DARING ESCAPE OF PRISONERS.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 274, 25 November 1870, Page 2

DARING ESCAPE OF PRISONERS.

Yestebday afternoon, about four o'clock, a gang of prisoners, nine in number, were at work in the neighbourhood of the rifle butts, ■under the supervision of Messrs. Brown and Scanlan; the former acting as sentry and being armed; the latter as overseer and con-sequently-unarmed. Brown and Scanlan had been standing together, at a distance of about twenty paces from the spot where^ the men were working. Brown went about jjten paces forward, in the direction of the prisoners, to get a drink out of a bucket of water which was standing there. This bucket was some eight or ten paces from the nearest of the prisoners. As he was stooping down over the bucket, Hammond, the man who was sentenced to six years penal servitude .for rape, at the last sittings of the Supreme Court, sprang upon him and grasped him round the waist, pinning his arms to his side. At the same time Campbell, one of those who escaped from the gaol in February last, seized his rifle. He struggled with the two men for a few minutes, and, with great presence of mind, managed to take the cap off the rifle, before letting it out of his hands. As soon as the struggle began, Scanlan had come to the rescue, and had been knocked down by a blow from a spade, dealt, it is supposed, by Dureen, another prisoner who is little more than a boy, though he had also been sentenced to ten years' penal servitude for horse stealing. After Campbell had taken the rifle from Brown, he handed it to one of his accomplices, and immediately seized on his revolver. Brown also grasped it and endeavoured to retain it, but Williams, another of those Avho escaped in February, held a pick over his head and threatened to bring it dowu upon it, if he did not let go the revolver. He let it go accordingly, and the four men — Hammond, Williams, Campbell and Doreen immediately made for a boat which was ljing close by, got into it, and pushed it from the shore. Campbell wore fetters on account of his previous bad conduct in the gaol, the other three were free. One of the remaining five prisoners, Hebberley, an ex-constable, true to his old instincts, did what he could to assist the keeper ; the rest^were passive spectators of the scene—making* however no attempt to escape; though one of them had been sentenced to ten years' penal servitude. In a few minutes Scanlan so far recovered as to be able to stand up again. A man named Boyd, who was a witness of the affair, went over to his house, which is close by, and fetched a rifle. At the same time, Mr. Williams, the carpenter, to whom the boat belonged, came with another rifle. Scanlan and Williams took several shots at the boat and hit it more than once, whether they wounded any of the escaped prisoners or not, is unknown. Campbell, who was caught subsequently, says they did not, but little faith is to be attached to any of his observations.

Brown, immediately on the departure of the boat, Bent a message up to Mr. Miller, the gaoler, and also gave the alarm through the town. Mr. Miller, without delay, started in pursuit, accompanied by Mr. Peacock. The boat had been seen to go straight over to the paddock known as Torr's, but now Mr ■Sladen's. A9 soon as the prisoners lander, they went on foot along the right bank of the river in the direction of Meanee. Mr. Miller and Mr. Peacock in that direction. Shortly afterwards several other gentlemen followed, some across the harbor, some round by the beach. After hunting about in vain for some time, they came to a place on the I'iver's bank, where there were footmarks close to the water's edge. As the rirer was of-a considerable depth at this place, they concluded that the prisoners must have swum across it. Mr. Miller, Mr. Peacock, and soiiie others, went round1 by the Meanee Bridge, and the rest of the party, concluding that nothing further could be done, turned homewards. They remembered, however, that one of the fugitives was in chains at the time of the escape., and judged rightly, as it turned out, that he would nofc be able to swim across the river with the rest, and would therefore, in all probability, "be concealed in the scrub, somewhere on the right bank. They determined, consequently, to_ make a thorough search. Two of the party were armed, Mr. Morrison and Mr. Britten. When they came down to the river bank, as fur as the place where the footmarks had been seen, Mr. Richardson observed a man lying half concealed in the scrub, and called out to Mr. Britten, who was riding immediately behind, to cover him. Mr. Britten did so, as did also Mr, Morrison. The man was summoned to surrender himself a prisoner, and^urrendered. He remarked at the time, that if he had had a rifle, he would not. have been particular about putting a bullet into any of the gentlemen present, and gave it as his. opinion that his friend Mr. Williams would not have any scruples on this-point either. He pointed to the Puketapu hills and said, that if it had not been for the fetters ho wore, he would have been safe among them at the'time.

The admiration excited by the composure with which he bore his fate, did not prevent him from being brought back to the'gaol forthwith. A messenger was at the same time sent forward to Mr. Miller, to inform him of the capture. He was escorted back to gaol by/ a large nuuiber of people.— HmoJce's Bay Herald. ,