ANOTHER GAOL ESCAPADE.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 282, 29 November 1888, Page 5

ANOTHER GAOL ESCAPADE.

THE SECOND FROM WANGANUI

PRISONER RECAPTURED.

At about 5.30 on the morning of November 24th, as the Navals were firing at the 300 yards range, Wanganui, a group of about a dozen individuals were rather surprised on seeing a gaol warder in full uniform coming towards them with a six - barrelled life preserver in his hand. " What's the matter?" was the all-round question. The reply came that a prisoner named George Miller (awaiting trial for stealing hides from Mr T. Mitchell's slaughter yards) had got away. The warder had no time to waste in giving any explanations, and as the slioofcists had not seen his man, he went off to look for him.

HOW IT HAPPENED was in this wise. Shortly after Miller prot free lodgings he volunteered to cook for the guests, and Host. McNish thinking him an eligible candidate for the portfolio awarded him the honour. George seemed a quiet, innocent kind of man that no one would have expected to try and f^et away —oh dear, no ! Bub all the same -— he saw his chance and took it. To explain hoff he £0b out it is necessary to slate that, attached to the kitchen is a yard in which the cook stores hia pots and pans, itc. Theie is not rocm enough in it to swing a cat in, and above head is a set of gratings that Mr McNish specially prided himself upon. No one, he thought, couid possibly gut out that way. Well, to resume. This morning Miller, being' cook, was the iirst prisoner unlocked by Warder Mahoney. Mahoney very considerately lit the lire, possibly because ho did not care to trust (leor^e with matches, and then called (that's the polite term) iviiller. Miller was on the .spot in no time; and Mahoney went about bw other work, to return in about ten minutes' time and h'nd that his bird had Hown. Miller had j^one on to a shelf in the yard,.and thence had pulled himself up on the sill of a fanligho above the kitchen door. Getting his body in there he, by a tighb squeeze (for Miller is not a slight man though small) managed to push through between the building and the bars From that his work was easy—in fact, a mere novice at gaol-breaking could have managed the rest. First get out—then crccp^along the spouting, which a kindly Government have had made nice and wide on purpose; then ab the end there is no nasty drop of 20ft. or so, not at all ; the "look-out" stage for the officers completes the work, and your descent is as easy as it is graceful.

THE CHASE commenced forthwith. Poor Mahoney, of course, rai«cd Cain directly—or rather he had Mr AloNish across in the gaol within five minutes, and then posted off himself, revolver in hand, to order the prisoner to «< Thumbs up "—when he caught him, if he could; and. as stated above, ho was out on the job when first seen this morning. Later on residents in town noticed that the police had suddenly lost their everyday swagger, and were bustling about aa though there was business on the boards, and as the *hootisfcs were coming back they met Mounted Constable Crorier away on the hunt, but his Colt was out of sight, ihe others were all.out scouring round and making things lively. THE ARREST

was made ab about U o'clock on the Kaikopopu Road, about a quartsr of a nils past what is known as "The Tunnel," beyond the Chinamen's gardens some distance, by Warder M urray. He was provided with all the paraphernalia of his order, a revolver m one pocket, ftnd the " darbies" in another, and was strolling along quite pleasantly, when he saw his man pap HP out of the tern and stuff that skins the creek. _ Io pull out the six-chambered enchanter with one band wag the work of a trice, and bringing H- to the present, he had his man covered in no time Says ho to Miller-" X I throw you these will you put them on? (showing the bracelets). If you don't I hre. • 1 es, I'll put them on," replied Geoi^re pohtelv. ••I was jusb coming back' (the old sinner did nob look in the least like it when surprised). Sure enough he pub them on, and marched back to gaol a sadder and a wiser man

HIS RECEPTION

at the gaol was without doubt the most irnnressive of anything of the kind we have sc>r,__in fact, ib was a study. A gaoler wanting his prisoner, a reporter wanting an item, a warder wanting his dinner, and a prisoner wanting: to get out of the road as soon as he could. Not » wprd or rfgp by McNish to show that he was gratified, iust the least sparkle from the reporter because he was in tun* *

wider grin from the warder at being able to hand over his man, .and a perfectly devil-may-care look on the prisoner, and that about ended the transaction. The prisoner was searched and sent to his cell, Mr WeNidh rang up the Police Station, and the warder Avent to dinner, while the reporter felt the most satisfied of the lot because he had seen the thing through.