A. ROMANTIC ESCAPE FROM DURANCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2203, 21 May 1896, Page 36

A. ROMANTIC ESCAPE FROM DURANCE.

A remarkable story of adventure was told recently to M. Coeheforfc, head of tho Paris detective service, by an escaped convict named Bourdet. According to his story, Bourdct, an engineer by trade, was sentenced to a long term of penal servitude in the year 1881, and was senb to the penal settlement in French Guiana. In 1885 ha determined to escape. Owing to hi 3 e£s»:i no* as a workman he was ms.de foreman of a pu tj of convicts who were sent to work in an isolated part of the forest under the supervision of a warder. He communicated his design to five of the convicts, and they managed to secretly construct a raft, on which they intended to make their way to Dutch Guiana by eea. Taking advantage of « fe^-e day, on which the surveillance was relnxed, tha «!x men got fafely ivway on tho raft. Their pi o visions consisted of a small quantity of rice, which each man had saved from his rations, and four of them had also a little quinine. They made their way some distance down the coast, and theu landed to push through the forest. One toon sue* cumbed to fever and was abandoned to die. The fugitives wero next sat upoa by some Indian*, who captured .two of theta, and Bourdet and his two remaining companions escaped. Their next adventure was with a large serpent, which they unfortunately stumbled, over, and the reptile raized one of tho men and crushed him to death, the othet two being unable to rescue him as they were unarmed. Bourdet and bis remaining oompanion, after enduring terrible hardship*, reached the river forming the boundary o? Dutch Guiana. At this stage the companion told his remaining rice and quinine and joined a band of wandering Indians. Bonrdefc, left to himself, crossed the river on an improvised raft, and after much privation managed to continue his journey to Georgetown. He subsequently worked for several years iv tha gold mines, and having amassed a. small sum of money he returned to Franco to see his relatives. On his way through Pa; is he was robbed of his money by a swindler. In spito of this he reached his home, bub as his receptiou there was decidedly cold he returned to Paris. Unable to obtain employment and being in danger of starvation, he had no resource but to give himself up to the police and request to be sent back to tho penal

settlement. Football, Angling, Philately, and L«nd and' Water, will be found on pages 23 and £6*