ESCAPE OF PRISONERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11856, 7 January 1902, Page 6

ESCAPE OF PRISONERS.

' A WANGANUI SENSATION. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wanganux, Monday. A good deal of excitement was caused here this afternoon by the escape from , gaol of four waiting trial prisoners. At the time part of the staff was out with the hard labour gang, and the gaoler was engaged at the Court. Two warders were in charge of the prison. About three o'clock the men assaulted Warder Steele, and locked him in a cell, and then did the same with Acting-Warder Redmond. The alarm was given by another prisoner, who rang up the police, and all hands turned out in pursuit, but the men had not been caught up to "the time of telegraphing. The men at large are: McDonald, waiting trial on a charge of burglary at Bunnythorpe; Moores, waiting trial on a charge of cattlestealing at Feilding; and Thurston and Howard, waiting trial on a charge of robbery from the person at Wanganui. New Plymouth, Monday. While working around the gaol buildings this morning, a prisoner named Schriener, sentenced in October to three years for forgery,, escaped. He got half-an-liour's start, and is still at large. Later. Schriener by some means got hold of a private coat and escaped through a window. He - left the prison trousers behind after getting out, and then got clear away. A search party was out till late to-night, but saw no sign of the man.