THE ESCAPE OF ROBERTS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1865, 12 June 1888, Page 3

THE ESCAPE OF ROBERTS.

The " Telegraph " of last evening has the following readable yarn ?'e the escape of Roberts, The irrepressible Roberts put m an appearanoe at Kaltnua Valley about 6.30 p.m. on Friday, or nearly fi/e hoars after his eeoape, and astoanied a party of Maoris and Earopoana who were having tea m a hat, Hla appearanoo was such as to warn people from tonohlng him. He wore on hla head what teemed liko a cross between a Tarn O'Shanter hat and a pocket-handkerchief, and around his budy was a dark jumper. His legs were encased In trowaura cf a moot peoaltar make. They were not tweeds, and were not ma oh like moleskins, and it is conjectured that they were bla prison garments reveis^d. Hla whole rig-out, bis somewhat Beared features, and hla hurtled expression, "I ana hungry ; can yon give mo something to eat," suggested to his auditors that he was an escaped lnnatio. Anyway, they treated him as such, and fed him well on all they had, for which he wa3 truly thankfn!. Having finlnhed hla repeat, which he ate qalckly aud hiar'ily, ho m< ved to th& door. He hold the hand'e with one hani while he peered Into the darkneta and satkfied himself that his pursuers were beyond 000-ee. hn exclaimed "I'm .Jonathan Rdborts." This m no way convinced the occupants of the hut that he was not an euoaped lunatlo and his Assertions was not aocopted sa go«pel. They h*d not aeon the account of his previous OBoape and arrest, and were, of courie, ignorant of the 1-ist escapade. Observing the look cf doubt on the faces' of his audience, he repeated, "I am Jotah&n Roberts" " Obj are yon," answered the first man, who had sufficiently recovered from hln surprise. •• YW % am/ repeated Roberta, V I've escaped frbm prison, and I'm (ff." Beit before ho left ho recounted 'hla experiences, which we are a.blo to publish for the 'benefit of onr readern, Because ihe party knew not ot hia Killinchy career, he briery explained It by Veiling them the leading points about it from, the tfma he olearrg from, tbo Tlmara ga.o'l to hla incarceration at Lytielton, op the road to which latter place he asked ha gqardian if he wai"good, on an qpblll run," '< £fn,'» answered the guardian, " I'm not moch, but I've a little thing here whioh will fly," and Roberts apparently didn't f^ocy tryfng tyhe^hpror uqwt coald, Roberts went on with his story, whioh had an amusing ring about it. " When we went inti the shed at Ripa Island," he oontinued, } " I picked up a chisel and comruenced to ont the Iron. The^ othqr priaonera wh'^led and taadQ ; uoUeir to drown tho noise made by tho outtl- g. 1 twisted down the thin sheet Iron, rolling it op like a bit of lead, and went through tho ' hole. I asked some of the other fellows to follow me ; but they said "No !" "Oh" said I, ' I'm not afraid,' and aw»y I came. V had to«<*lm the phAnnei, T-nis I did a.Jrlght, and made tracks for he<re. I've had » rough walk right over the hills, and abdve the line where snow had fallen. I jumped from boulder to boulder, to leave to footprints on the snow. You'll have the polios here noon, J espec.{,. '> foil them X galled hero, and thit they won't catch fc.e co easily this time. I didn't like wo> k- ' ing for nothing. I'm going to so and-so'e ' place right away. Thank you Goodbye." He closed the door, and was off In a i^inkliog, leaving his late companions to Uugh and laugh! again, which they did heartily, over the amusing yarn he epun of hlfj remlnhoenoes. He Iq reported to have been Doen'eairly on motnlrg twenty-five miles away from |£iituna I and wm then travelling fast, waiting neither tq reit doi to «it,