The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-03-10 00:00:00

ESCAPADE OF A CONVICT.

It was very foggy on Monday evening last, and when
the warders at the Portland prison called the roll of
their men, one of the eowriats mansied to slip away,
and hide from his officer. The usual stir wad alarm
were made, the gun at the Verve was fired, the bleak
flag hoisted, and ',formation sent round to the while's
at l'oitland and Weymouth, the ',Deathward, and the
pollee. A party of warders went out to search Portland,
the cordon was drawn across the end of the isthmus,
and the coastguard. went to watch the bo.to. All that
bight their efforts were fruitless, as might hive be••
expeoted, and next day the search was resumed afresh.
Rumours were afloat that the (marled was onos employed
on board the grant &stern, and that he knew this part
of the 'here very well. Further it was said that a boat
was minim!, on which It was fanand the fellow had
escaped. The usual reavird was offered—" not exceed-
tnt £5." How adequate this amount would be in such
a case may be guessed from the fade that the *soaped
man was sft. 0,, high, 30 years of age, was under
aentehe, of 20 years' penal servitude, it is whispered for
unatal•ushter, awl he had four soar", viz, in the *entre
of the foreboad,ovor the hit eye, out oath. left forearm,
and ball of the left thumb, —a very pretty Tartar to
rate's for •£5 note, lie has a fur aoruploszloo, grey
ey.a, in, light brown hair, his name is It Moore.
RE-C• 141111111 OP Till CONVICT NOORK.

Moore wee r.-taken owl; on Wednesday morning,
The bhdory of hie attempt shows bow hopeless It is for
• soviet, at least of late nears, SO try to get away
from this well-guarded place. On Monday Alfred
Hutrack, • very steady and aerofoil amistant tender,
wet in charge of • sang of steep convicts at Weymouth
croft, near "The Three Drums." Among them was
the man,lclller Mere, who bad been committed from
Liverpool to Z) leer.' penal servitude, a. ii who bad
beim but a short time at Portland. Moore was
employed.. a rigger, be 'Von 'ed to the cranes toed in
moving heavy muse of atone, and towards the does of
their day's work, between banquet five and talit (for the
place wee at some dittance from the where ciells,)
Haneock's mon were shunt to he marched back, end he
directed Moore to bode up the chain, to steady it for
the Fr thin purport+ he aseeneed • stack of
atone, Ilaneock remelt:dog below with sir others. The
weather rapidly became thick, and Beneath being
engaged looking after hie other men potting
their tools in the cheat, when he looked again
, for Moore, he was out of sight. The alarm wee 00012
given, the other V3OO housed, the gun fired, flag hoisted,
warders turned out to search, sol tiers to keep guard,
and the polioe informed. P.S. Florence put a lice of
his men woes the ththmun from Roads to Bay in high
positions whence they eould see any one comma either
from the railway station, Chesil, Fortune's Well, or
Cutletown, and this cordon was retained by reliefs of
guards, till Wednesday morning. The military also
pet their cordon, the oastguard were all alarmed, men
were put at Church dope, and all other likely points,
sod wateh maintained. A warder was kept on duty
at the isihmus to recognise any one who pseud, every
man and woman was stoppod, waggons stopped and
sioarebei, and among those lia/torl one gentleman wag
found to he the Inspecting Commander of coutguani.
Women cap dully received the attention of the lino. of
suer le, for It was anopeeed that iltoro might escape,
if at al, in woman', drew. There was no Iltt'e
t :don in ti a for the description potated reit
rather &owl), wl • t tort of chars:ter Moore VW, d
the most sentathousl atatrmenta were med. SS to hes
crime. Rumour said he was a mate on beard the
Great Eastern, and had killed a men with a belaying
pin; no, he wan • steward, had quarrelled, and dealt
bin opponent an unlucky blow; no, it was a policeman
he bed killed in temper, and tbea was why he got fro
much; some of the quietism= made him oat a wicked
1.1,1y-ktller, who had caused the ruin of a girl, sod
killed her (Aber who Interfered; end another tale laid
tits cone in a barn rev Liverpool, when two aids
were uneerned, and the unhappy father was the
victim of the foul blow. Somehow, most seemed to
agree that be had served on board the Great Eastern,
and was more than half a idler, and this pointed to
his attempt to escape by re.. The coutgurds not
truly at Portland, but all round Weymouth, and the
adjoining pieces were out on the cliffs, those at Weir
month un ler command of Mr. Watty, and they did
not get e wink of deep all night. All Tuesday passed
without the slightest trees being found of the miming
man ; but, as ir was thought he might be concealed In
one of the stack+ of atone on the oast side of the
Island, near where he had been at work, bonfires of hey
and strew were Belled tinder some of the stooks in
attempts to smoke hint nut, and cayenne te pper was
erriekled, co that he tehrht be mede to trough or sueese.
Bat all was of no avail, and the guards had to be
relieved, ard other guards set. About five o'clock on
Wedneedey morning, Pilot Wey, with two sons, went
out plod .g in Mr. Comben'a cutter Reform, No. T,
and •s goon as they got into the Breakwater opening,
there VAS seen • raft about 9 feet iquare, with • 0344
011 It in coLviet'm tirer.7. The Ways approached
and found the hod convict on the raft. Be wa
in a very feed erudition, famished, and wo
through, and he offered no resistance, but was finale-
diste4 taken off the raft, and conveyed ashore.
Shaking with the cold, he wee taken about half -past
five, to Mr. Stephen Dryer Comben's Albert lon, where
they gave the poor wretch a quart of beer and some
bread and cheese. The amount he gave of himself was
that be got down tho side of the steak of stone on the
opposite side to that which he bed been sent up, and
in the fog escaped down the side of the hill to Balaclava
Ray, where be swam on board the Spanish
Brig Chalrisno (the wreck). There he sari he
remained Tuesday makiog his raft out of the
timbers of that vessel, and he thoileht he made
noise enough to be Leard half • mile off. This, how-
ever, is 'warmly likely, as the brig is almost overlooked
by the coastguard siation of Eeleejae,s. About 12
o'clock of Tuesday night, he got the raft overlent .1, bit
had to hoist up again with • tackle, es it heti not fi..sted
the right way. Having reelauLobed it to big sundae.
tion, he went on it with an oar, list without provaions,
waier, or sail,. lie pushed out to sea (it will be re-
membered that Balaclava is jest ostai le the Break-
water), and the ebb tide carried him beneath the Couviot
Prison, and on to the rooks. Ben he got
off the raft, wank ashore and rested, but
haring no diatom of food, drink, or change of dress, he
pushed off again to sea. This time the flood tide
caught his nue ieldly craft, and drove it to the opening
of the Break wider, wtore its CrUillitig erased, on bine(
seen by Pilot Thula, Was. Moore admitted that he
was helf—tarved, net having bed a hit to eat eines he
left the Prison, and he had been overboud twice, and
that though game enough generally, be had'ut . bit of
fight in him. Hs said he would'nt have hailed the
Ways, but as they etught him he gave up quietly.
Alter refreshment at the Albert, he was given up to
warder Skimmer and coca guard Towey, and taken beck
to his cell. hile.re. S. D. Cornben and Willi.m Anthony
about an hour and ha f ~tier, secured the r.fi which wee
floating in Portland Roads, and brt,ught it ashore. it
ems corel used of throe 4,1..• Oftrmur. the lowest b..iug
three 2jia., deals 10ft., thog and about 9 in.,
wide, on these were laid at right angles
three shaar deals and on theme cruselug
egain, were two inch deala about Oft, long. Ti. whole
was propeny secured by luhiegs of spun yarn, tied In
sailor's style with reefer knots. But pert of the lashiugs
Lad been already chafed away by that short voyage
down the out of the island and back again, and heck
Moore rwilly got ou't to sea, it is probable he would bore
been drownoil. WA only chem.., ley in his diacoveriug
the topmesta of an outward bound ship, and perhaps,
einkieg its clothes, he might have been picked up as •
thipwr,thid sailor. As it he only secure. tat:reseed
watching and dour eculthetnent while ho serves his long
term,

