A DRAMATIC ESCAPE.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 July 1923, Page 1

A DRAMATIC ESCAPE.

A WARDER. ATTACKED. LONDON- June 7

\ I'lrr. it is alleged, attacking a uarder. v-lio is not expected to liie. a prisoner escaped I'toni Norwich Gaol yesterday, and up to a. late hour last night had not been recaptured. He was cha-ed for more than a quarter of a mile by tile 44-years-old daughter of the governor of the prison.

Aliuiil 11 si.n). two prisoners wen* woikimi in :t room of lln* prison HoverS lions." ill,out !'»«» yards from the prison. They won- in charge of n warder named l.ouis Arthur Huberts. U is alleged tliiit nut- of them named Charles linker, who was undergoing u term of imprisonment tor nit (I |ieiice committed at North Walsluim. attacked the warder with a heavy wooden pick-axe handle and knocked .dm unconscious. The other prisoner than ran to the prison and save tinalarm. Prison officers who ran to the house from' the prison found that the warder was locked in the room and that Baker had disappeared after dressing himself in the governor > clothes, and. it staled, taking f i of the governor's money. LITTLE GIRL'S IH'RSCIT. He dropped on to the roof of a green house helow and from there on to the lawn. He crossed the lawn in front of the house and went out hv a side gate into the roadway. .fust at. that moment little Gladys Colliuson, the governor’s daughter, was returning to her home and met the escaping prisoner. She recognised him. as he had been working at the governor's house for several days., and she also saw that he was wearing hei father's clothes. He had no hat on. Baker ran away verp rapidly am Gladys went after him. She kept tip the 'chase for nearly a quarter of a mile.' but then unfortunately she fell down on some stones and had to return home, where she gave information a.s to the direction in w hich Bakoi estap ed. The man seemed intent on putting a_ long a distance as possible between himself and his little purs.uei. When Mr. Collinson and warders arrived at the house, they entered the bedroom where the injured warder was lving 1-y the window. The door was, of course, locked. They found Roberts in a serious condition. He was unconscious and bleeding from wounds in the head. His skull was fractured and he was taken as quickly as possible to the infirmary, where he now lies m a critical state. Police on horse-hack, m motor-cars, and on bicycles at once started a search over o wide area, and this was continued throughout the day.