Ways of Living.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 376, 23 July 1903, Page 2

Ways of Living.

TALKS OP THE OLD BAILEY.

WTnIIKE. CHABLES GOEDON has *i&lr wri^en the interesting j Jb£tJbl. volume on the prison of Newgate that has ever, as far as we Know, seen the light. Although the subject of the work may appear somewhat morbid—as all works on criminology must of necessity be —yet it is one that is attractive to all. The author traces the history of Newgate fro.ll practically the time of the Conquest down to the day when the ancient prison was closed and handed over to the housebreakers Mmy another housebreaker, by the way—though of a different character—has been confined within its walls. Jack Sheppakd, As Mr Gordon eays, in the time of the first three Georges crime was fearfully rife, the lewer claseea being absolutely brntalised. The reason be gives for this state of affairs is that the Church was asleep, education did not reach them, their homes were filthy, drink was cheap, and the punishment of death was no deterrent to crime—what had they to livs for ? Newgate was crammed—to some extent owing to Jonathan Wild, who first induced people to commit crime and then denounced them for the sake of the blood money. Among the criminals incarcerated in Newgate at this time the most notorious was Jack Sheppard. The author says of him that he ' was a sorry rogue j indeed, as far as I can see, he had but one redeeming feature —'pluck'; but there never was a felon in England whose adventures have made so much noise.' His escapes from prison showed not only his ingenuity but his absolute coolness. 'At that time there was just within the lodge a hatch with large iron spikes. This opened into a dark passage, which led to the condemned cell (in which Jack was confined). The prisoners were permitted to come down to this hatch to speak with their friends, and Sheppard, with a file which he had obtained from his friends, cut one of the Bpikes so that it could easily break cff. In the evening Bass and Moll Maggott came to see him', so he broke off the spike, and, thrusting his head and ehoulders through the space, the women pulled him down, and he managed to make his escape undiscovered, although some of the keepers tf ere at the same time drinking at the further end of the lodge.'

His Last Escape. Of course, he was soon retaken, ana when returned to Newgate was mere heavily ironed than before. But he determined to escape if possible, and determined to make the attempt when the Sassicnß were being held at the Old Bailey. This he did. Ha first slipped his hands out of the handcuff*, and with an old nail which he found upon the floor picked the padlock which fastened hie chai:. to the staple. Thon he attempted to get up the chimney, but bis progress was stopped by an iron bar. He deecendf d again to his cell, got a piece of his broken chain, and with it picked out the mortar round the bar and released it, thus becoming the possessor of a useful instrument.

To make a long story short, he made his way to the roof through no less than five doors, one of which had not been opened for seven years, while another was bolted and barred. On one occasion he found the door locked on the other side, so he picked a hole in the wall round the lock and pushed the bolt back. Once on the leads, he had to find a means of descent on to the roof of the next house. As it was too far to drop, he actually went all the way back to \ is cell for his blanket Thiß he made fast with his spike, demanded £0 the roof, and, finding the do r of the garret open, awaited an oppirtunity and walked downstairs into the street. However, he was soon retaken, and met his fate at Tyburn on November 16 .a, 1724

PuNISHMEHTS, The most fiendish tortures wer? iaflicted in tbe old days on criminals, One of these was known as the * Peine Forte et Dare,' and was inflicted on those wbo refused to plead. The culprit was stretched naked on the floor, and was slowly pressed to death by weight after weight being placed upon his chest. The reason that prisoners underwent this torture was that their property was not confiscated after death, and was thus saved to their famil.es. Whipping at the cart's ta : l was a comnnn form of punishment, ccmnonly applied to swindlers, Mr Gordon mentions a case, in 1752, whtn Willian S.ioud, for swindling, was sentenced *to be imprisoned nix months in Bridewell, where he was to be kept to hard labour, and daring that time to be publicly whipped at the carf s tail through d ffarent streets no less than six times.' Private whipping, within the prison wslls, is, of course, still carried oa when some ruffian is ordered so many strokes with tl e cat, but it is done more humanely than formerly. Ftarß ago prisoners were w hipped publicly, and we find this very graphically depicted in an old engraving, where a culprit is being whipped outside the Old Bailey Sessions House. The whipping-block is very simple and very effective. ' The bottom doors are opened, the prisoner is marched in, they are shut and fastened, and hi 3 wrists are imprisoned in the leather-covered holes in the transverse bar, which are considerately made of two sizes 69 as not to hurt the culprit. The warder looks after that part of the business.'

A hsnlful of salt thrown on the fira before broiling meat deadens the blue flame that arises and helps prevent smoking.