CHRISTIE’S ESCAPE.

Evening Star, Issue 2964, 19 August 1872, Page 2

CHRISTIE’S ESCAPE.

On Saturday (says the Southland Tima of the 13th iust.) the inhabitants of Invercargill were unpleasantly startled by hearing that John Christie, undergoing a six years’ sentence in tho gaol for horse-stealing, had managed to effect his escape in the course of the morning. It appears that Christie was engaged in preparing the prisoners’ breakfast at 10 minutes to 7 o’clock, in the gaol kitchen, at which time he was seen by the governor of the gaol, who left the apartment to speak to the warder on duty. Returning in about two minutes, be observed that Christie was no longer in the kitchen, and, running into the yard, discovered a board, about lour feet long, propped against the fence, and a hoe, or road-scraper, with the iron part muffled in a piece of rag, lying on the ground. Mr Fraser at once ran round the fence on the outside, but, as the morning was rather dark and rainy, failed to observe any traces of the whereabouts of the escapee, beyond the mark of his heels on the ground where he must have dropped. He must have sprung upon the top of the board as it stood against the fence, caught the top of the fence, which is ten feet six inches in height, with the hoe, raised himself with the handle, and so got over. At the time, the prisoner wore nothing but the regulation striped shirt and moleskiu trousers, so that he was but badly prepared fur the extremely severe weather which has since been experienced. He had the foresight, however, to provide himself with a loaf of bread. Information was at once conveyed to the police. Christie was yesterday captured on the Crown Range, in the neighborhood of the Mataura, by Sub-Inspector Fox and Constable Purdue. We have not heard particulars.