CONVICT'S WILD ESCAPADE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 14 June 1907, Page 4

CONVICT'S WILD ESCAPADE.

FIVE HOURS' SIEGE OX A ROOF. CALIFS £SOO DAMAGE AT A PRISON For five hours (fays a London p&per) a convict who escaped from Wormwood Scrubs defied capture. He got on to the roof of one of the main block* and did damage to the extent of £SOO. A large crowd uatobed Che man's antics from the common.

The convict's name 'is Davis. He is a young nan, serving a U-rm of eighteen monthi on a charge of burglary, and has been very troublesome on more than one occasion.

It v. a* just after eleven o'clock in the morning. A gang of convici ;> were doing vr.f r r .'is? in the yard, and Uavii was anions them. Suddenly he seized a spade and clambeud up a. water-pipe on to the rort of "f>lioek He scaU-d the walia with the surtfootfdneos and agility if a cat and ran over the slwtaig roof. He looked around and laughed aloud, and llxn hi.>i work of destruction began. Brandishing! tlki Ivavy Lpade over his head, he brought it down with a ciasli on to a h.igo sky i light in the centre of the rnof. Soon he saw another Wge skylight, and it slvii'd (ho fate of the first. One by cne after this the windows were broken. Warders could do nothing. One, wlit) tried to scale the roof, v;a> giected with a tornado of tatas aad broken glass, and ir a moment- of weakness tin convict hurled his only wi-apon. Ih.j snade, into tiio ya-*d lx>Vw. For the moment lie was hors dr (omlxit, but not for long He saw aome lead piping in the gu'ley of the ro ; I, and quickly tore b up. Surertlimus pieces w:<re thrown dov;n at the warders. A long strong puce he kept for himself, and v.v •'< as a cudgel. When every w ; ndow was broken n«- toroff the slate:; nu:\ mrAo targHs of illwarders in the y;.rds. Then \k- sat down and shouted, "I winder what wagas they'll give me for this." Now came the beginning of the <nd. It Vaan to rain, and the-(onvict moved rest leafy about the roof. Takimr advantage of his movements, W,ivder I'enni-. leapt from a tower on to the slant'.ng rc-f, aid lhp next moim lit he and th- 1 convict we." 1 struggling. Then 'ith"r wardeis uiuc. I.h* victim was stunned and bar;d< uifeo. and <arried kick to his cell. A five hour/ siege had ended