PRISON

Bruce Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3016, 29 November 1898, Page 4

PRISON

Is the desire of liberty less keen than of yon in the bosom of the caged delinquent ? No ; hi pines for freedom in these days just as thi other a did before him. It is rare, however that he breaks or even Becks to breek hi; bonds'; alheit tbe mofj|rn gaol is not |bui(t£'ii the fashion pf-afpifreas, 'aor^ Burro'anded? by i wall impossible to scale ; nor does the cheer lees inmate go about bis daily task in manacles It is the manner of discipline which makes th groat difference m this respect betwixt his lo and that of his predecessors in captivity. Jnd Sbeppard would have laughed at the walls ant cells of Wormwood Sorubbs, but beforv he ha< been a week in eonflnoou nt tfaoro be woul< havo learned wbat strictness of Barve.illanc " meant.*; It is just that which uiakes the safety bf/tUe modern prison, and which makes* it tb despair of all but tbe adroitest prison-breaker Favourable Couditiops. Nearly all the great escapes of bygone day were favoured by conditions and oircumstinoe which bare absolutely geaeed to bo. Wba prisoner nowadays is left a wpt-k or more us visited in his cell, with ample leisure to dig hi tunnel underground or his passage through ih wall P In the exciting account of an taeapt from Portland, in bis novel " Broken Bonds, the late Major' Haw ley Sm»it shows tb prisoner conveying iuto bis coll an iron hook t be used in grappling a oralL Now hooks, Qlci saws*, and other implements handy iv aa esuap were often Bmoggledjo pie-dishes iuto the cell of Frtuoh and German prisons m the lost ooc tury, and tboreby bung the tale of msoy notable evasion. But tbe convict at Portion does not eat pie, and a gr»f>plia£ iron could not well be conveyed to bir in a six-oußCe loaf. Major Hawlo Smart describes this instrument as indisput sable to the success of tbe attempt, but b omits to cay by what moans the prisoner got i into his veil ; and at that point accordingly very interesting aarrative ceases to be credible Every prisoner is searched Iwjfoi© he enters hi cell for meali and when he leaves it for work during every hour.jof ' tbe d»y he is under tb eyes of the guards; »ud through the eontrivauc of tbe spy-hole he canuot screen himself froc observation after he is locked in for the nij;LH Now and again, aided by some exUaordinar chance, or thanks to a heroic combination c patience, skill, and dariag.a prisoner does mak his escape even from such a place as Portland but tbe attempts are few, and the successes ver much fewer ; whereas pricou -oreekjrg was c art which had hundreds of successful praot tiooers in the days when tho modbiu e.ystef was not thought of. *- Famous amougHt tho fee to of thoir kind ai many of the flighta accomplished from tb ba^niis, the convict prisoDs of Prance, whic superseded in 1748 tbe old jjuni*l:ment of th galleys. Prom many pointe of view thic is tL most interesting chßpt<r iv the vaiied histor of prison-breaking. There were exctptiont oppottuiii ties, but tl.eie srt-ie also very oxer j. tional hicdrancea. Tbe foroat working in doc or arsenal at Toulon, Brest, or Kocbefort, wit free labourers all uround him, had v buttt chance than the convict of our day has, who i hardly ever fcssooiated with hired woiktabu Where convicts aud hired workoifu are euna#e< on the *arne (aslc, arid enclosed within the ijm walls, the oonviot has lias always the chtnoa o pfitcting a disguise, oud ps6ein^ through ti. gates unchallcrged. A dockyard, too, offers buudied means o( concetlojeut which are wast ing iv the nakpd qusrries of Portland or on th boRS of Dartmoor. Again, the garde-chroumir or warder, of tho ba^Dr, tyrant und s'avc driver bs he wns, hnd a palm much oasiei- 1 £tease than auy waidet's in the prison jervic of these dnys. Ac Good As His Word. It is easily gathered from this that in ever; b'gne lliore wns a- cluas of almost indouiitabl piisou-bro^kurg. The iamous Pt-tit, who 6p; i: mu-re tLuu hnlf bis life in tLe it-tten> of tii> forcftfc, was contiuueJly ridding himself of them and slipping cut fur a holiday. lictfiketi <v Abbivillo on one occasion, ho fenfc wonl to