AT LARGE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1533, 31 August 1912, Page 6

AT LARGE.

TWO DANGEROUS CRIMINALS. ESCAPE FROM MENTAL HOSPITAL. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, August 30. Last evening tho . authorities at th 4); Auckland Mental"'Hospitai found that two dangerous characters, who had been com- . mitted to tho institution from Mount Eden Gaol as being • persons of unsound mind, had made good their escape. Both men aro regarded as dangerous criminals, and tho police aro now searching tho surrounding district. Tho escapees aro kuown as Smith and Brockbank. Smith has a particularly bad record, and was serving a sentence of ten years' imprisonment for burglary and attempting to shoot a constable in Karangahapo Road. After serving a portion of his sentonoo Smith's behaviour was considered to bo sufficiently good to warrant his commitment to tho tree-planting station at Waiotapu. There, however, hia unruliness end insubordination soon led to trouble, and it was decided to 6cnd him back to Mount Eden. His escapo on tho way back to Auckland by jumping from tho express train will still he fresh in tho minds of tho public. * After his recapture and further incarceration in Mount Eden Gaol Smith evidently mado up his. mind to try a now schemc. Whether'ho was malingering or really insano was a problem which exercised tho minds of the medic'nl authorities for pomo time, but ho persisted in making hideous noises and generally in acting as a person mentally dera.igcd, with tho result that he was at last committed to tho Mental Hospital as a criminal lunatic. Tho Mental Hospital authorities also'admit that they have bcon closely watching Smith under the impression that ho was only malingering, and they ore now convinced that whatever might have been his state of mind when admitted ho is now perfectly sano. Ho is described as a person of.no great ability, but of deep cunning, and closo watch has always been kept upon him. Lato yesterday afternoon,. however, ho succeeded in making, good his'escapo. It is thought that Smith (who is an', expert burglar in some respects),' became possessed of a skeleton key iind managed -to get away.' •

Ilis companion Brockbank in also a wellknown 'criminal, but is regarded' as being really insane. Ho is an expert thief and has several times been convicted.- Tlio man is stated to bo possessed of great ability and oven while, in Mount Eden Gaol, pursTiad a passion, for invention, turning nut several really clever devices. Smith had been in tlio Mental Hospital about a year and Brockbank for e'ix months.