A BID FOR FREEDOM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 106, 20 September 1912, Page 7

A BID FOR FREEDOM.

> FIVE DAYS' BREAD AND WATER. 1 ALLEGED PERSECUTION. 1 "Stone walls do not a prison make, 1 nor iron 'bars a cage," was doubtless the ' sentiment which inspired one of his Majesty's unwilling guests at the New Plymouth gaol to make a bold but unsuccessful bid for liberty some time between "lights out" on Monday and the prebreakfast visit of the 'warder on the following morning. As a result a younglooking prisoner named Frederick James Symes, alias Seymour, stepped into the dock at the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, charged with attempting to escape. Symes is an habitual criminal undergoing an indeterminate sentence. He lias been in the local prison about a year. The last time he was i before the Court was at Auckland, when he was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment and declared an habitual. Prior to that he served two sentences of twelve months and one of six. His offences were against property. Describing his latest episode, the gaoler (Mr. Coyle) said that on Monday night he wrenched two stout iron hinges from the table in his cell, and made use of them to break' away the concrete around the catch of the lock in his cell door for the purpose pi getting out. He did not succeed, however, the catch proving too stroll". Tn the morning a warder on visiting the cell at once detected that something was ' amiss. c'x Yl> '* t' m '°->" '"terjVctod Mr. Crooke, I S.M., "any real chance of the prisoner escaping?" Mr. Coyle replied that but for the fact | that the catch was rerv strongly emI bedded in the concrete 'lie would have got out. He actually succeeded in getting all the cement away from, the catch, and when apprehended had in his possession a pick-lock, with which it was presumed he could have got ont of the door. The Magistrate: How did he get the pick-lock ? The gaoler: Only a short time ago he was put on bread and water for three days for having a number of pick-locks in his possession, which he made out of four-inch and six-inch nails. He lias been punished twice .recently for prison offences. He does not seem to be able { to settle down to prison discipline. I The Magistrate: I don't suppose any: punishment will have any effect on him. You (the prisoner) don't seem to have j any desire to take advantage of good [ behaviour in order to get your sentence : reduced. I sentence you to be ke#t' «S bread and water for five days. ; A warder was about to escort the ' prisoner from the dock, when the latter feelingly ejaculated: "Your Worship, let me have a word, please. The offences' that I have committed have been committed through my being persecuted. The Magistrate:' The Prison Board was at the gaol this week ,and you could have complained to them. The gaoler: He has seen the Prison Board and two visiting justices. The prisoner: I made a complaint before the visiting justices, but I did not mention it to the Board. I did not, think it was necessary. j The Magistrate: I am not the visiting 1 justices. You must complain to them or ' to the Minister of Justice, You have had an opportunity of complaining to the Prison Board. With this the dialogue ended, and the '■ prisoner left the dock with the prospect f of a diet suitable to the simple life. ■ j