(„bOOA.—CIIA- YURI.- AND O)sr.
rounso.—. Ly & th,flXtel kilUWlte of the natural
laws which govern tho operations of d..(estion a:.d
nutritiou, and by a saran' application of the floe p:o.
peak.; of ocll an:seta-1 occoa, Mr Epps bas provided
our birakfut table with • deP.ostoly flavoured b..ver-
ago wl.iob may save ns many heavy doctors' b•lls.
ciya:rercicsfieuite. Made amply with Bolling Water
or Milk.—sold by Grocers in packets only, labelled—
" Jamas l'.l`ol and CO., Hotnueoptitttio Chemists, 46,,
Threlo.nertAo Street, and 170, Piesadilly ; Works,
Eu.ton Read, Loudon."

MAI% Ve1.1:13;11---0-7-e000L. —" We will now give ell
aro iunt of the proem adopted by Hewers. James Epps
and Co., manufaoturers of dietetic articled, at their
worke In the &letup Road, London."—bee &thole in
llouseltold Guide.

CAtrrion. - hitters. Its‘nrcr k Bons tog to caution
the nubile evilest imitation square blue, of very
lofr r quality. The Faris Blue-in equ.res (used in
the Prince of Wales' Laundry) ia sold in wrappers
bearing their name and trade mark.
ANALT4IB.—" I visitodl the London Docks, where Ten
importel by Messrs. Liorsiaten is under her Majesty's
Customs. I had otivata openei, and took samples which
analysed. These investigations MAN° Me JO SISUEIIO
that as the public now have the choice of 7ns, prifecilY
pun (in packets), they will tot be slowto oretsitej
between it and that which is (*loured." (Signa)
Artaer Bill Bassall, M.D.
Tel TLIKOAS AJID WINDPIPE are especialLiabla to
inba.mation. calming aoremem sad dryness. uondritt and
irritation, Including sough and affeatin,i the ',Oka. Foe
thrum symptoms use stymies in the form of Jujubes.
01)eerine in haw weseble oonlettiols bane. in
. . . .

_
--
Prulll.ltl to Om g'andt at els, maven' tLej lieetaik4
by itu. set of tt.oklog, become actively tuaaling.
pla kola (b) p •t 8 or or 15 ettior),ltbrikul "JANIS
Yyps& CO., Ho., apaptabia eb•sabat. 48,Tbtaadneedls
btreet, and 170, Plooodtliy, Loadot• —Bold is Dor.
abetter by U. Dordaa. 'tbizakt. 13 ()maw. AIN
Eppss ilamitopathis