This Man Broke Gaol To Pay Lawyer—Went Back

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 340, 22 January 1937, Page 7

This Man Broke Gaol To Pay Lawyer—Went Back

‘KING OF ESCAPED CONVICTS* IS NOW WRITING FILM PLOTS ‘ In the prison of Liege (Belgium). Eugene Laurent, nicknamed ‘ • Bomboule, King of the Escaped krnvactp,” spends his time writing film plots which he hopes to sell when ne is released shortly. One tf his mo*t amazing escapades, which helped to earn him his titie and might well feature in the most sensational of films, was to escape from gaol to pay a lawyer his fee, returning after he had done so. When war broke out he wrote this personal letter to King Albert: “I, Boulboule, put myself at the disposal of your Majesty to do whatever will please your Majesty. “ Kill any enemy your Majesty will command me to kill. “Blow up any tunnel; train or enemy regiment. ’ ’ Instead of blowing up battalions of Germans, “Boulboule” was captured by them. He was being escorted to prison by two soldiers when suddenly he snatched a rifle from one of them. He killed both and fled. Some months later he was recaptured and taken by train to Givet to be shot. In the train Boulboule, although his wrists were manacled, jumped head first through the window, and though the train was doing 40 miles an hour ho escaped without injury. After the Armistice Laurent was again sentenced, this time by a Belgian judge, for minor offences. As the gendarmes were leading him out of the tribunal room Boulboule turned towards his barrister: “I shall come to you this afternoon to pay your fee. ” True enough, some hours later, Boulboule rang the bell of tho barrister’s house, paid the fee—and went back to prison.