A PRISONER SHOT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE.

Western Star, Issue 100, 9 October 1875, Page 5

A PRISONER SHOT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE.

We take the following from Monday’s Dunedin Star: —The gang of prisoners working at Bell Hill under Overseer Outram and Sergeant M'Namara, went to work as usual about seven o’clock this morning. Amongst the number was the notoi’ious Cyrus Haley, who is undergoing three life sentences, two being for arson and one for shooting with intent to murder. The sentences were passed in Auckland in April, 1872. Being a very desperate character Haley was shortly afterwards sent to Dunedin. Here ho behaved himself well for a short time but on the morning of Sunday, the 23rd of February, 1873, while dusting carpets on the gaol porch, he attempted to escape by throwing pepper into the eyes of Warder O’Hagan, who was on watch. He appears to have blinded the warder for a moment and effected an escape, but only got into Cumberland street, when he was rearrested by O’Hagan, who, notwithstanding the pain from which he suffered, followed in pursuit of his prisoner and re-captured him. For this Mr Caldwell the governor of the gaol, ordered Haley to work in irons with the Bell Hill gang ; but his conduct for a lenthened period continued good enough to warrant their removal about a year ago. Prisoner has since then showed no disposition which would give cause for apprehen sion.

On going to work to-day ho was told off with another prisoner to bore a hole for plugging. He was working on the foot of the slope on .801 l Hill, and at about twenty minutes after seven the alarm was raised by Warder Nicholson, who noticed Haley climbing up the slope, that a prisoner had escaped. Warder Miller, who was in charge of three prisoners at the top of the slope and to the cast of where prisoner was trying to climb tho bank, immediately followed in pursuit, and came up with Haley a few yards from tho First Church. He levelled bis rille at him and ordered him to stand, whereupon prisoner jumped over the Manse fence some four feet, high, ran through tho Manse, yard and came out . on the opposite side. Miller being dressed in uniform and carrying a rifle, cotild not jump the Fence, but be ran around and again came up within a few yards of prisoner on the Moray place side of the Manse. He then fired two alarm shots, Imping to frighten Haley ; but finding these ineffectual, and the man still continuing to run, he fired at him, shooting him as he reached the footpath at tho junction of Moray place and Stuart street, and killing him instantly. Tho bo ly was then removed to the Gaol and placed in a (I**ll. When viewed by our reporter it. showed that the bullet ha t entered the right side and passed through to the breast, where it came out. Inside his shirt prisoner had carried a parcel containing some family photographs and letters. Toe bullet bad gone right through these, taking out of each a corner about an inch square. Haley had on one occasion remarked to Sergeant Wats*>n that ho would carry those to liis grave. Deceased was forty-two years of age and a married man. His wife was at one time regarded a> one of the leading ladies of Auckland, and sang at tho various charitable concerts there. Latterly, however, she had become thoroughly dissipated, and some time ago, on her being sent to gaol, Her children were ordered to bo forwarded to tho Industrial School. Overseer Ontram, who lias been in the gaol force here for the last seventeen years, says that he never had a worse prisoner to deal with than Haley. A feature in the prisoner’s character was his treachery. When asked to do anything, lie was always notorious for his gentlemanly manner and civility, always addressing an official as “sir,” yet every ono . feared him, believing that there was not a more cunning prisoner to be met with. That the escape was premeditated there can be no doubt, prisonor’s trousers, which were found hidden behind a stone, and which were torn asunder by the seams, having evidently been previously torn and tacked together so as to ho easily taken to pieces again. Haley’s career in India was an equally eventful one. His escapes from gaol were so frequent that ho had to be sent to Pentiidge : but here tho authorities refused to have anything to do with him, and svnt. him hack to India.

At au inquest held on Wednesday, a verdict of justifiable homesido was returned, with a rider commending Warder Miller’s conduct.