Dash For Freedom

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20887, 19 August 1939, Page 6

Dash For Freedom

ATTACK ON WARDER | PRISON CAMP SENSATION LORRY CRABHEB THROUGH BRIDGE j ONE OF PAIR SERIOUSLY INJURED (Special to Times) TAU M A RAN UI, Saturday A sensational episode is reported | from the Rangipo Prison Camp, near | Turangi, two prisoners staging an escape in the afternoon. One was recaptured and taken Back to the j camp. The other is in ;he Tauinarunui i hospital, in a serious condition, suffer,mg from concussion, aiid possibly a . fractured skull. j The two men—A. Duff, aged 30, who was committed from the South Island, and Darcy Bennett, aged 22, a Maori, of Auckland —were out with a gang when a heavy shower was experienced and the warder in charge, Mr J. McMillan, ordered the men to take shelter. Duff and Bennett loitered behind, and as soon as the other prisoners were out of sight, they turned on Mr McMillan and without warning, * allegedly knocked him unconscious, badly bruisiiig and cutting his lace. ; They then undressed him and Duff ; donned his uniform. Truok Commandeered I The men made off in the direction |of Turangi. On the road they were j overtaken by Mr F. J. Carter, managing director of Perham, Larsen and Company, sawmfilers, of R&ngataua. near Ohakune. Duff, posing as a warder, commanded him to stop, and lie was immediately set upon by th* men who, it is alleged, gave him the option of a severe beating or to hand over the truck. He chose the latter alternative, and the prisoners took the vehicle, and drove off at an estimated speed of between 50 and 60 miles an hour. On the outskirts of Turangi, where the highway leads across a long bridge over the Tongariro River, the truck failed to negotiate a bend, crashed through the bridge decking, somersaulted into the riverbed, and landed upside down. Bennett was trapped in the cab and Duff, who was thrown clear, maQe desperate efforts to extricate him, being assisted by Mr W. Dustin, the proprietor of a fishing lodge. Working in 4ft. of icycold water they had to smash the window before they could drag Bennett out. Pursuit BtarUd In the meantime the alarm had been raised at the prison camp and a pursuit was instituted. The officers proceeded to Turangi, where they took Duff, who was badly shaken, into custody. Bennett, who was suffering from head injuries and unconscious, was taken over rough roads to Taumarunui, where he was placed in the hospital at 11 p.m. Considerable damage was done to the bridge, the road being blocked for eight b' urs, and between 40 and 50 cars were held up while repairs were being carried out by a public works •gang, who did not complete their task till midnight.