BURGLING A PRISON

Evening Star, Issue 20592, 18 September 1930, Page 18

BURGLING A PRISON

- CONVICT TRIES TO RAID A GAOL It is not uncommon to hear a breakout or escape from prison. In the ‘ Sunday News ’ James Murray gives the story of a man who did his breaking the other way round. But to break into prison seems a senseless act, and probably only one such case is on record. Dartmoor convict prison was the scene of action, and a coloured man who had previously served a term ol penal servitude there was the principal actor, lie had been a badly-conducted prisoner and of violent disposition, and in addition to other punishments had been flogged. . ■ Me had developed a violent dislike to certain of the officials, whom he had threatened to murder when he attained his liberty. Such threats by violent prisoners are by no means uncommon in prison, but I cannot remember aiiy case in which they have been carried out, or even an attempt made to do so. However, soon after this prisoner had been liberated it was reported that ho had been seen hanging about in the neighbourhood of the prison, and the officers whom he had threatened became on the qui vive and took precautionary measures for their safety, as ho was known to be a determined and desperate man. In those days a strand of wire ran round the top of the prison wall. If the wire were disturbed, as it would be by anyone trying to escape by getting over the wall, a bell would ring in the gatekeepers’ room, and thus, early indication of the escape would be given and the alarm would be sounded on the big bell of the prison by Hie gatekeeper. One night at this time the wall bcii did ring, and on tho alarm being sounded all _ officers mustered, and a' : search was instituted inside and outside the prison. No prisoner was found missing, bub on a search of tho outbuildings (within the wall) the coloured man was found hiding. His object in returning to the prison was not revenge, but robbery. He knew that, as next day was pay day for the officials, there was a considerable amount of money in the storekeeper’s office, and ho bad conceived the idea of breaking in and appropriating this cash. He naturally knew a good deal about the moor life and the arrangements of tho prison, but he either did not know or had forgotten the existence of the tell-tale wire on the top of tho wall."* But for this omission he would probably have been successful in his enterprise, at all events for the time, as he had provided himself with the means of getting over the wall and back again to the outside of the prison In regard to escapes from prisons, those who actually attain liberty for any length of time aro few in comparison with those who make the attempt and aro either frustrated at the beginning or only enjoy a few hours or days of liberty. On Dartmoor attempts used to lie fairly frequently made as tho mist coining suddenly down on the out parties favoured tho attempt, Seine thirty years ago two convicts while attempting to escape from tho quarry, were shot down by the civil guards, wive surround each party of outworkers, and were killed. Up to that time the guards’ rifles were loaded with ball, but as a consequence of this happening the then Secretary of State gave orders that only buckshot should do used in future. At times a prisoner would get dear away tor a few days, but as the attempts were usually made in winter time and tho individual had little knowledge of the moor the discomforts of lying out all night with little to eat drove them from their hiding places and into tho arms of warders who were watching all tho roads and avenues loading from tho moor. Perhaps one of the most daring escapes was that once made from a local prison in the Midlands. The man who was of fair size, was employed at out-door work in tho prison yard, where some building operations were going on and ladders were in use. Ho knew that if ho could got out of bis cell ho would have no difficulty in getting over the wall. Cell windows are protected by fixed iron bars placed at such a distance from each other that it is thought to bo impossible for a man to squeeze his body between them. However, this man did so in some way or other, and, as his cell was on tho ground floor, ho had no difficulty in detaching a ladder and getting on the top of tbe wall. Unfortunately, a road well lighted ran alongside the wall, and, looking along tho road, he saw someone corning towards him at some distance. As he knew he would be seen if ho waited to pull up tho ladder, ho resolved to make a jump for it. Ho alighted on the hard road, hut had received such an injury to bis log that ho could only crawl across the road. Ho had some friends living close by, and to them he managed to scramble. But his luck was out, for the passerby at once reported what he had' seen to the nearby police station. On the alarm being given tho prison cells were searched, and his was found vacant, and, on tho police inspector on duty being informed of his identity, he at once, knowing his haunts and habits, despatched two of his men to this house. Ho was found in an outhouse and taken back to prison within half an hour--tho only reward for his daring attempt being n broken ankle. Measurements of his body and of the distance between tho window bars wore carefully made. His head breadth was found to bo greater than the distance between the' bars, but apparently the bones of the head were compressible to a sufficient extent to allow the head to go through. His body, lie said, gave him less trouble after he had got his head through.