ESCAPES FROM PRISON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18180, 28 August 1922, Page 10

ESCAPES FROM PRISON.

»♦_— MAN WHO POSED AS LAWYER. KECORDS OF AUDACITY. Recently a prisoner escaped from prison »t Borne not in the nsual romantic way across walls and ditches, but ui a dignified manner. Armand Silva, imprisoned for bloodshed, had always refused to mix uith otlier inmates of the building, and as his case had noi yet com© up to be judged, he still wore his civilian clothes, I ■which he cared for meticulously. One day the prisoners were taking their daily walk in ths courtyard whea S?iva with aasuired step left his cell, after having put on a pair of glasses and tucked a lawytit's case under his arm. He passed unnoticed until he reached the outer door, where the guardian asked him where he was going. \ . . " What! would you wish to detain me? I am Silva's lawyer," said Silva, drawing ,from his case" ft lawyer's card of permission to visit a person detained. The guardian was profuse in his apologies and, bowing, opened the door. The escape of this prisoner at Rome was equalled- in audacity by an inmate of Chelmsford GaoL A few minutes before 12, on a day in January, 1314, a well-dressed man walked up to the carder at tbe gate, and said, "I am going off now. I have finished repairing the organ. My name is Griffiru" As a matter of precaution, the warder looked in his visitors' book, and could not '* find the name of Griffin. Though he knew that repairs were being carried out on the organ, he thought best to telephone across and find if Mr. Griffin had been in the prison that morning. Just then another warder happened to come up, and at once recognised the alleged Griffin as a prisoner. Disguise of some sort is the first necessity for an escaping prisoner, and here the man bad succeeded in stealing a suit of warder's clothes. . One cf the devereat tricks of the kind -eras that played some years ago in Glas•gow by a ina:Q who escaped in nothing but a suit of underclothes. In the early hours of a Saturday morning in the year 1909 a scantily clad figure was seen speed, i ing along Duku Street, Glasgow, and was j taken by the drivers of the milk carts, ' 1 and even by the policemea, for a local , Marathon athlete out for an early spin. One little boy, sharper ihan the rest,_ .rang the bell at Duke Street Prison and told the warder, " One oi your prisoners is out and is running along to Cumbernauld." He got no thanks for his news and was ioid to "go awa hame." By the time the boy's stoiy had been proved to be true the prisoner had got clear, and it j look a fortnight to recapture him. It is said that no prisoner has ever { made his escape from Portland, but there y was one who* was stopped only by the ( merest accident. This was a; man ; who L was serving hve years for horse stcaiiug. L He -was employed as »ax>k in the qnar- j ters of the bachelor lorhcers, and this gave | j him a certain amoimt of liberty. One I j ." xrionling he managed to slip unseen into j their quarters, and to secure a complete L change of clothes, including a tiik hat. s He had timed his change against the J minute when .he knew that one of the , 'tradesmen from Weymouth would be * calling at the house of the governor, and j as soon a3 the man went in, out went the :prisoner over the wall, which he climbed r>y means of a ladder. < He titan «irove straight towards WeyV mouth, and it was only the mere chance I that the harbour bridge was under repair that stopped him, and enabled the police, ] who had been warned by telephone, to catch him. A man known as f <" The King of Jewel '["hieves," went one better than either of ihe last two when he made his escape from Exfitar Gaol. After making a hole ; in the wail of his cell, he managed to ( ret on to the roof of the governor's nouse. j ' Wrenching open a skylight, he got into j ' ihe house and stole the governor s over- : coat and cap. Wearing these, he walked cfldmly away, and got as far as Newton (Abßot before a constable recognised him / by his boots and recaptured him. '• j