ATTEMPTED ESCAPE FROM THE MOUNT EDEN STOCKADE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume IV, Issue 1076, 26 April 1867, Page 3

ATTEMPTED ESCAPE FROM THE MOUNT EDEN STOCKADE.

Tite celebrated Auckland .Tack Shepherd, Dumfreys, has again made an attempt- to escape, in which, but for the vigilance of the warders on guard, he would have succeeded.

It appears that between half-past eight and nine o'clock on "Wednesday night, Dumfreys, who was confined in a cell in the old buildings, and who had, it is supposed with the aid of a knife, been for some days past cutting his wav through the flooring, got through the floor of the cell and managed to creep along tlic bottom space, beneath the range of cclls till he came to the water lank at tlio end of the range of builjings. Here he succeeded in scraping a hole ov burrow in file ground and squeezed his way through, though so small was the aperture that he has since stated that more than oncc lie was on the point of calling for assistance, as lie was near chocking in getting through. He had now emerged into the yard, but, unfortunately for him, the warders 011 duty, iN'ash and ILili'ord, were on the look-out for the least unusual noise, and had had their attention attracted to the slight noise made by Dumfries in his efforts to get through his burrow. As soon, then, as he made his appearance in the yard these vigilant officers were upon hiin, and it was in vain that lie made a rush at iho other fence, for they had him securely in hand just as he reached it. This is satisfactory, for, independently of the cost of recapture, which in the case of lvobinson cost the province we believe something like £200, it is not pleasant to have a determined ruffian such as Dumfreys at large. Too much praise cannot be accorded fo the warders on guard at the time of the escape, Nash and liiiford, lor their careful attention to their duty and promptitude of action; indeed, we think that something more than praises due to them, and that a more substantial acknowledgment of their zeal and intelligence, oil the part of the authorities, would give a stimulus to the whole body of warders employed at the Stockade, and tend to put them on their mettle. It is true they only did thenduty, but it is not every man paid for it who does do his duty, and the public loses nothing by showing those whom it employs, that the exercise of active zeal meets with special acknowledgement.