ATTEMPTED ESCAPE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15824, 24 July 1913, Page 7

ATTEMPTED ESCAPE.

MOUNT EDEN PRISONER,

INGENIOUS DEVICE,

(Pee United Pbess Association.)

AUCKLAND, July 23. On IViday evening the Ulount Eden Gaol was the scene of another attempted escape by a prisoner. The attempt was made by the youth_ Robin Jasper Crago, who achieved notoriety last year by an attempt to blackmail .Mr J. J. Craig, and as the centre figure in the Takapuna motor car shooting case, which earned him a sentence of 10 years' reformative treatment. Crago has since been lodged in the Mount Eden Gaol. About an hour after " lights out" the warder on duty in the corridor of the prison wing whero Crago's ccll i 6. situated heard a suspicious sound, which he in a few minutes located as proceeding from Crago's cell. .Peeping through the spyhole of the cell he saw Crago busy at the outside window of the cell. He called another warder, and when he looked aga : n through the spy-hole he saw that Crago had crossed to the interior wall of' the cell. In a corner near the door of the cell is a recess containing a gas jet, the recess being of glass on the side opening into thecell to prevent the prisoner from interfering with the light. Crago had brok-in the glass protecting the gas jet, and had his hand inside the yecess doing something to the gas. The warder, from outside the recess, grabbed Crago's hand- where it was at the jet and held it till the warder who had been summoned came.

An inquiry revealed that the youth .ad made most elaborate arrangements for escape. Attached to the gas jet was the end of a length of tubing, which reached across the cell to the outside window. At the other end of the tubine was a lead can in the form of a tube, flattened at the end, so as to concentrate the flame of gas. The object of the gas tubing with the blowpipe cap was to 'silently break the glass of the cell window. Then the prisoner intended to nlay his extempore blowpipe on the iron bans of the window" Tilth a view to bending and levering them aside when he had sufficiently lieated them. While ineffective for the purpose intended, the tubing was a surprisdngly incenious piece of work. It was made rf sanitary paper and leaves from the Bible which was put in the cell. The sanitary paper was rolled lengthwise, making a cylinder, and this had been reinforced and kept in roll bv the leaves of the Bible being gummed round it at intervals. Ciago had obtained "ffum" for his purpose by saving portions of his porridge. The prisoner was sentenced to four days'- confinement on a bread and water diet.