BY HORSE, CYCLE AND MOTOR

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22431, 18 June 1938, Page 16

BY HORSE, CYCLE AND MOTOR

BORSTAL ESCAPEES ON THE ROAD TWO RECAPTURED AFTER A DAY’S LIBERTY (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) INVERCARGILL, June 17. A circuitous journey by different forms of transport was made by three Maori inmates of the Invercargill Borstal Institution, who escaped from the institute farm last evening. Two of them were recaptured by the Gore police near the Pyramid, about 9 o’clock this evening. The first part of the journey was made on horseback, the prisoners taking two hacks from the farm when they escaped. All three were strangers to Southland, having been committed to the institution from the North Island, and they attempted to break away to the north. They apparently followed the North road from the farmand at Makarewa changed from the hacks to a motor-car. They failed to make good progress in this, however, and after travelling only about 200 yards they abandoned the car and continued their journey on three bicycles. which they found nearby. After pedalling as far as Ryal Bush they are believed to have made off with a truck, still continuing north. They had almost reached Balfour when the petrol supply was exhausted, but they had with them on the truck the bicycles they found at Makarewa and continued on their way to Riversdale. They called at a store at Riversdale and one of the youths purchased tobacco.

Again misled by the direction of the roads, they cycled along Waikaia road for a distance, but returned later through Riversdale, and in the early evening set off for Mandeville. At the Pyramid they stooped at a house near the road and asked for a drink of water. Reports of their movements had reached the police from various points during the day and a big party of police and warders was searching for the prisoners. While the youths were at the Pyramid, Sergeant J. Abel arrived in a car and saw three bicycles standing by the road. The prisoners immediately bolted, but two were recaptured and taken to Gore, A search is being made for the third.