THROUGH THE BARS

Evening Star, Issue 18258, 24 April 1923, Page 11

THROUGH THE BARS

A PRISONER'S DARE. “FIVE MEANS OF ESCAPE." LAUNCH THIEF DECLARES GAOL WIDE OPEN. [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, April 23. The sequel to the discovery of an improvised scaling hook In a coiil bin in the soap-making room at Mount Eden Prison took place this morning when Alfred Thomas Westlake, a prisoner serving a sentence of six years, was charged m the superintendent’s office at the prison with having attempted to escape. It will be remembered that Westlake was one of the three men who stole the auxiliary yacht Rata at Auckland on the night of May 3, and sailed in her to Yeppoon, just north of Rockhampton, on the Queensland coast. The voyage of some _ thousand miles was made in difficult circumstances, and the little vessel was navigated with the aid of a school atlas and a ruler—-quite a remarkable accomplishment. The sentence of six years, which Westlake is now serving, was imposed in reppect of the theft. He had previously been convicted for of a small cratt, and was declared an habitual criminal, the judge remarking at an earlier trial that Westlake had carried out the theft ot boats in a systematic and cunning manprisoner was employed in the soapmaking room, and it was his duty to look after the boiler of the hot water system, and to make soap. . He enjoyed a good deal of freedom of action, said Deputy-superintendent -Leggett and the officers saw him only occasionally. He was in the room early m the morning and again in the evening, so that he had a good deal of time on Ins Evan deposed that he had received instructions to search the soapmaking room, and on April 16 he went there and went over all parts of it. When he came to the coal bin he found nothing suspicious on the side of the_ partition in which coal was kept, but m the other compartment, where rubbish and waste paper was packed, he discovered a large piece of twisted electric light conduit, and a piece of iron. They were clasped tightly together with the wire, and were bent so as to form a large hook. Also in the bin, said tho warder, were part of a cou of insulated wire, a short piece of tarred rope, a length of chain, and three bucket handles. It would have been possible for the rope or tho wire to bo attached to one end of the hook, and the hook coiud then have been thrown over the prison wail, so that it would catch, leaving tho rope dangling on the inside. Accused had charge of the room, and was responsible for what was found in there. Questioned by accused, the warder admitted that others in that part of the building had access to the room. Accused: “Yes, it’s not exclusive to me. Sometimes others are in there when I’m absent. Well, I want to say this, sir, that I’ve been on that job since last November up till Sunday week, and I’ve had the opportunity of getting away every night between the hours of 5.30 and 7 o’clock. It would have been no trouble at all. I could easily have escaped inside five minutes. Down where I am the bars are seven or eight inches apart, and I know I can squeeze through them. Once through it is only fifty yards to the wall. Round near the gate to the hospital, I can climb a pipe there, and drop down on the other side, and bo out in three or four minutes. I would not require clumsy apparatus like that—it would only be a hindrance to me. It would be just as easy as walking out of the door of this room. A man would have nothing to stop him at night time, but I would be impeding my progress if I burdened myself with useless stuff like that on the floor.

“ I know every inch of this gaol,” continued the accused in an easy tone of voice. “I could surprise some of the warders if I told them all I know. There are at least five ways out. Tknow that, because I was in the building in 1903 when construction work was going on. I helped in the work for five years, and then I came back again, later on, for a good long time. I’m an old hand, and I know the place so well that there are very few who can tell me much about it. As for that barred window in my room, it’s easy to get through that.” Warder Ryan was called. He stated that he had" known that the prisoner could get through the soap room window years ago. He thought it would be impossible for him to do so now. Prisoner : “ If you’ll only let me show you ” ‘‘Very well, Westlake, you may have a try,” replied the magistrate, “hut I cannot remain longer here this morning, so that there is no time for an exhibition to-day, but to-morrow morning at 9 o’clock the case will be resumed, and you will then have an opportunity of showing us how you get through the bars.” Prisoner; “Thank you, sir.”