THE GAOL BREAKER.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1753, 19 May 1913, Page 4

THE GAOL BREAKER.

HOW DETECTIVE CASSELLS CAUGHT HIM. In the small hours of Sunday morning —long after tho midnight, (ram had gone —three poliqe officers might havo ueou seen en tori nu an alleyway, next to n bonrdinghmise in Conrtenay I'laee. Hail anyone watched long enough, lio wo\iUl hiivo observed dial when the party emerged from tho darkness again then' number had been increased to four. A closei' scrutiny would havo revealed the fact that tho fourth member of the party was wearing hand.eiitTs. An interesting littlo story attaches thereto. On Sunday, May 4, two prisoners, John Fairlev, alias Wilson, and George Groves, alias M'Keime, escaped from custody at Palinerston North. Fairley had been arrested on a charge of being fount, by night in. a dwelling with intent to commit a crime wliilo Hie charge against Groves was one of forgery and littering. Subsequently Groves was arrested, by tho police ill a house in Falmerston Aortii, but tlie other prisoner still remained at ' Late on Saturday night Dotectivc-Sorgt. Cassells, of Mount Cook Station, rwnyeA. information that Fairley was in ' / . ton. "Inquiries were made, and at hal'past two yeslej'day morning, the detective, in company with Sei'geaiit laylor and Constable Moroney, proceeded to a boardinghouse ill Courtenay Place. In pnrsunnfco of an arranged plan of action, oergrant Tavlor was placed at tho back door (to guard against any escapo that way), while Dctectivc-Sergt. Cassells and the constable entered by tho sido door and locked it after them. By tlio aid of tlio constable's lamp, tlio" bedrooms downstairs were searched, hnd in one of tho beds was found a man, who answered tlio description of Fairley. "What is your name?" was tho pertinent question asked of tho occupant of the bed. By' way of reply tho man stated that his name was "M'Grogor," anil ho stated further that he camo from Wanganui, • Not being satisfied with the answers, Detective Cassells looked for tattoo marks and discovered some similar to those re-, ported to be bomo by the escapee: Still tho iuau stoutly denied that liei was Fairley, but he was arrested and taken to the Lambton Ouay Police Station. When placed in tho cell, however, lie admitted Jio was Fairley. He stated that ho arrived by train from Shannon at 11.15 p.m. toil Saturday, vind iieportcid having had a rough tiino sleeping out on the several previous nights. His tilisguise for the train journey (according to "his own story) was that of a. doctor, wearing pince-nez, cap and driving-coat, with silk lapel. It was his intention to have stowed away on. a steamer at daylight.