A GAOL ESCAPEE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 39, 5 February 1908, Page 2

A GAOL ESCAPEE.

■iesterday morning a prisoner named Joseph Thompson, alias Handley, alias Cooper, tfith a fairly long list of convictions, escaped from custody. He was sentenced at Feilding on Bth March, 1900, to two terms of three years, running concurrently, for breaking and enticing. He was shortly afterwards sent to the Waiotapu tree-planting station liar Rotorua, and lie escaped from there B 12th September, l'OOfl. For this he fceived another nine months' gaol, to b served upon completion of the original term, die lias thus about twelve months still to serve. Being one of the best conducted prisoners in the goal and i good worker, he lias latterly Been promoted to the lighter duties of cleaner, laundry assistant, and so on. Yesterday ">e and another prisoner were doing the. j \ashing, and Thompson obtained leave fo retire for a brief time. As" his abj £ence was prolonged; the warder went to look him up, but he had fled. The alarni was given, and the outdoor gang immediately marched in. Then the warders J and some of the police constables se,t off to hunt for the escapee, but, though they tramped over nearly every inch in! the vicinity, the search was without av^it,