ESCAPE OF A PRISONER.

Evening Star, Issue 2956, 9 August 1872, Page 2

ESCAPE OF A PRISONER.

The prisoner, whose escape was mentioned in onr columns yesterday, is the notorious Auckland house-breaker, Isaac Plummer ; and this constitutes his fourth escape, we believe, from custody. Plummer Ims for the past few days been working with the gang of prisoner who are engaged in widening the main south road at the Hillside toll-bar, and was at work yesterday as usual. At three o’clock in the afternoon he obtained leave to go to a place of convenience u; -.d by the pvisoaers ; and his movements do not appear to have occasioned the slightest notice. The back of this place faces the warders on duty; and it is closely contiguous to the Cemetery fence. Plummer, observing that the attention of the two warders on duty was not directed to him, at once leaped over the fence ; and crouching down alongside it, crawled on his hands and knees tilt he got beyond the high ground at the back of the Cemetery. He w r as here observed by a boy, who gave information to his father,

which led to the warders becoming aware of the escape. Then a hue ami cry was raised ; but Plummer had got too much of a start, and there is little doubt that he found Ins way into the dense and almost unpenetrable bush at the rear of Bridgeman s tannery at the Glen before a well organised search could be initiated. On the escape being reported in town, all the available men from the gaol and police were set off in pursuit, and a cordon was established round this bush, but beyond an attempt being made to enter it, which was quickly because of the difficulty of gaining an entrance, nothing wns done. The only knowledge we have of Plummer's mm ements, after he was seen by the boy crawling along the Cemetery fence, is that be was observed by a girl £ the roacl kTding G from Caversham to * 2S and 7hirt, which" were afterward, picked no near the spot where ho was seen. tL noHce have also reem-ed information shortly before three o’clock yesterday aftersnore y a n( ii eV the custodian of the o', If! i*; oners whose gait he describe. and it is said it resembled Plummer, making m the direction of one of the pavilions, but thinkhom the fact of tho prisoners working close fby, he had been sent there, he did not close fuyi . e 1C circumstance. take any discovered that there Mn rt from the Dunedin ClnV, nail oeeu pair of trousers with pavilion a , - -j „e and white chequered ye low strip , » “ k “ ife sn< l a black S™'™, V’ tho fact that there sou west - | n the shed which roriSy thtat could have easily taken an ormu v mentioned, it is Vltnal conieoturo that tho art.de. a rational coni pi nmm er; and if must have he , correct, it becomes a that supposi i how long could question for he have been » < on part of the been soms gr v * three o’clock the warders Y • instituted in the cl - 3 I S J Sof the Glen hush and the surneighborhood o the W the fainteß fc rounding distnc.s, m NV scent of Plummer was to be iouiivl. S to say that some foolish people have Wn amusin'' themselves by circulating false SZTTSa«»s •««» ««“ a ” 3Wer ‘" i! Plummer’s description m various paits, wS have caused considerable annoyance 70 the men engaged in the pursn. of the escanee. The description of Plummer tur nished by the authorities is as follows . —He is y twenty-eight years old, o feet 71 inches high, has light brown hair cut short, light blue eyes is-clcaiai shaved, wffh fresh complexion, and if stout built. Hi Sp rticular marks” are-scar on forehead, scar under left eye, scar across right arm, mark of cupping on back of neck, two vaccine marks on left arm. gunshot wound pu right leg, and teeth deficient and with this escape, a somewhat ludicrous circumstance occurred last night—ludicrous as far as the on-lookers were concerned, but not so to the party who was a victim to the over zealonsneas of the apprehending constable. It appears that as a P youth named Tierney, who is about sewnteen years of age, was proceeding along Stafford street a little before ten o clock last niffht he was accosted by the constable on duty! who asked him where he was going. Tierney, instead of replying, took to his heels, hotly pursued by the policeman, and aomrht refuge in the Red Lion Hotel, where he made a most determined resistance. The constable, in spite of T>e™eys struggles and threats that he would tell his father on him,” succeeded in mastering him, and was in the act of conveying him to the lockup when, fortunately for the poor lad, the sergeant on duty and Sub-Inspector Moore, alarmed by his cries, made their appearance on tho scene, and on being assured by several bystanders that he was not Plummer, ordered him to be released. It is rather strange that the constable, should have made such a mistake, as Tierney w at least ten inches shorter in stature than the man the police were in search of. Plus incident, however, should put quiet people on their guard A policeman is not such a fornudable person that he should bo run away from by those who have no cause to fear him. -