oobob thay are assisted by their companions who have escaped before and who, by means of plunder, have been able to get raonßy to sond to them. How do they manage to convey the money to the prisoners ?— The guard over the prisoner* is not very strict. Tbe escapees oan get aome one to go to New Caledonia and see their fffonds — that is allowed — and hand them sufficient to enable them to effeot their escape. How many prisoners are there m New Caledonia i — About 12,000 men and women.

What sort of women are they ?— They are like the meu ; tha very worst olass of criminals. They are life-sentenc&d prisoners, and are deemed to be too bad for even the worst parts of Franoe.

Do they Incur any extra punishment If they escape !— No, how can they I They ate sentenced to Imprisonment for life before they are sent to New Caledonia. The escapes when returned are tried, and perhaps have an additional term of ten or twenty years added to their aentenoo ; but as there sentence is already fmorisontnenfc for life, they do not a are. I knew of one oftee where a man wbb aontenoed to 150 years' imprisonment.

la there no relief given to the men ? — No, If a man behaves himself he Is allowed to marry one of the oonviut women. That la an event negotiated In rather a strange manner. The nurriegea are mostly arranged by Sisters of Mercy, who look after the womaa. When a man is adjudged worthy of marriage he is permitted to meet some of the conviot vromen. He then has an Interview, aeleots bis partner, and they are married They are then plaoed on a small piece of laud, and they live under polioe supervision. Bow do suoh marriages tarn out ?— Oh, as well as can be expected. The are both c fly " to each othsr, they are np to each other's trioks, one is suaplolons of tha other , and bo they meet each other on equal terme; Have thers been any esoapees oaptarod lately ]— Yea. Thore were twelve caught the other da/y. That capture waß effected by the Queensland polioe. The esoapees arj} now In Sydney. An inspector named Faucaohon, from New Caledonia, has identified them. The gang will leave this ploca for New Caledonia DBxt Hatnrday

Yon think fchla itiflaz of eeoapoes should be stopped ?— I do, most certainly. It is a disgrace to the oolony, and a refaction on the police tbat the escapees should be allowed to live here. They are the very worst olasses of men it is possible to find on the face of the oarth ; they are murderes, thievreu ( burglars and everything that ia bad,

What do you luggest Bhoaid be done ? —Sir Henry Porkes ahoald go ob with hia bill for otopDtag the In flax of foreign orlmlnals. The provfslouß of his bill were, perhaps, a little too BtrlDgent. Sir Heury proposed to conliioate th» vesßfll oa which cii escapee travelled to this oolony. That might sot oa a great hardship. A good heavy fine should be Imposed. That should bavo the effeot of making the captain see that none of the conviotß get on to the boats. Tha desired end pould. now {/a attained If tha police would do their duty but they won't. Something should ba done to mako them. The iffect of this escapee scourge Is sash bb to put an enormous tsz upon tha elty. These escapees are very shrewd criminals. They are pastmasters before they are sent to New Oa'edonia, Looking to that fact it is not surprising that the polloo oftantimeß find themselves outwitted by some oleror thief— that thief, iq the majority of oases, yon may depand upon It, \f a New Oaledonian eaoapee,— " iSydney Evsniug News "