THE CAREER OP A REMARKABLE CRIMINAL.

Southland Times, Issue 910, 4 March 1868, Page 3

THE CAREER OP A REMARKABLE CRIMINAL.

On Tuesday afternoon there was rearrested at Carlisle, on the charge of burglary, a man whose daring criminal achievements have for a quarter of a century furnished food for the wonder of the gossips of a wide district. In the year 1844 John Giliespie was sentenced to death for attempted murder at Wigtown, he having brokeu the nose of a shopkeeper with his " Jemmy " while robbing the shop at midnight. Grillespie was left for execution, and would in all probability have beeu executed, but for a series of well-sustained artifices. He feigned serious illness, and as he was believed to be on the point of death the execution of his sentence was indefinitely postponed. On the tenth day after trial, as he was going up. the stair of the prison chapel, he fell backward — in a it, as it was-thought. He was carried to the hospital, where, by some means, he managed to vomit blood at pleasure ; and in order to revive him, the generous Grovernor, Mr Orridge, had him removed to a more cheerful room, the day room, which he occupied for four years. During his abode here a perfect cripple to all appearance, confined to bed, and in the last stage of illness — unaccountable robberies took place in the larder of the Governor's house : his wine was consumed by

some mysterious means ; on one or two occasions female prisoners had been found drunk by the warders. All this was inexplicable until tlie day on which Grillespie, seemingly at the point of death, was liberated and conveyed home. A search of his room was made, and at the bottom of. a water cistern a large bunch of keys was found, which opened' every lock in the jail, even the Governor's safe and private drawers ! He also had a small oil lamp concealed in the same place, and a pot of paint for covering over any damage he might do to the wood-work iti his lock-picking explorations about the prison. Next day Grillespie was walking about the streets, his crutches thrown away, and no sign of his prolonged debility visible. A fortnight later he was apprehended for burglary near Annan, and was lodged in Dufriesshire jail, out of which, however, he broke, in company with another prisoner named M'Callum. The latter got clear for a time, but ultimately he was retaken near Durham. Grillespie", who had a " club " foot, was tracked by a policeman, and after a prolonged and bloody fight he was secured. He was sentenced to ten years transportation, and was sent to Aberdeen prison to put in part of his time, from which he again escaped, only to be again captured, and was once more conveyed to Abetdeen, and confined there. In the course of time, strange to say, he got a ticket-of-leave, when he returned to Carlisle, and, more strange still, he was appointed master of the Eeformatory School there. However, his instruction being very much of the F;rgan sLamp, Mr Sabbage, now Superintendent of Police at Newcastle, got his license withdrawn, and Gfilleepie was sent back to 3erve out his term of punishment. Other incidents of his career might be narrated, but the above will no doubt appear sufficiently extraordinary. In the present case he was arrested last week on the charge of breaking into the iiouse of a solicitor at one o'clock in the morning, and stealing silver plate ; but a witness having withdrawn his identification of the prisoner, he was discharged.