ESCAPE OF A PRISONER.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 237, 15 August 1872, Page 5

ESCAPE OF A PRISONER.

(From the Evening Star.)

The prisoner, whose escape was mentioned in our columns yesterday, is the notorious Auckland house-breaker, Isaac Plnmmer ; and this constitutes his fourth escape, we believe, from custody. Plummer has for the past few days been working with the gang of prisoners who are engaged in widening the main south road at the Hillside toll-bar, aud was at work yesterday as usual. At three o'clock in the afternoon he obtained leave to go to a place of convenience used by the prisoners ; and his movements do not appear to have occasioned the ("lightest notice. The back of this place faces the warders on duty; and it is closely contiguous to the Cemetery fence. Plummer, observing that the attention of the two warders on duty was not directed to him, at once leaped over the fence ; and crouching down alongside it, crawled on his hands and knees till he got beyond the high ground at the back of the Cemetery. He was here observed by a boy, who gave information to his father, which led to the warders becoming aware |nf the e3cape. Then a hue and cry was raised ; but Plumm<?r had got too much of a start, and there is little doubt that he found his way into the dense and almost impenetrable bush at the rear of Bridgeman's tannery at the Glen before a well organised search could be initiated. On the escape being re1 ported in town, all the available men from the gaol and police were set off in pursuit, and a cordon was established round this bush, but beyond an attempt being made to enter it, which was quickly abandoned because of the difficulty of gaining an entrance, nothing was done. The only knowledge we have of Plummer's rao\ ements, aftor he waa seen by the boy crawling along the Cemetery fence, is that he was observed by a girl a little time before the police came up, crossing the road leading from Caversham to Mornington through the Belt, and that he was divesting himself of his coat and shirt, which were afterwards picked up near the spot where he was seen. Tne police have also received information shortly before three o'clock yesterday afternoon, Mr Hendley, the custodian of the cricket grounds, observed one of the prisoners, whose gait lie describes, and it is said it resembled Plummer, making in the direction of one of the pavilions, but thinking from the fact of the prisoners working close jby, he had been sent there, he did not take any notico of the circumstance. Last night it was discovered that there had been stolen from the Dunedin Club's pavilion a sac-coat, a pair of trousers with yellow stripes, a blue and white chequered Crimean shirt, a clasp knife, and a black " sou' westjr " From the fact that there were many other things in the shed which an ordinary thief could have easily taken, and the facts before mentioned, it is a rational conjecture that the artioVs must have been stolen by Plummer ; and if that supposition be correct, it becomes a question for consideration, how long could he have been away, and has there not been been soms grave neglect on the part of the warders on duty ? Up to three o'clock the closest search has been instituted in the neighborhood of the Glen bush and the surrounding districts, but not the faintest scent of Plummer was to be found. We regret to say that some foolish people have been amusing themselves by circulating false reports of having seen a man answering Plummer's description in various parts, which have caused considerable annoyance to the men engaged in the pursuit of the escapee. The description of Plummer furnished by the authorities is as follows : — He is twenty -eight years old, 5 feet 4J inches high, has light brown hair cut short, light blue eyes, is clean shaved, with fresh complexion, and if stout built. His " p rticular marks " are — scar on forehead, soar under left eye, soar across right arm, mark of cupping on back of neck, two vaccine marks on left arm, gunshot wound on right leg, and teeth deficient and irregular. In connection with this escape, a somewhat ludicrous circumstance occurred last night— ludicrous as far as the on-lookers were concerned, but not so to the party who was a victim to the over-zealousness of the apprehending constable. It appears that as a youth named Tierney, who is about seventeen years of age, was proceeding along Stafford street a little before ten o'clock last night, he was accosted by the constable on duty, who asked him where he was going. Tierney, instead of replying, took to his heels, hotly pursued by the policeman, and sought refuge in the Red Lion Hotel, where he made a most determined resistance. The constable, in spite of Tierney's struggles, and threats that he would " tell his father on him," succeeded in mastering him, and was in the act of conveying him to the lockup, when, fortunately for the poor lad, the sergeant oh duty and Sub-Inspector Moore, alarmed by his cries, made their appearance on the scene, and on being assured by several bystanders that he was not Plummer, ordered him to be released. It is rather strange that the constable should have made such a mistake, as Tierney is at least ten inches shorter in stature than the man the police were in search of. This incident, however, should put quiet people on their guard. A policeman is not such a formidable person that he should be run away from by those who have no causa to fear him.

Notwithstanding that the police have continued to keep up a vigilant search for Plummer, they have not yet been able to obtain the faintest indication of his whereabouts. The Commissioner of Police has intimated that a reward of L 25 will be paid to anyone who apprehends Plummer or gives such information as will leidto his apprehension and conviction.

The following particulars of Plumra^r's career will prove interesting : — He ia of a respectable family. His brothor for several years was a draper in Queen street, Auckland, and is now farming at Kaipara. In March, 1867, Plummer pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary, and received two sentences of four years consecutively. While waiting trial he escaped and pillaged several houses, stealing a horse ; and after a three days' pursuit was shot by a detective in the leg. His horse being killed under him, he was recaptured. He pleaded gnilty of the escape, horse stealing, ana larceny ; but no sentenc3 was passed till July, 186!). On the occasion of his second escape, which waa with another prisoner, he was at large for twelve days, during which he slept in the bush, stole clothes from a cutter on the coast, and was captared at Mahaurangi by Detective Ternahan. He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for the escape, and to four years for the robbery, the sentences to commence at the expiration of his original sentence. He afterwards made attempts to escape in March and December, 1870, in January and August, 1871, and in March, 1872. On the last occasion he was ordered to wear irons, and received a number of sentences, and was put on bread and water for act* of idleness, for

refusing to work, for destroying clothes, for fighting and assaulting other prisoners, for breaking sewing machines and windows, and for cutting through the floor of his cell and door rivets, and partly cutting through a floor of iron. One time while at large the detectives discovered in the possession of Plummer at his cottage at Cabbage Bay, twelve muskets and one keg of powder.

ANOTHER ESCAPE.

John Christie, the youth who will be remembered from his exploits of getting into a boat at the Taieri river, which he after*' wards overturned and allowed to drift towards the sea in order to found the supposition that he had met with an accident and been drowned, from his personation of a detective, and his Turpin-like ride from Riverton, through this Province, and across the Waitaki, and who at the last Criminal Sessions of the Southland Supreme Court received a sentence of six years' penal servitude, thi3 morning added to his other feat 3by escaping from the lnvercargill Gaol, where he was confined. The facts, as far as we have been able to gather them, are these : — Christie was engaged in looking after the prisoners' breakfast, in the kitchen of the gaol, at about ten minutes past seven this morning. He managed to slip out unobserved, and was not missed for two minutes. It is supposed that he got over the galvanised iron fence, which is 104 feet high, by placing a piece of board four feet long against it, standing on the board, and catching the top of the fence with a road scraper muffled for the purpose. The police have been engaged all day in a vigilant search, but up to 4.30 p.m. without bucccss.