CONVICT'S RUSE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 50, 28 February 1914, Page 12

CONVICT'S RUSE

DARING ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE MAN WHO MENDED THE ORGAN. The Essex County Chronicle gives a sensational story of a daring and nearly successful attempt to escape from Chelmsford Prison. Shortly before noon a well dressed man presented himself at the gates stating that he wished to leave, having finished his work of repairing the organ. Ho was attired as a civilian*, with bowler hat, stick, overcoat, and gold watch and chain. He said he was a Mr. Griffin. The' warder who was in charge of the gate glanced clown the names of the persons admitted during that morning, but failed to find any record of " Mr. Griffin's " entrance. Although it so happened that the organ was actually under repair, he was not satisfied, and telephoned to the offices to ask if a Mr. Griffin had been admitted that morning. Officers came from the main block «f buildings, and ',' Griffin " was instantly recognised by a warder as one of the prisoners. It appears that the prisoner was one of a party of forty going through the daily walking exercise under the eyes of warders. He had but a short dash to make to get behind the buttress of an annexe, where he would be out of sight, and he apparently succeeded in doing this unobserved. Evidently his plans had /been carefully mapped out from the knowledge he had famed, for he passed quickly through the itchen garden and a block which is used by probation warders. At this time the rooms would be empty, the officers being on duty. The prisoner went upstairs, picked out the best suit of private clothes he could find, and, having divested himself of his arrow-marked khaki prison garments, which he left upon the floor, donned the borrovyed civilian attire and waited in hiding until a favourable opportunity presented itself to make his way downstairs to the gate.