thi Mayor that bo etiLUid l<av« prison on tup fu; lowing day, ns it was " not at all a proper boil of place " &lukiug a joenlar inquiry as to Ll> s&fety tbe next afternoon, tl.e ttstoiii^hi^.l Sl«yci learned that Petit had been as gcod as his word. ForciHg his way into n licun-chaiiibsr, be had wropped his fettris iv home loose clutb, tber, irouod as he sns, bad scaled two or ihrue walls, dropped ii;tou gardtti, feud bubbled away. Frr*iug himself. of his chains, he coolly sold tuem in the merkot-place, aad wn)k«d eft. When relcto the cacbot ot black hule, ms uot toUloii. chanced to him, i'etit would ci>ntiive to post n lett-or to a fricad ; "sdtte< me at such a plice on such a day ;" aud whtther tbe friend kept th<ippQintment or nof, Petit hiaieelf was almost invariably thpro. Arigon(te was amithf-r who pat a »oc< tax upon the vigilance of hie guards. Lik< Petit, ho had the art, approachiog oasgio, . oi hiijjpiug loose in broad )ighr, uador tbo unsteiwg eyes of guards and come ades aiike. '• tts toot itche«," Maid Aiigonde, sud that df»y or th« i:fcxt Atigoude's aukci-riug aud length of elm.ii would be trui'iiug tmply at the h»«l of his t-x---uompauiou. Oltener titan not, t-Le ooojpauioi was as cnnpletely duped as thewaidnt incLaigc •f tbe party. He felt tLe drag on tbo cbaii-dimiuißht-d, turned abeut, bud saw tbf.t ho wah i/lonf. •* Old Anguiide's slung bis b<>«k sigain i" he said ; and went oa plying bis pick, i-r shifting the or i>i!ii'p biick->. or turuiug the windlass ; and left it to ti.e guard to discover aud give the signal of th« esctpi-. Arigoudc was ouo oi tl_e Jtw old fjioatft wiiu could n&ik out of the bayiie witLviut befciayitig i.imself by tLat aftk^nrd drag of the I'g whitl lxsuitad alcaoat inevitably frum wearing tL» cboiu. A Birthday With His Maji sty! The priHOter dittrmiiud on flight ael Jom l« t ! an opportunity. Thi- cjuick-v.it ted Coouot rf-toeaiberei ttiat SHlule.-t weie iircJ in tbe barbturs un tl.c Kiisg'.-- biitbdsy. " Vtiy good !'' 'l.ou^bt Cochot. "If iv tha nadst of thote siilvos I should lave the luck to gain tbi; u>ld* i eyond, Ibey migbt blaze awtiy with iLeii Blaim-s»<is ti : l fell was blue; tor, ac both cannr-n jil-y tbe as mo tuue, who would ku.jiv out ftnu the other ? All right ! I'll have a birthday aJ'-'Ufc with bis Majesty." Surely enough, wkeo-thf dey arrived, tho guns af the baguu were bingii -^ unnoticed for Cocbot, who was quietly trotting through the fields. ODe of tho eeca.pt s of Viotor Dcabois from Brest attested at once his Budacity aud bis adliress. An inspector osfiio to make Jus efficini tC'Ur of the ba>ne, aud it did not seem to strike the seutry ou duty at tho gate that he had betu »cry quick about it, for he was out ag&in altiiost bfcfcie he tad bt-eu passed iv. But tLe " iufptctor," who walktd out with hie noso in the air, was Vioto. Deabois. Having fllcd through his auklet 5 he hod donued in an ias^nt tiit iull uniform of inspector which Le bad eonfecteil out of paper, aud with a wig and mous;aches, also jF his own manufacture^ bis disguise was perfect. . Effrontery, such aa. this fortune bfluunu fsiis to reward.

A Change Of Coslume. Oppoituait> of achuDgeuf costume preseo ted itself on auoltei occusiyL to the nimble H*Ut-ck-bpttj.cirjgagrd in the couvict tailor's shop. Oc v iis-i-i above Li.s bfad huug o nenly-Biii^hetf whidtr'fl hu:t. whicU, res the was in^hos[jit>l. >vis t.ot to i>e delivtied for .a w£«i to comt- .Meisuiiii.; it witii I. is <ye, Hauldebont rrtkoijei l . il z f:ir tit for himself. Missing ouly, a word; i's c*)i. Tl :?. in the- course if a uight Dr ti-> , tlit p:is:in:r put 10-eth( r out of h. Lundud little bits tf cloth abstracted at odd mo-

mentis from t ho tailor's shop. With the tap !b his pocket on t'.^u following day, when tha foreman tailor's back is turned, Hautdobout whipp the waidt-r's suit from the nail, clips i$ on, and glides from the scecu. Unluckily, thw foreman a minute later miraes tbe new suit from the tiaii, the alarm is given, and Haute* boat's brief. term af offica as garde-ehiourme (a ended. He has lost hla privileged pl*c» amongst the tailor*, «hd. wa» sent to. the chain gang.— Tho " Leisure Hour."