PLUMMER AND HIS ESCAPES.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 264, 13 August 1872, Page 3

PLUMMER AND HIS ESCAPES.

The following account of Plummer’s career of late years is given in thp Auckland Evening Star > Plummer came from a respectable family, his brother having at one time been a draper in Queen-street, and is now a settler at Port Albert. Before his first convicrion he lived at Newton, and was supposed to be in good circumstances ; his house was generally known as “ Bachelors’ Hall.” Suspicion in some manner attaching to him, the police paid his house a visit early in 1867, where they found an enormous quantity of stolen property stored. Plummer was apprehended, and charged with two acts of burglary, and committed for trial. It was then, while under committal, he made his first attempt at escape from the Stockade, and in which *lie succeeded. While at large he pillaged a number of settlers’ houses, and made his way towards Albertland, stealing food where he did not succeed in begging it. He was at last seen riding a horse that he had stolen from a paddock ; refusing to surrender he was fired at and wounded in the leg, and his horse was shot dead under him. At his trial three fresh indictments were preferred against him in addition to the two charges of burglary, namely, for escape from custody, horse-stealing and larceny. To all these charges he pleaded guilty ; and for the two burglaries was sentenced to two terms of four years’ penal servitude to run consecutively ; hut no sentence was passed upon him for the other three offences. On the Bth or 9th of July, 1869, he again made his escape from Mount Eden with another prisoner named Robt. Martin. They made their way to the Wade, where they stole from the cutter Asp three or four blankets, a macintosh, and other articles. They were captured together on the 20th of July, and committed for trial for the two offences. They were tried at the September sessions, aud Plummer was sentenced to two years’ penal servitude for being illegally at large, and four years for stealing from the cutter Asp. To the latter charge he pleaded not guilty. These terms of imprisonment were ordered to commence at the expiration of the original sentences. The accumulated sentences, would thus not expire until March, 1881. In March, 1870, the prisoner made another attempt at escape, but was detected, and sentenced by the visiting justice to fourteen davs solitary confinement with biead and water diet. On the 29th December, a prisoner in an adjoining cell was discovered cutting through the partition with a view of making a joint escape. Plummer was also found to have cut partly through his irons. He was agaiu ordered fourteen days’ solitary confinement, when on the lltli January he was again brought before the Governor of the gaol charged with another attempt to cut through his irons. Plummer alleged that the incision had been made on the previous occasion, and had been since undetected bv the warder. He was given the hen -fit of the doubt. The next attorn pt made was by cutting through the floor of his cell after being locked up for the night on the 15th of August, 1871; for this he was severely punislnd. The ’ove of liberty was so strong in this fellow that on the 30th of March last he made another endeavour to get away. On this occasion he was working in the quarry, and had arranged with two other prisoners for all to start in different directions, so as to disconcert the warder. The others, however, were wantiug in courage and Plummer ran full but oil the muzzle of Warder Hughe’s revolver, and under its mesmeric influence was conducted to his cell. He then pleaded sickness, and was removed to the hospital ; from their he made his last and final attempt to escape from the Stockade, and was condemned to wear irons during the remainder of his sentence. In addition to these acts, Plummer’s name figures largely in the defaulter’s books of the gaol for various offences against prison discipline, namely, for fighting with auother prisoner, destroying his clothes, refusing to work on numerous occasions, idleness, assaulting a fellow prisoner, destroying gaol property, breaking a sewing machine in the tailoring department, smashing windows. Plummer was, with eight other prisoners, including Haley, sent down to Dunediu for better security, the Provincial Government contracting to pay for their maintenance.