An Exciting Man Hunt.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XIV, Issue 64, 21 October 1911, Page 1

An Exciting Man Hunt.

IN WILD CENTRAL OTAGO. The atory of how Constables Scandrelt and Gorrie caught the escaped prisoner Alexander Walquist in the wild back land between Ranfurly and Clyde would take excellent materia) for an S. E, White atory, says the Star. Walquist, who got away near Oamaru nine months ago, with the handcuffs on. him, had been seen at irregular intervals in the back country of Central Otago. Finally the police had information which seemed to locate him within a 40-mile area of most difficult country abounding in morasses and quicksands. Constables Gorrie and .Seandrett left Middlemarch on October lltb. Searching every hut and cave in this wild country, several times nearly losing their horses in bogs, they presently passed Serpentine, near which they found traces of occupation in several huts. Proceeding cautiously in the general direction of Hj de they approached a camp occupied by a man well known to them. Fortunately his dogs were tied up, and they managed to get up quite close without being noticed. Then the occupier, who had been walking towards the river, saw them, and came forward to meet them. When asked if he hud seen Walquist, he said a week ago. They walked towards the hut, where Constable Gorrie, who was slightly ahead, lifted a rug of an old unused traveller’s van, which disclosed the prisoner Walquist. It was then 7 o’clock, and getting dark, but they had to j,get the prisoner across the river on a horse and proceed 14 miles to the next station. The horses were done, a blizzard came up, so that they could hardly see the prisoner and it was midnight when they got him in. It was arranged that Scandrett should ride over to Middlemarch, take train to Kokonga, and there take over the prisoner from Gorrie. But a great snowtorm covered the Rock and Pillar an hour after their arrival and it was quite unsafe to cross. So they had to escort the prisoner to Ranfurly, an-* other long tramp.