The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-06-05 00:00:00

THE DAILY TIMES, TUESDAY, ruNE 5, 1860.

DARING ESCAPE FROM THE HULL GAOL,

A most daring escape was made from the Hull
Borough Gaol on Sunday morning, by a notorious
offender, named Thomas Foster, who was just com-
pleting a term of three months' imprisonment at the
gaol for a violent assault upon Detective Chapman,
When taking him into custody for breaking into the
slaughter-house of Mr.. Samuel Robinson, butcher,
Withani, Mill, arid stealing therefrom two legs of,
Perk: He was collimated by the Stipendiary magis-
trate to the sessions on the charge of felony and assault;
for the latter, as we have said, being sentenced to three.
rnprtths' iniprisonment, and, . having' been four times
previously convicted of felonies, he was sentenced to,
seven years', penal servitude for breaking into the
slaughter house and stealing the perk.
The *ay he managed W escape exhibits considerable
cunning and prenieditatien. He was, locates in a room
on the third storey of the Model Prison, the base of
his room being about 25 feet from the ground, the
windows being protected by iron bars, about 1h inch
thick ; and he was employed in making cocoa fibre
mats. It would seem that he had succeeded in platting
a rope of the'fibre of which the mats are made, about
51 feet long, and between two and three inches
thick. With two old nails and a piece of iron he
had, by some ingenuity, made a kind of drag,,
similar to a butcher's hook, and this he fastened
in the centre .of the rope, which was sufficiently
long *het! dodbleci for hint to reach the ground froin
his cell. In order to get out of his cell he had, hdwever,
to remove one of the iron bars, which by some means or:
other he managed to do, by cutting one of the bars at the
bottom clean through with a knife, the manner in which
he had possessed himself of which cannot be surmised.
The bar being cut through at the bottom, and fit-

tiny into the stonework at the top of the window, by
working it about he unlodged it, and egress from his
cell was then easy. Placing the rope around one of the
bars outside the window, he slid down it, and then
withdrew the rope from the bar, leaving his clogs
behind him. He then noiselessly wended his way to
the west side of the building, which he seems to have
fancied the most suitable for his purpose, as the street
at the side into which he would alight is only a short
one, and he would be less likely to be seen than by
getting over the wall into ilingston,streeti which is
a long street, 'where he might hate been seen by
parties at a great distance off. Having got W the west
side of the yard, an obstruction to his thy progress,
in the shape of a botindarY Wall about twenty-five feet

high presented itself. Getting on to a coal he,ip ab'ou

four feet from the ground, he doubled his rope,
the hook before mentioned being in the centre,
and threw it over the top of the wall, working
it about until the drag had got fast underneath
the stone at the top of the wall, which
projects over two or three inches dem the bricks,
He then drew himself up to the top, made the drop

secure in the inside of the wall, and then slid down on

side the boundary wall, pulling the rope after him

Divesting himself of his prison dress, he then got over

another wall, about ten feet' high, and alighted in
Manor-street, being once more at libertyi having nothing

whatever on, however, but his shirt, diaVieti, and

stockings.
The escape of the prisoner was discovered about six
o'clock on Sunday morning, by the night watch-
man, who saw a bar missing in the cell which had
been' occupied by the prisoner, but it is evident
thathe must have made his escape betwixt ten o'clock

on Saturday night and two o'clock on Sunday morn-
ing. As soon as the circumstance was made known
to the police, batches of men were sent out in all

directions in search of the delinquent, but up to
four o'clock on Sunday afternoon no ttace ivhatever had
been discovered of hint. The police sticceeded in finding
the prisoner's wife about one o'clock, and she told them
that the first policeman who attempted to take him into
custody would meet with a warm reception, as he was

quite prepared for them. He is a native of Hull, is 30
years of age, sft. S9in. high, has blue eyes, light hair,
fair complexion, has "I" marked on his right arm, and
"D " marked on his left side.

LITERATURE.

IHE LIVERPOOL VULUNTEER ARTILLERY
WALTZES. Liverpool : and Son,
Church-street.

