AGAIN ESCAPED.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1814, 10 November 1888, Page 2

AGAIN ESCAPED.

Ohbistohheoh, Novi 8. The Maori burglar and prison-breaker, John Murray, alias Hane Mare, or Tekaama Opurnna, has again made good his escape from confinement in Addington gaol. Murray was placed in the cell from which his first escape was effected. Yesterday Lieutenant Colonel Hume, who was inspecting Addington gaol, was shown Murray and his cell. On being informed that that was the cell from which the Maori had escaped, the Inspector of Prisons is said to hare remarked that he “ did not see that they could have placed him in a stronger one. ” Murray is a powerful, well-knit, active-looking man, and apparently his looks do not belie him, fjr in extricating himself he performed a feat that would puzzle almost any trained athlete. The cell was of the usual dimensions, and is about twelve feet square. It is 9ft high in the clear, and in the roof ia a skylight 2 feet 6 inches square by about 3 feet in height. Murray had no clothing on at the time with the exception of a shirt, and his plan seems to have been as follows:—At 10 o’clock the cell was visited by a warder who found all right. About 2 a.m., he rolled up hie mattress and blankets, and made the highest and hardest possible bundle of them. They were placed under •he skylight, Me made a determined jump from this pile and may have been able to entangle his fingers ia the wire netting which covers the skylight. This gave him a purchase by which to draw hie body into a compact form in the space beneath the skylight. Then by another muscular effort the wire netting and iron grating were forced off the skylight, It is said that above the door of the cell is a small ledge about a quarter of an inch deep, which may possibly have been used as a step. On gaining the sloping roof of the building he had only to slide down and drop about 12 feet to the ground to be free. The time at which the escape was made was approximately stated at 2 o’clock, as at that time a man named Clarkson, who occupied the cell next to Murray, heard a slight noise going on, but did not think it worth while to raise the alarm, and it was not until 5 o’clock this morning that it was known by the authorities that Murray bad escaped. On leoeipt of the news at Lyttelton Sergeant O’Malley and Constables Drake, Bleasel, and McCormack, at once proceeded to Baupiki to search the hills there. No trace of him has yet been found. At daylight this morning the. escaped Maori prisoner was seen on the Port Hills, near Governor’s Bay Boad, by a resident in the neighborhood. He had no clothes on but bis shirt.