Gasparini's Escape.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 25 April 1890, Page 2

Gasparini's Escape.

to following account of Gasparini's gscape is condensed from the account given in the Cenntmnial Afayanins. Wbi it on hoard the si WakatipU rjaaparini stated: — Amongst those who fired for the engines wai a Genoese who often used to come and talk with me, because we could speak the same language. One Jday when the watch changed I slipped into the engine room and down below to look about me, and noticing, that the floor was formed of iron plates,. I asked the Genoese what was under these plates and ho said ' HotV ing.' I remained there unseen, and when so one wai watching, I walked away astern, and found I was on the tunnel of the strew shaft. Wh«a I wad half way towards the gcrew I stopped and tried to lift one of the plates and found that I could do so, and that there was room for me to lit in it, though it was Tory dark and smelt badly, sot put back the plaie t and still unseen came out on, deck quietly. I could not get to wKere die provisions were kept without' be* ing: seen, and so could only manage to secrete two apples and two slices of bread, and then kept on waiting and watching all the day and a night for a chanoo to get down below, fiat none came, and there was always some ono about At last, on the Wednesday; at four iri the morning when the' watch changed, -the engineer in chat-go camo on deck fer a moment, and I made my atteafpt. I walked quiokly out on the shaft tunnel, and in doing so. brushed against another man, who I cannot underctand did' noise* me. Whin I reached tlxa place Above where I hadt>*en before I lifted the plate, stepped down into the tunnel, and then replaced the plate on top of me. 14 was very horrible —so dark that I could not see my hands' even when it was broad day, aud'l found the tunnel was net h\gh enough to allow me to sit upright, so I was obliged to be like this" [illustrating the attitude known as squatting on one's haunches, with the knees drawn up tightly to the chin,] " Then in the bottom there were several inches of filthy water, on which floated oil and grease and other things thrown off from the engines, and it stank ab .mniably. After being there for days as it tt*mod, r-ally on'y hours, 4h» jpain of sitting thus became worse and worse, until it was dreadful agony and I could bear it no longer, »o £ lay down fall length in thiji vile bilg« Water, which (it was well) was' not high enough to wash over my faoe ev«n when the ship rolled, 4>ht I would have byen smothered." y He remained there in the Tgul atmosphere, filch and gloom, with in* sufficient fooa for one ny*al from Wednesday 4 a.m. till Friday midnight, and it xr&3 owing to this fact that when the ' Waiitipu moored alongside the wharf at Sydney on the Thursday at 2 p.m. Detective Walker was unablo to deliver the body of Girolomo Gaapirini , alias Francois, into the safe ward and keeping of M. Le Compte do Seguisr representative of the French Bepub* lie. -.[,. At midnight on the Friday Gas* parini came out of hio lair, to find as he had hoped and more than half expected, his Genoese friend on the look out for him ; the latter told him that the ship was cicely watohed and escape wua simply inposnble, so he* immediately returned to his hidingp'ace, not before the Genoose however, had giv*n him som.e bread and meat add a bottle of tea ito take back with him with which mitigations of his miseries he again de* scended into the bowels of the ship, The Wakatipu was bound for New castle to coal before returning to New Zealand and ~&s the detective was going back by r ber be aoeonv panied the vessel on her little trip north. Here was a rathar unique situation! The baffled officer, while doubtless often racking bis brains to account for the mysterious dis* appearanoe of bis prisoner' was sep* arated from tho said prisoner only by a few iron plates and bulkheads, and as a matter of fact, was no further removed from him than&o'had been at any time since leaving Wellington The steamer left Sydney at tea o'clock on Sunday morning and ax* rivetj, at Newcastle towards oven* ing. "At nearly midnight, I . Gaspariii continues •' I'cameoat of the tunnel — when r in port -^ with the engines stopped arid nardly anyone on duty below, it was not difficult. With-out-making any noise, I reached the deck, arid there found my Genoeio firemau who told me that the detec' tive had be**n playing cards in the sa'oon from nine to ten, but now had turned in and all wag quiet for* ward. Then my friend brought me a razor, and I quiokly shaved of lay beard, aud he gave some directions for tho future— where to go and what to do, and then he brought me a change of c'othes and four shillings and sixpence, which wttr all he had bade me addio, and kepi watch while I orept away from the snip."