MURDERER ABROAD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3517, 9 August 1921, Page 23

MURDERER ABROAD.

MATTHEWS ESCAPES FROM 1 SEACLIFF. SEARCH SO FAR UNSUCCESSFUL. At an early hour on Friday morning the police here received word that Reginald Matthews, the Timaru murderer, had made 1 gpod his escape from Seacliff Mental Hospital, where he has been confined for some j months past. It is stated that he was kept 1 m a strong iron cage, with a wooden floor, above a cellar. On Thursday he complained of being ill, and kept to his bed, and apparently used bis opportunities to break through the floor into the cellar below. Once he reached the cellar the rest would he easy. It. is believed that he was dressed only in a singlet and underpants. A party of police was promptly despatched to the scene, and another party of police and detectives went up to Seacliff by the second express to join in t lie extensive search which is being made, and in which a number of the attorniants are also engaged. Matthews is said to have kept himself in excellent physi ol condition bv regular exercises during ids ccniinement., but it is stated by the authorities at dead iff that lie never previously attempted to escape. THE MURDER. It will be remembered that the murder of Clarence Wagstaff, lor which Matthews was subsequently sentenced to death, took place at innaru shortly before midnight on October 27. The deceased, who, along with a. friend, slept in a hut, was awakened by footstep® < tit side, and on making investigation saw tile crouching; figure of a, man. Tire two lads planned to intercept the intruder, thinking Ins aim was to secure the keys of 13, dlanty Tie’s drapery premises, which were usually kept by Mr vVagstaff, sen. On being discovered the would-be burglar fled. Wagstaif and his friend gave chase, and the former overhauled the fugitive, who. however, broke away, with deceased and his companion in hot pursuit. The man then tinned round and fired three shots at point-blank range. Wugsialf dropped, the blood oozing from a wound iu the left breast. The deceased soon lapsed into unconsciousness, but before doing so said to the police: “We saw .a, man and oltased him, and lie turned round and mod at me.’’ A DESPERATE CHARACTER. The circumstances attending the arrest of Matthews at Lyttelton on November 1 were s irrational. He was an evaped prisoner at the time. On August 25, 1919, he was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment on a charge of indecent exposure, but escaped from Lyttelton Gaol on S pletu'uer 12, 19J9. Nothing was seen or heard of him till last October, when lie was noticed in the Public Gardens at Christchurch, and a gardener who was a witness against him in the court proceedings went to apprehend him. Matthews presented a revolver at him, and made good his escape. At 6.45 p.m. on November 1 a party of police vent on board the .steamer Maori at Lyttelton, and w< re inspecting- some luggage in a cabin, j when Matthews entered. Detective Bickerdike t< ok a ■’tip towards him, hut Matthews cropped ins ha ltd to his hip pc ket, and t o ho'.vn the -My-rage gangway, !u oudi.-h----iug an anemia: A pistol. On the wharf ;.e er.< mitered Coi.sra'de Templeton, who made a grab feu him. Maith, \\s jumped to avoid has < hitch, and in rue c ali'is a -hot was fired, the constable receiving the bullet Eove the 1 nee. Nothing daunted, i,O closed with his ass c .n:. and win the assistance of Cons.able J 1 clop held his man until the other police e.ifi err Hoard in. when Matthews w - set -red and handcuffed. In 'll.’ n-c cf Matthews's trial for mere: r b;s coumol disclosed an cxiraordiu.o ally vicious and degenerate family Lisin, rv. The death ..sentence, which was passed ,n February 12 last, was subsequently commuted to one cf confinement in on asylum, cn the ground that he was not responsible for his dc; as. MATTHEW AN DESCRITTION. Malt: sis d< vribed in the police records is a labourer and seaman, hit 3in : n height, of nu dium build, fair I iiv and complexion, bating a broad nose (which lias ob\iou-ly i n broken or y aw. time), blue eyes, front upper teeth missing, scar on j 100 left side of the upper lip and of the i let; upper aiiu, mr.e on ihc- right cheek. 1 Ho is 26 years: of age. He is a native of Invercargill, where he spent, his younger daps. After li-- ee- p-d from Lyttelton Gaol lie followed ids c:dbng as a .seaman under the nance of Reginald Jr win. MATTHEWS CAPTURED AT OAMARU. viio sc L.rci 1 tor i fog..ri jU;ill.:wvs, tile iTmaru inurc.orer, wi.o esca. od iiom Uw Stticlnf juem.il riospu-ul early on Friday morning, was continued by me police an t aUeuuuiUs from trie ye.,unit Mental Asylum m the ram, vicel, and snow all j. ru’.ay login, during buSurdny, and early ye.xu.rouy morning, an a linuiiy resulted in his capture, without resistance, by Attendant Dawson ami Constable Alien. soil on tiio Uumu.ru toicsliore, near tile gasw or at e.SU a.m. on Sunw. v. THE ESCAPE. By the manner in wiucii AiaG hews escaped it is susucLied tiiafc ho inu.it have Had outside i.L.:sistcttJoe at dilierent times, However, with a knife Matthews removed two 4in boards from the flooring oi his ceil, which was above an open cellar, lie thus had enough space to suut.czo dc n into the cellar, which lias a drop of about 10it. Unce in Ihe cellar escape was ca-y. Mat- ■ thews tiieu u (implied himself with his busing gloves, a bathing suit, and a pair of tennis shoes, which he obtained iroin what is known as an “airing court,wuere ho exerciiscd in tiie daytime. .MhiGi. A's ap] ■:icm iy iliver.ec! any .-- lb :t !:.• was pi elm; ;-.g to can;),, by 1 . n 1 :: g -ickti— •. and lie gullied an up ; rtuuily lo couu hie lua pinin’, as on ilnu-.-t.iay ho 1 ornol .l ilk d <■! having in: : ralgui, and c ki-d p< rm Asa n 10 Hay in l.cil. 11,-, re,; s gia 1■: ,I, and lus kapok m-itirc ss, vvliich men d part of mo - llour of bis v !:, wax !.. ii r -.,,-..;:rPc, 1 during the day. At 10 tumult ps-i 1 o' 10. k on tVid.iy morning lie was visited by the at tendaiit-q when nothing was found out of pawn, and it was not till 20 past 1 a.in., when his cell was vevisied, that Ills escape was known. \\ in 11 the lnalire-.s v,s e iiiavnl from its usual place ihe n port mo through which Matthews off cried his map:. l was ill-covered For a considerable period prior to his esc ipo M.n llicw.s hart been in the lmbit of hiding behind the door of his cell, where lie could not be readily seen when the attendants visited him, and springing out

