BILL SYKES, P.C.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 190, 29 July 1911, Page 2 (Supplement)

BILL SYKES, P.C.

SOME AMAZING ADVENTURES OF MEN MHO HAVE ESCAPED FROM GAOL.

In 1897 a man called Thomas Edgar Stripling was sentenced to imprisonment for life for murder, on a warrant issued by the Governor of Georcna. “ Three years later he escaped from gaol and vanished utterly, in spite of a big reward offered for his recapture.” On March 3rd last the important town of Danville, V irginia, wax paralysed by the news that Air. R. Morris, then- popular and efficient Chief Constable, had been arrested as the escaped murderer, Stripling. He did not deny the accusation, and now, unless the" Government intervenes, will have to go back to prison i and serve out his lifelong sentence. I Escapes from prison are common ' enough, but fortunately for the public the fugitive’s performance is usually a burglarv which ho commits to gain food and clothing, and which invarialsly puts the police on his track and leads to re-arresT. It is estimated i that the average length of time dur- [ inf which an escaped prisoner is at I liberty is loss than twenty-four hours. i STARTED THREE SAW MILLS.

J In England successful escapes are almost unknown. But there are cases on record. About eleven years ago a man came to Hull, and went into business as a contractor. He had four or five hundred pounds, i and by his plausible manner gained i credit/ and soon got a contract for i bm’ding a chapel. I Then he started three saw mills, and : coon was employing 120 men. But—to use an .Americanism —he had bitten off more than he c;;u!d chew, and after a couple of years he went bankrupt and absconded-

He was arrested, and then it was discovered that lie was no other than a convict who had escaped in 1899 i from Stafford Gaol, where he was ! serving a five-years’ term for swind- • ling. ; The career of the Russian Count i Nicholas Savin reads like a page of | sensational fictton. Tn the year 1888 I this man, who was tall, handsome, and t had extraordinarily fine manners, was convicted of iorgery and sent to Siberia. TRAM-CONDUCTOR. CABMAN, AND SOLDIER. In 1893 he succeeded in making his escape. Be somehow reached Japan, and thence worked his way to the United States, where he became a tram-conductor in Chicago, and afterwards a cabman. I Tn 1898 he volunteered, and fought |in trio Spanish-American War. He I showed such pluck that he gained pro- ! motion to the rank of sergeant, and j afterwards went to Spain as the re- | presentative of an American export house

But the wonderful Russian secret ; police were, on his track, and, discovering that his identity was known, he took ship for Hamburg. It was too i late. On arrival he was arrested, exi tradited, and is now’ back in his dreary i exile in Siberia. I A match for Savin’s career may* be ; found in that of Almeyer, the notorii Ous French criminal. j Almever b icsted that no gaol could hold him. It was almost true. On j one occasion ;he actually forged an i order for his own release. FOOLED TIIF WARDER TO LET HIM OUT. i Ho was being examined by the judge j when lie managed to upset an inkpot. The judge went into the next room -to ' wash his hands, and Almever speedily ; seized an official form, filled it up, and stamped it. When the judge re,turned the prisoner asked him for leave to have some clothes sent to him, and his request was granted. The warder at the door heard Almevor say: “What shall I do with the ; order, sir?” : “Give it to the Governor of the gaol. • He will see io it,” was the reply. “You heard,” said Almeyer to the warder, as the latter was conducting him back to gaol. “I am released. Here is the order.” The warder let him go, whereupon ALneyer, instead of taking to flight, ' remained in I’aris, and gob einploy- ’ mm i’. a stockbroker’s office, where j he did very well. But presently temp- | tatiou seized him, and he stole £B.OOO, I and was again arrested. I He escaped once more—this time inside a prison dust-bin and again I took up clerical work. But the end ; came at last, and he was sent to New : Caledonia. There he became secretary Ito the Governor, and after some ! months seized an opportunity of stealI ing his launch, and departing. This I time for grod.