AN OLD CONVICT'S STORY

New Zealand Times, Volume LXX, Issue 3883, 28 October 1899, Page 2

AN OLD CONVICT'S STORY

; !''•■'•{ ■/; ' V ' J '; ; THE ONLY MAN WHOEVER ESA GAPED "FROM t'OKTLAND. _ It is seldom that we get- such a story from the courts as is given below. The hero, if .we. may abuse-tne~wora, is one William Bartlett, whose escape from Portland was described by Hawley Smart in “Broken Bonds.” A few days ago Bartlett appeared at Bow street, having summoned the Commissioner of Police with a view of. securing the delivery of a Savings rsank book, £6 in gold, a silver watch and v chain, a pocket-knife, and some papers. “"’He stated that in September last .year he was’. released from prison after completing a sentence of eight years for burglary. In November he was arrested on a charge of robbery, but what the charge was he did hot know. That was not proceeded with, but he was charged with failing to report. The money and .goods be now claimed were taken from him on his arrest. He had received some money from his friends; the rest he made by a successful bet, and he thought the best way to keep the money was to put it in the post office. The watch and chain he bought for £2 2s in Hounslow. HE SUMMONSES THE COMMISSIONER. Detective-sergeant Fuller, of Scotland Yard, said that the. complainant was released from prison on September 10th last year. On September 24th a very serious burglary was committed af a post office in the Westminster Bridge road,, and nearly £IOO in money was taken. The complainant was suspected of complicity in this,, as . although when he left prison he had only about £l, on October 3rd. he deposited £32 in the post office. Between that date and November 23rd nothing was deposited, but £2O was withdrawn. On November 24th witness arrested him on suspicion, but as the witness in the case failed to identify him, this charge was not proceeded with, but he was charged with failing to report. Mr De Rutzen said iuat until the applicant could strengthen his evidence as to how he ■ became possessed of this money he should make no ( order.

HE TELLS HiS Lli'E STORY. The applicant was afterwards interviewed by a reporter,-who .sends the following account; —“Yes,” said- the exconvict, ‘T believe I'm. the hero of Hawley Smart’s ‘Broken Bonds.’ Not that that is much to my credit. I believe, too, that I’m the only man who ever es9aped, from Portland, and that wasn’t very enjoyable, I can tell you. ,Of course, liberty is sweet, but I’ve had a very small slice of it,” and the little old man heaved a sigh. “No, the true story of my escape from Portland has never been told. Short accounts of it have appeared in some of the papers, bub they are all wrong. If you like, PIT tell you what actually happened. In 1868 I received a"sentence of ten' years’'penal servitude—never ' for. From Pentonville I was, : takeilto Portland. It was awful. .The'eh'dteSs' round of hard work in the,quhtrigS",:the ‘short commons’ ;we had to’eat,' arid the 'Strict’prison’ discipline, made life almost unbearable! Is it to: be wondered at that I, made up mind to escape ? ’I 'had'’ many’ 'a* sleepless night while I was'makirig my 'plans. I knew mat no one’ had etfef's'udceeded in escaping from the 1 prison ■' I' knew that the place was watched day and night iby guards, almost as'numerbuaasthecorivicts ■ ’arid;l: was''' aware ■ < that ’even If-1 ■ could get clear, of .the prison it would be ; almost impossible to' get tar away in a suit plastered as mine, was with thebroad arrow. ' ' ' ' THE BIT OF TIiON HOOP, >, “One day I managed to pick up a small : piece p.fiiron hoop.’,'‘Every timed visited itlje - lavatory I took that iron hooping I with. > me, and ; workpdf like a nigger; to make it into a saw, * vThen.a -stroke of luck awaited 1 me. T-found l a p convict who had a little,bit of a file,: He; had no ambition, and said the file was no good to :him. ( ; I. gaye him my dinner for it,, and with the file I-wastablevto complete the ;saw. Then Imaahaged, 1 by working ’islealthily every, I had been locked 11 up for .-.-the’ night,vto saw the HTo'pd -'fkqriiigt cffriiyyeelli Every night,l-had ,tb TOplace: the boards so that the warder Should.; not 1 see .what I had' douoi,'a'nd' 1 needha’rdly say that the hybrid' hafl i/fcoTbe Vdcmp as possible." ’Then ah awful disappointment awaited me. The space beneath my cell jvas' lined with sheet iron ■?but I, eventually got through that witminy file. Then ■I got. into an air -shaft, -and after three months’ hard work saw my way,clear to liberty. 11 • ' _ 1 " ■ ’TWAS ONE DARK NIGHT.

