SENSATIONAL ESCAPE OF A PRISONER.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1273, 23 July 1886, Page 3

SENSATIONAL ESCAPE OF A PRISONER.

Certainly one of the most sensa* tional escapes of a prisoner of the Grown that has been chronicled in this Colony was reported at the Russell street police barracks. Early on July 2, a young constable named Snow, who is stationed at Maryborough, loft that place having in his custody John Proctor, a sailor, aged thirty-seven, who was being transferred to the Pentridge Stockade to complete a sentence of five years’ haid labor for forgery The prisoner was handcuffed, and was dressed iu prison, clothes. He and the constable alone' occupied one carriage, and the prisoner did not exhibit any desire to be troublesome, or to escape. While the train was going at full speed, about 12 miles the other side of Footscray, the constable’s attention was attracted t4 the window farthest from that next to which the prisoner was sitting, and the prisoner, seizing the opportunity, succeeded in opening the unlocked door, handcuffed as he was, and leaped from the rapidly-travelling tiain. The astounded constable looked round just in time to see his prisoner disappear-* ing. He did not risk the leap also, but waited until the train reached Footscray, where he sought the aid of a mounted constable, who at once saddled-up and rode out to the scene. The locality was searched, but the prisoner was not found The. police were informed by some girls that they had seen him walking smartly in an opposite direction to Melbourne. Ho still had the handcuffs on, but seemed quite uninjured. After a fruitless search the police re' urned. Proctor was captured a couple of days later. His account is that he and the constable weie together in one end of a carriage, when a window at the other end being open and causing a draught, the constable went over to shut it. Immediately his back was turned, Proctor, vising from his seat, and handcuiie i as he was, smartly pushed himself through the window of the compartment, Nothing daunted by the speed at which the train was going, he seems to hj ive made.an unhesitating leap. He probably lay help less for some time, for the wound he received in the headmost have stunned him, and the great bruises on various

pai ts of his body avo marks of the shock he must have had. Since . his ro-arrost he lias been tolerably frank. It appears that the desperate act was committed soon, alter leaving the E"eilor road station, and it was well on in the day. He journeyed on in the direction of Footscray—seems to have wandered on rather aimlessly. By nightfall he got as far as a place called the Gap j and there he lay down to sleep, in partial shelter, which he discovered. By means of which he is, of course, unable to disclose, lie got his

manacles loosened so tar that the chain which joined the handcuffs together was cut through. A suit of tweed was obtained from some unnamed source, and substituted lor the gaol uniform. Early in the morning the escapee paid a visit to an hotel at the Gap, An incident occurred hero. Re was resting in tiro bar, when a policeman came in, and inquired of the landlord if he had seen any tiring of a man apparently recently from gaol. The landlord, not knowing ot the adventure, and not knowing the man, replied in Use negative. A conversation ensued, during which the prisoner, who, of course, was in good disguise, which he c re-

fully maintuired, quietly left. The constable did not know his man until some time later. During the morning sti I in the early hours, Proctor came across some platelayers, who detained him in conversation. He was as. tonisbed to find that they know of his escapade. They observed that “he mast have had a bad fail,” winch he agreed with, and accounted for in a slightly prevaricating manner. Two line repairers whom lie accosted were considerably frightened by the menace iug attitude he assumed. Pointing the cold shell of a handcuff at them, he vowed he would blow their brains out if they came near him. They kept a safe distance, and went on, presumably, to inform tlio fust policeman they met of the fact that a desperado was at large. It was a little later in the day when M united-constable Ashton, of Keih>r, who had been despatched to look after the missing link, came up with him. lie was still *■ on the Wallaby” when taken. The unfortunate fellow seemed to be very much injured and very downcast, lie said to the constable that he wished he had “ teen killed on the spot rather than recaptured” lie also sai l that in tbo full from the tram his head struck against a mile post, and gave him the ugly wound ho has. This he at first took to be the effects of a shot from the constable, who had him in charge, lie statvs that the constable was not to blame for bis escape, for as soon as he made for the other end of the carriage ho (the [Vtsoucij made through the window. About eighteen mouths of Lis sentence was yet to run. A •‘solitary” term was awaiting him immediately on his return to Pentiidge. and the then..lit of this appeared to effect him very much, lie appeared very bad when he icached the loci: up, and complained of an “upside-down” sort of feeling internally, from the severe shaking ho got on issuing from the train —‘ Tele aaph.’ For geneva! debility aiui ] msb-atlia Hop i-ittam (Aa»«vis.-.u OVs) wifi du wim^m