Gaol Breaking.

Manawatu Herald, 9 January 1902, Page 2

Gaol Breaking.

A sensational case of gaol breaking occurred on the afternoon of the 6th inst. at Wanganui, when four wait-ing-trial prisoners made their escape from the local gaol. The circumstances attending their escape were of an unusually exciting nature. Whether or not the attempt was prearranged cannot be stated, but if not the men were certainly lucky in the time they chose. The hard labour gang were away working oh Cook’s Gardens, the gaoler was engaged at the Court, and only two warders were left in charge of the institution. From what can be gathered, it appears that at about 8 o’clock Warder Steels called the prisoners, who were out in the yard, to coma in. They obeyed him, but no sooner had they entered the door than ‘ two of them —McDonald and another assaulted the warder, knocked him down and then shoved him into one of the cells, immediately banging the spring lock door. Having got Steele opt of the .way, the desperate men next turned their attention to ( acting-Warder Redmond, who was overpowered and hurried, into another cell. During the scuffle Steele dropped his keys, und one of the other prisoners not implicated in the escapade unlocked the■ gaol door and ran across to Cook's Gardens to notify the warders what had happened. Steele, finding himself trapped, broke the window of the cell and shouted until he attracted the attention of a prisoner who was employed outside. This.man, hearing the noise, ran over to the gaoler’s house and informed the matron. • !'he matron immediately came across bringing with her the gaoler’s keys. She saw several prisoners standing about the door, and from them she learned what had occurred. She then released the pent-up warders. Steele’s keys were subsequently found on the door of the store room, which the escapees, no doubt in search of arms and plain clothes, had visited, but had not succeeded in opening.

Previous to the long sentence prisoner to the police station alarm. Uponoccurred, the able of mediately surroundinMfeH|^^^Rf*|JßliW searched,, w*jf , advantaggJPWood start 'i country to hidii. Iflhree of the men are supposed to have mads for the open country seawards behind , the racecourse, and one of them is supposed to have been*' iiieen crossing • the river in a canoe in the vicinity of Putiki. The names of the four men 1 are—McDonald,, waiting trial “ for alleged burglary at Bunnythorpe; Moore, waiting trial for oattle stealing at Peilding; Thurston and . Howard, waiting trial for robbery, from the person at Wanganui. Up to the time of telegraphing, nothing - has been heard ol them, and all the police are still out.“ Tracks' j>f three were discovered in the proximity of a cottage on the sand dunes away behind the racecourse, but the only satisfaction the hot and,’disconsolate pursuers got was to learn from a person fast falling into fihakespeare s seventh age, that “three boys in white coats’* had run through a garden some time before. _ Energetic and unremitting efforts by the police in search ot the escaped prisoners were rewarded Tuesday evening by k the capture of three of the missing men—McDonald, Howard and Moore. The 1 affair naturally created great excitement. The police went about the work m a determined and systematic /banner and officers and men are entitled to much credit. Every possible outlet from the district was guarded, and the intervening country thoiciughlysearch- - ed. Some of the men were on duty for forty hours, snatching meal# whqw and when they could. Word was received at the Central Felice Statioii from the railway stationmaster at Ka,l Iwi that three men in prison clothe* had been seen about * mil« from «er« by railway surface men a little after noon. Members of the force were sent to Kai Iwi immediately. They made further inquiries, and heard that the men bad crossed the big ridge, about a mile boyond the hot*!, towatds the beach* They then Constables Clouston and . Hughes making for the further side of. the ridge, Constable Campbell walking mp : the front. When Ward reached the tpp he noticed a lot of thick scrub in a small gully some distance away, and he beckoned to Campbell to go up the gully. Campbell made straight for the scrub, and a little investigation revealed Moore lying down flat in.: the undergrowth. As soon as Moore-' heard Campbell he rose and made a dash through, the bushes. Th» constable called to him to stop, Wit as he declined to do so CarapbeiLfired over the man’s head, at Hi* same time Calling to Ward to come down. Moors then put up his hands, and Campbell! looked round and saw the other two men in the bushes. These he covefied with his revolver, while Ward handcuffed them. From the position the police took up it was impossible for the men to escape, as tuny were surrounded. The prisoners were then taken to the Kai Iwi Hotel and provided with a meal, which they ate with evident relish, A vehicle was sent out to convey the party into town and captors and captured reaohsd the police cells at about nine o’clock. AM looked fagged, the escapees especially so. They were barefooted and bareheaded, and had not had anything to eat since leaving gaol until that even-' ing. They were naturally disappointed at their capture, and McDonald said, they would never have been “ nabbed ” if Moore had not shown himself on top of the ridge over-looking the hotel. At the station they made light of their escape, one of them remarking with grim humour that" the warders went ; down like nine-pins,” an ti if the gaoler - had been there they supposed be would have been locked up as well. . Concerning Thurston, who Is still at large, the latest information is .that he passed through Foster's farm oh Monday night, and was tracked by Cos- ’ stable Clark past Fordell. Tberfe however, the trail was lost, the man .having apparently rua to cover for the day. The locality is well guarded, and the officers are confident of securing him. Tv/o of the escapees are men with previous conviction!!, and. one is recently from Queensland, and Is suspected; by the police of being a man with a history. The fact that ’ foui: prisonera, presumably desperate men, were at large occasioned no small amount of excitement throughout the ■ district, and it may safely be said that as an instance of gaol-breaking the affair was one of the most sensational thitf baa occurred in the colony.