“At' last tue opportunity came. It was a dark night and all was- still.'' With my sheets I had made' a rope,- and, as- luck would have it ( . I picked up a piece of wood called a’ ‘dog, 1 with iron hooks at each-end. I put my stool underneath the oitilt" to i look- Ids} like' my -body as possible, in should look in, and--then the passage it -had mpHhfrie -hard labour to;'ihhkeV J ! '^hj;^’ j iilt , iron grating, I;'found myself in ’.tlm. open, air; and mahaged'to'throw'the hooks oil my linen ladder oyer;a> wall.By this*means I got on to. the roof pfithe officers’ quarters. , jTh.efer.wai noK6n'rilaßorit,%nd the only sound I could-hear was that made by-my > beating . heart; ‘ Hhe- roof 'I had to jump‘"oni-to'; the boriri'dafy wall, ■about-ten --or“ twelve '-'feet 'distant. : I made the Iqap, and, was., successful hi reaching I got ;to la^f ■derV tlhforlunately,; the hooks were so secure-that-d—had-to-deave—the— ladder jwhere it was, and j£-,it_had.not been for that I might have/been--in' London in three or foul- d,ays'. .'- As it was, I had an awful experience. --Whilst -making a desperate .tugat '±hte Sadder! >lt heard: footsteps approacliingthiidil 'rushed' into the garden of the Grove ■ Public-house. I turnedAhund;hhlM[ saw. a guard'ltfbkirig Jt^w-minutes afterwards; shots a bell was rurig^f - ' »- - i PM THE COALSrUNION .TA-BLIS. iheenj discovered. Guards .Were rurinifig t .Byi in iall- ; directions, but, uhperceived,,'J: got throufeh th'enVin-dow'-of and concealed myself beneath thd communiqm table, which -proved■ td he.soifietliipg; very muchdike^a-box.cdfild-near the sound of hurr^ing;f6&t^^S“all ; jsght?‘;hht'rio ! one came morning, "witch' heldythere.-. It was, nqt a, tpt be in, I can assure you.~ A sneeze or a cough would have .betrayed .-me; hutrfortimately i had not got a cnldn and-'allmyasr well. At the 'ehd>‘of'jflbdht v!3B J 'h()hi , S' : I stole out; arid' : broke 11 iriftd 'tlie r! Gliftoii '-Hotel. I there found "some bread and meat, cheese, and tobacco. • What was of more consequence, ,I. was able to steal a hat and some clothes.,- -With the clothing and food, I returned' to my hiding place in the chapel. Out of a black coat I; made a pair of trousers, and put oh another, of -the, stolen coats, which happened to be -made;of velvet..vThe food I 'divided into six portions, and for six days I was-concealed beneath that communion' table. --'There were-frequent services, and, what was still worse, the priest used to cOme in’at night for private devotions. Aft last T had; more than, efh ougli of- it, arid broke'into thq: priest’s house'/'-with'the'Object qf .obtmning some money. I could find 7 none, however. There was some silver plate, but that was of no use ,to,me. ..I obtained a white

ioMipwevei*. and with that made somea shirt. ... , J milkman. ,''' ' I ‘-EciSWnow fairly confident, as to my walked dowji ~thp roa,d, ahdistiyr a rnilkman, who 'I-afterwards foyiuK-gavc information about passed over, the bridge all right,-aud wciit on'-.to vVevmonth, and from. l ~-tli6ro.‘. tp Dorchester. At a little place 19 miles, from Portland I met two WfS: They ashed me to'go intd-arpubhc--house and give an account of myself. They' were particularly anxious to know if I had a mark on my right arm. .Spring that the game was almost up, I- tried to dash through the public-house, but it was no good, ah'd I was collared. I was afterwards eight years penal at the Clifton HolcTTiSor I aid not Jiave the cat. You see; I .was tried by. ■ : a v ' , «y3 power,” and the little .man chuckled: Immediately afterwards he assumed a graver tone, and asked in mournful, accents :.; i.ut what can an old convict like me do for a living ?”