Escape of Prisoners from Fremantle Gaol.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 281, 29 November 1887, Page 5

Escape of Prisoners from Fremantle Gaol.

A prisoner named William Thompson,who. is undergoing a life sentence for rape* escaped from the Fremantle Gaol by means of a rope suspended over the prison wall by some persons outside. On the following morning Thomas Hughes, the bushranger, and another prisoner named Jarvis eifected their escape from Fremantle Gaol by disarming the guard. With the res. of a party 'of prisoners, they_ were-' employed in excavating a tank in the] prison yard. A warder named Craik waa j present in the tank with the men, and on j the level ground above a warder named] Rogers was stationed. Rogers was armed j with a double-barrelled gun. About 9;j o'clock Jarvis went to the toolhouse, and! in returning, when a couple of yards -fly Rogers, turned round and seized him] round the waist, and held him till Hughes i came up and twisted the gun out of his hand. They then compelled Rogers to give ■ up the cartridges and keys, after which they locked him in the closet. They also" treated Craik, who was unarmed, in the same way. They were abo.ufc to get over the wall of the prison yard when a convict named Green endeavoured to prevent them, whereupon Hughes turned , upon him and fired at him, but missed his aim. Then they crossed the wall. The prisoners in the yard raised an alarm. The escapees were pursued by Warder Hawkins, who, with a large number of police, ! went in chase of them. The affair caused much excitement, both in Perth and Fremantle.

Trackers followed them for five miles, but lost the track in a dense bush. Tho escapees made for the Canning district, where they were seen by several people. Hughes told an old man that he would nob be taken alive. The police got on to the ; tracks leading to the Canning Hills, where j in his previous bushranging career Hughes ' had his main camp, but that camp waa , never found by the police. The Govern- j ment offered a reward of £200 for the re- ; capture of the runaways. i After being at large some days the es- ■ capees wero finally surprised and captured. It appears that the police received news that the bushrangers broke into a store at Guildford on Friday night. They took possession of a quantity of provisions and a rifle. One party of police took up j their tracks, which they followed. Another pacty, under Corporal Hackett, had,] with Constable O'Hara and two black. trackers, ridden out from Perth. While '• scouring the bush, the black trackers suddenly called upon the constables to stop. They listened quietly for some minutes. The four dismounted, and j stole silently to a spot indicated by the; motions of the trackers. "When within range, Hughes and Jarvis were seen quietly eating their dinner. They were immediately " covered" with the revolvers of the police, '■ and called upon to "bail up." With a startled, hunted, yet desperate look, both men saw they were covered. Reluctantly, up went their hands, and the handcuffs were slipped on by one of the constables, while the others kept their shooting irons levelled. The men had two " breechloaders" and a large quantity of cartridges, besides a large swag of provisions, etc. Their feet were bound with rags to escape detection. Hughes still shows a deal of bravado.