PRISONER'S BOLT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1424, 26 April 1912, Page 5

PRISONER'S BOLT.

FROM MT. COOK WORKS. .■FIR-ED- ON, BUT GETS CLEAR. For tho second timo in recent incmoPj a long-sentonoe prisoner lias broken out of custody. This lime it is John Lewi.-, who bolted from tho Mount L'oolt \)v\<cn works yesterday, and, though fired upon, whs neither stopped nor rc-takeu. Tho bolt was made about 3 o'clock in tho afternoon, Lewis being engaged in the brickyard, wliero ho was working aloiiff with a gang of other prisoners. 11« effected his escape by climbing a wall. Tho usual precautions were nt once taken by tho warders to have (he rest of tho gang safely mustered up, and then-the chase of Lewis was undertaken. Shots were discharged at him, but they did not deter him, and lie continued his way. When inquiry was made at an early hour this morning ho was still nt large. Circumstances connected with the career of Lewis nro rather rniiarlialile,,.wove"especially in respect to what took place when ho received his last term of imprisonment, and was declared a habitual criminal; Quito recently lie was discharged from the New I'lymo-.itlv gaol, where ho had been undergoing reformatory treatment, and within a few days of his' release ho wits taken into custody at Wellington for attempting to steal an expensive diamond ring from a Wellington'jeweller. For this offence lib'wi\s sentenced by'the Chief Justice on April 17 to twelve months', imprisonment.., „,

On that occasion the Chiof.Justice, when passing sentence, said: "You are one of those people who come before the. Cdurt from time to time and make one fcol'Thnt it is difficult to know what to:(io"witli you. After having been declared a habitual , 'criminal, you were released by the Prison Board on March 27. On March '.'Si yon came to-Wellington,'and on March 2!) you committed this olfence. Conduct like this makes one despair sf dealing with people like you." Yoii-'liave only been in tho Dominion silica 100:?, and since then have been convicted live times of theft, once of forging and uttering, aiid once of breaking and entering nnd theft. You have been sentenced during that time (since 1003) to eight years' imprisonment,' nud you were granted six months' probation. If you think that you can go on for ever like this you are quite mistaken." . ■ ' ; ;J' Prisoner interjected thatiie~~hml - "i\o charge of breaking and entering against him. His Honour: "It is-no use going'into past charges. You committed this ; offence after having been declared a habitual criminal and released. You are sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment with hard labour. When the twelve months are up you must go back to New Plymouth, and serve there until the board releases you—that may be 'never," ', Lewis is about 40 years of age, and !» sft. Gin. in height, and is inclined W b« dark.