upon them when the door was opened. In explanation of hia action he stated, that lie was just having' a joke. A further significant fact is that about a fortnight ago a rope was found on the top of Matthews's airing court, where it could not possibly have been put by Matthews himself. At about that time there was a rumour in Dunedin of an attempted escapo by Matthews. When Matthews escaped from the Asylum lie was wearing a pair of underpants and a singlet. THE PURSUIT. Immediately the news of Matthews’s escape was received in Dunedin on Friday morning, a posse of police was despatched to Seacliff. Sergeant Boulton, Detectives Beer, Kelly, and Palmer, and 11 constables ! travelled north by the second express. On j arrival at Seacliff, a. party of 40 attendants and police was oigamscd, which combed : the bush on all sides of the Asylum without , result. .Nothing further was iteaid till word j was received that footprints had been j found near a window of a residence in Waikouaiti, Matthews having passed ' through Merton at about 10.30 p.m. on the j day of iiis escape. Del', ulives Beer and j Kelly, together with the bootmaker who had made Mull liews’s shoes, wore despatched to the scene, whole the footprints j were recognised to be those of the escapee. r J lie search party was then sent , ; north to Waikouaiti, and the chase re- ! commenced. The detectives then c.soer- i rained that Matthews had bearded a g< • dtrain with his swag u\ Hampden by pre- i sumably dropping- on to a waggon from | rm overhanging in*e, aud the march party j was again moved north. £OOll after this. I word was received that a man answering ; Matthews's description was seen leaving a goods train some few chains south of Oamaru. The trch party • ding!y dis(lm a-ked at Gam.tin ami spread a cordon round the town, blocking all im- exits. In- ; (juirics at Oumiru elicited iht•• facts that j Matthews had been on vhe* Home liner i Kaiapoi, which was berthed ai the Oamaru 1 v, iiarf , and that th® jiiirht-watchman, who. i of course, did not revc-'cniso liini. iiad g:'.cn . him a meal. JTe was ai-o given six slices of ; bread, seme biuror, and a quantity ot j ten, which ho took awev with him to an I empty building on the lonc.-Aoi-e, wheiu L■ ■ ; remained for the remainder of the nigln. j Early on Sunday morning a woman and j two ti«hern:en were watching the opera; n,ns of the search parly from tin? doorstep of a ! house on the foreshore at Oamaru, when suddenly the woman screamed on recognising Matthews, who was cnniy- A d to c< me oui of the sti re, where he bad been lud- . ing, as the police were looking through the j windows at the back of tile building. Mat- j thews immediately ran along the bench, with the intention of running up the coast and hiding among the rocks. Bur. Lie net which the police had round him was gradu- j ally closing, making escape imp ssible. and , Attendant Dawson and Uonsiablo Aircheson succeeded in arresting Matthews, who did not resist On his arrest Matthews was clothed in ! four singlets and a. pair of dark trousers and j gymnasium shoes. UNDER f-AFE CUSTODY. Matthews was conveyed back to the SoaUirf Menial Hospital by a motor ear containing Dr M'KulHp, Attendant Dawson, Sergeant Boulton, and Constable M'C'uUoeh, and placed under ; 11 0 eestod v. It would appear that Matthews made nil his movements at night, aud kepi as near ihe railway lino afi possible during his short spell of freedom. Mali hews in reply to a question, said that he had made a liig mistake by not I taking a pair of hoots when ho had the ; opportunity, as the gymnasium shoes which j lie wore were easily traced. Oneo safe in custody Matthews v'-nttired ihe remark: “I v.i h I had a gun; I would have shot some of you.” Despite the wretched weather, the s-ar-h was kept up from the time Matinees escaped till the tim • of his recapture. Great • credit, is due to the pn’i o arc! the staff at l Seacliff, under Dm MTCillip. Uawdbnrg. and "Mills, for the manner in which they worked together, v bich resulted in the in . aptui-e -,.f i a man who, ar large, wa= a danger to the ' commu.r;: i y.