PRISONER SHOT.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 224, 21 September 1929, Page 10

PRISONER SHOT.

ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE. \ BUCKLEY'S FUTILE EFFORI NOTORIOUS CRIMINAL'S DAS! GAOL WALLS SCALED. VIVID STORY BY CHILDREN, Shot in the back by a •warder whe he attempted to escape from the Moun Eden gaol about 4.30 yesterday aftoi noon, John Buckley, a notorious crimina is now in the Auckland Hospital in ; critical condition. Buckley created a sensation when, ii company with another prisoner, i escaped from Mount Eden prison las year. He was seven weeks at liberty before being arrested at Wellington, ane during that time an exciting man-bun in the Birkenhead district took place. Prison authorities regarded Buckley as a desperate man, and consequently bo was not allowed to work outside the gaol walls, which are patrolled day ant night by armed warders. Late yesterday afternoon Buckley, with the aid oT a rope, attempted the dangerous feat oi climbing a prison wall. He was seen by one of the warders, and peremptorily ordered to stop. . Disregarding the warn"ing, the desperate man. continued his break for liberty. The warder fired Buckley landed in a heap on the ground outside the wall, dashed through the grounds of one of the warder's homes abutting the gaol on the east side, stumbled over a low Stone wall, ran about 20 yards, and collapsed in the shelter of a bunch of fennel. At this time the chase was full on. The first warder to arrive found a desperately injured man. In view of the seriousness of his case, lie was at once sent by the St. John Ambulance to the Auckland - Hospital. Little Girls' Story. v v A vivid story of Buckley's futile dash for liberty was give# this morning by May Campbell, aged 8, and June AdamSj aged 9, who, at the time, were playing in the scrub on the east side of the gaol. Here is a right-of-way, which leads froin Boston Road, across the railway line, then parallel with the gaol wall in the direction of Mountain Road. The little girls were playing hide-and-seek, '<We heard a shot," said one of them to a "Star" reporter, "and then a man. wearing white trousers, jumped over the low stone jwall. He ran about another ten yards, and then threw up his hands and fell down on his face. Just then a warder with a rifle in his hand, came running round the corner of a warder's house at the corner of the gaol. He threw off his hat, ran up the path, and stopped when he got to the. other man, who was lying down moaning. The "warder 'Called out to three other men. who we thought were coming home from work. He then blew his whistle, and soor four ether warders came running up the , "slope. The man on the ground was moaning terribly, and there was a lot of blood on his ; clothes. ' "We saw the warder, who had the gur in' his hand, open it, and take out something that looked like a cartridge He hid it in his pocket. Because we got frightened we ran away." Residents -who live near the Mount Eden Gaol are quite used to hearing the sharp detonations, of explosives in the gaol quarry. Yesterday, however, a rifle shot immediately attracted ' attention, and quite a number of people rushed out into the street to see what was wrong They saw warders going at the double for the eastern end of the gaol environs Later they saw the unfortunate Buckley being carried along the pathway in front of the north wall of the gaol. It was raining heavily at the time. The wounded man was placed on the ground in "front of one of the small doors of the prison and he lay there some time before he "was carried inside. "Poor, devil,", said dn< woman, who was looking on, "he mjiy be a criminal, but he is some poor mother's son." ,' \ Confusion Reigned Supreme. There were a number of visitors at the gaol yesterday afternoon when the attempted' escape took place. "It was simply confusion confounded," said one of them to a "Star" reporter, "Immediately the prisoners were marshallec and shepherded into 'their cells ant excited warders rushed to and fro, II was thought at first that Buckley hat got clear away, but the news soon -spread that he had been shot down close to the prison wall." .The prison authorities are singularly reticent in regard to the matter, 'ant decline to give any acc.ount of the attempted escape, as it is to be the sub ject of an official report. It'is known however, that they regarded Buckley at a man who .would make a bid for liberty no matter how slender the chance mighi he, and for that reason he was kepi under special observance. A few nights ago, Buckley confided to-anotherprisonei that he "intended to give it a go." He kept his word. The Road to Liberty. That "stone walls do not a prisor make" has been proved on previous occasions at Mount Eden, although ii is regarded by gaol authorities as one of the most difficult places to surreptitiously obtain - unofficial leave . from The daring break a"way by Buckley and a companion is comparatively recent history, while a Jew, years ago a habitual criminal, after a daring leap from the the top of the prison wall, was fatally shot by a vigilant warder. During the visit of the Prince of Wales to Auckland a prisoner named William Brewer escaped by leading over one of the yard walls, but after a strenuous chase, through the jungle of fennel at the back of the gaol, Constable Ryan, now at Wellsford, gathered him. in. On one occasion a murderer got away. Exciting Escape With Bailer. Bieaking and entering and theft were the crimes for which Buckley was sent to prison for four years in October, 1925. He had started his career in 1919 when he was sent to an industrial school His previous escape, on May 25 of last year, with another habitual criminal named Bailer, who was regarded a B an even more dangerous man, was a sensation which kept the whole city and outlying districts on the qui vive xmtil both were recaptured. Bailer was at liberty for less .than n we&lc■ -lie was surprised, by detectives while he was in a pool at Sharks Bay, Birkenhead° on May 30—tnit Buckley -was not caught ■until July 17, and during his seven'-weeks '-of freedom reports came from towns.and settlements all down the Main Trunk line of happenings which were immediately connecteid with his escape, 1

i The two men made their bolt between G. 15 and 8 p.m. They had paraded for school, but while the class was sitting they were suddenly missed. They had scaled a drainpipe on one of the high walls, climbed on to the roof of the building and jumped to the ground below, j After their escape several bouses 'on the North 'Shore were entered and food . stolen. At some houses the 'intruder jliad a good meal before he left. As«soon ! as these happenings stopped the police C realised that Buckley had managed to slip away from the North Shore, and the next clue which they had to follow was the theft of a powerful motor car belonging to Mr. Alfred P. Robinson, of Karaka., from Omahu Road, Remuera, on June 2. Five days later the car was found abandoned in a barren part of the country a few miles out of Taumarunui. Certain that Buckley had used the car, the police traced him as far as Kakahi, where it was learned that he had been cheeky enough to ask a motorist for a "lift" from Taumarunui. Buckley managed to reiach Wellington without being noticed, and although he was recognised there by a 'constable he was clever enough to dodge arrest for a few days longer. But he was handicapped in being unable to leave the city and was at last cornered by Detectives McLennan and Jarrold. While he was free lie had committed several crimes, and in breaking and entering one place had used explosives. For these he was sentenced to .terms concurrent with the sentence of four years, and was sentenced to an extra three years' imprisonment for escaping.