REMARKABLE ESCAPE FROM PRISON.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8117, 11 April 1906, Page 3

REMARKABLE ESCAPE FROM PRISON.

ALMOST A MONTE CHRIST© STORY. The Derlio correspondent uf the London Leader writes:—-An escape tvaa made from tb« Merlin Central prison in the early boars of Monday morning by meaua which #auld have done honour to Monte Ohristo. Three convicts, Baranovsk. Goldbach, and Muller, were incarcerated in the adjacent ceLla oo the top most floor, and by "'prison telephone," that is, by a system of tapping on the heating apparatus I pipes, had arranged all the detail of the flight for Sunday night. With pieces of wire taken from the spring mattress of biß bed, iSaranovsKi, who ocupied the middle cell, bored a tiolo through the wall, separating him from his left hand neighbour, while the other neighbour similarly made a hole into Baranovski's cell. The work occupied Bix hours, aud when the three assembled in BarannvaKi's cell another hole was toilsomely made with the same tools through the ceiling. Dawn was fcreaking when the three men stood on the roof, and the utmost speed was now necessary, leat the guaida caught sight of them. Baranovski, in whose brain the whole adventure was planned, attached to the cornice a rope made of strands secreted during the months be bHd worked iu the prison tailoring shop, aud with the help of this J he let himself carefully down into j the courtyard. Miller successfully | followed his example, buf Goldbach j slipped when half way down, and j fell GO feet on the bard pavement, where he had to be left with broken bones aud unconscious. The two others were now confronted by the j prison wall. For scaling this Ob- j Btacle they had brought with thorn a strong rope mad 1 * of twisted Btrios of bedolotheß. At one end of. this rope wafl a hoop made from oortions of the bedstead, the object 1 being to fling It over the wall in the hope that it would catch in the masonry on the other side. Baranovski made the fi»st attempt by imitating a fisherman's throw, and curiously enough the hook caught immediately. Re climbed up the rope and in a moment wa« over the wall and in freedom. Just as Muller was following, however, the hook gave jsay. and as he was throning it a second time the guards came round the corner and seized "him. Goldbach was not fatally injured. No trace of Baranyveki has yet been discovered.