These waltzes are composed and arranged for
the piano-forte by Mrs. 0. A. Drummond, of
:llanchester. With such a popular title and such
excellent music, these waltzes are sure to become
popular,

CoMstfirtlONAL PREsS MAGAZINE.
London : Otley, and Co.
In the magazine of this month we have an
important letter from a " Colonist " on The
Manning of the French Navies and the North
American Fisheries question. The writer
remarks, that
We shall find in the naval as well as the military
department much to admire in the system of our inge-
nious allies, and perhaps also much to learn. In sea-
girt, seafaring, England; the manning of the navy has
become one of the difficult problems of the day.
WhereaS in France, from a small nucleus, a great and
admirably organised marine has been formed, and the
training and disciplining sailors for her navy has become
an institution. The French Government of late years,
feeling their deficiency in seamen and also in the
maritime nursery of sailors, has looked around, with
prescient con-talon sense, for some practical basis within
their reach, on Rdhrch to found a system of marine.
Though few their natural advantage's were in this
respect, they have found what they sought in their
distant fisheries, if these be well utilised and developed ;
and with admirable skill have they turned to account
wha't Would have appeared to an English statesman of
the red-tape school but scattered and insufficient ele-
ments. France has now in the fisheries of Newfound-
land alone more than 20,000 sailors employed. These
men are all subject to naval, discipline, they go out in
the spring, and return to France in the autumn ; they
are at all times liable to be called out to serve in the
navy; they are kept together, and in every way pre-
pared for the one object in view, viz., the possession of
a ready-made material always within reach for man-
ning the fleets. These men and bays: are taught sea-
manship in a rugged school ; they arc inured to hard-
Ships, seasoned to cold, to storms, and the roughest
work of the seamen. A Beet, manned frdm the 'rench
North Amsrican fishing boats and vessels, would have
presented to an admiral crews somewhat more prepared
for service than those which left Portsmouth for the
Baltic in 1854.
In the political article the Conservatives are
recommended to remain quiet.
We deprecate most strongly any push for office at
this critical moment, glad as we should be to see the
reins of Government in firmer hands. The best chance
far Conservatism is to let Liberalism hang itself : and
this it is preparing to do. The debates on the ReforM
Bill and the budget have done more towards adding to
the ranks of the Conservatives, than even Mr. Bright's
speeches ; Whilst Mr, Gladstone's irritability, Lord
John's fatuous WedknesSi and Lord Palmerston's off-
hand manner, are ettectnally astakefting the country
to a conviction that steadiness, strength, and sincerity
indispensable at this time—do not exist in the present
Government. The gilding, too, is becbming gradually
rubbed off the financial policy of Mr. Gladstone, although
was laid on by no unskilful or sparing hand-_--indeed
the debate in the Upper House sin the paper duty has
fearfully shaken, the official credit of the Chancellor of
the Exchequer. The Reform Bill will only reappsar„
to be laughed at in the House of Commons ; and to be
senti frightfully mutilated, to the House of Peers,
where, in all probability, it will get its cotT de grace.
The tale of Hopes and Fears, by the author
the," Heir of Redclyffe," improves as it progresses.
Thefe is also an excellent article entitled Horn-
book of Phycology, by Mrs. Alfred Gatty,
author of "Parables from Nature," &c. The poetical
effusions consist of Thomas Campbell's first edi-
tion of the Battle of Copenhagen, and the Voice
of Bells, by Patrick gcott

THE WELCOME GUEST. Part 8. June, 1860,
London : Houlston and Wright.

This is correctly entitled. " A Magazine for
all." The variety of matter contained in it is so
great that there seems to be something specially
adapted for every class of readers. In this part
we have the first seven chapters of .a new tale,
entitled, " Madame :Prudence : an old family
story in twelve chapters," which will be found
deeply interesting. Its pages aro adorned with
many poetical gems and beautiful illustrations.
There is so much to amuse and instruct in the
"Welcome Guest," that we cannot but allow the
propriety of its Shakspearian motto, as

" A guest that best becomes the table."

THE FAMILY ECONOMIST : Part .V. London :
Houlston and Wright. 1860.'

This is an illustrated weekly penny magazine,
which, according to its motto, is " kindly in tone,
useful in object, moral in tendency." This part
contains chapters 16, 17, and 18 of a first-rate
story, entitled " So the World Goes," by Watts
Phillips. Each number contains a popular paper
on " Scientific Recreations," with diagrams. " A
Sanitary Handbook for general use" has been
begun, of which we have here three excellent
chapters, usefully illustrated. "The Household
Economist" also occupies a corner of each issue,
and contains many valuable hints. Natural
history, the arts, and general intelligence are
aided, in various ways, by highly interesting
papers scattered through these pages. " The
Family Economist" ought to have a place in
every household as one of the best and cheapest
periodicals of the day.