The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-06 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPE FROM CARMAR-
THEN GAOL.

On Thursday morning the governor and officials
were in a state of great consternation at finding that, at an
early hour, a daring escape from the county gaol, in Car-
marthen, had been made by two unconvicted felons, namely
Charles Williams, committed for trial at the next assizes,
on there distinct charges of burglary, and John Reed, who
would be arraigned at the quarter enesions to day, at Liao-
dila, ea a charge of housebreaking, had he not managed to
make his exist from the prison in so unexpected a manner.
The proper name of Williams. who is well known as the
modern "Jack Sheppard" is Owen Prichard ; he is now on
ticket of leave, having been transported from Ruthin. He has
already broken out of gaol twice, once out of • lock up
house, and is a notorious character. Reed is of Irish ex-
' traction, bora in Scotland, but nothing is known of him. In
describing the plan of the escape we may mention that the
unconvicted felons are imprisoned in the portion of the
prison termed the Trebanda, • building two stories high, in
which are several cells, four being on the top story, and
having a large paved yard surrounded with high atone walls.
and surmounted with chevaux de
.1 rise in front. In two of
these cells, which by the way was originally one cell,
but was some years since divided into two, by a single brick
partiticto, were confined the two prisoners, and at half-past
1 o'clock on Thursday morning the warder visited them,
sad found everything all right. After this, opera-
tions must have commenced by Reed tearing
down some of the brickwork of the partition,
which enabled him to get into Williams's cell adjoining.
They then, it appears, raised a part of the flooring,
which was also of brick, close to the flue, running up
from the room beneath, designated the "Day Room,"
when prisoners are placed at periods of the day, sod
then in that hole made an opening into the chimney
►ith the aid of • small piece of oak firewood, which
they had become possessed of. This wall was sup-
Poosd to be thoroughly secure, no one ever dre►ming
that it wee only • single brick thick. The work,
though cunningly and effectually performed, was
exceedingly clumsy, and such as might be effected by a
piece of tough wood, used as a sort of wedge to remove the
brickwork. The prisoners then forced their bodies through
the hole into the chimney and descended into the d►y
room, which was not secured. Raving got to terra firma the
nextthing was to get over the walls, and the way in which
this feat was accomplished was as follows : they tore their
bed ticks into strong shreds, and joined them tightly
together with towels and • shirt until they had two ropes,
each about 23 feet long ; to the end of each they secured •
pillow case half filled with calm as purchase for them to
scale the walla. Having flung one of these ropes over the
wall of the Trebanda, the bag of calm being safely en-
tangled in the rhevaux de frite, they ascended and
lot down safely the other side in the same manner.
They then stealthily crept past the governor's house,
and flung the other rope over the comparatively low wall
of the Castle Green, which they easily got over ; and thus
effected their escape. All this was done between half-past
1 and 5 a.m., and the ingenuity employed was mar-
vellous, although on an inspection, the means of escape
Proved simple in the extreme. The Trebanda is supposed
to have been built in 1790, and no one knew but the pri-
soners, who managed to find it out, that the tines were only
one brick in thicknese. —Carmarthen Journal,

SAT) DEATH OF A YOUNG LADY.—Seldom ban it
been our painful task to report an accident more generally
deplored throughout oar neighbourhood than that which
has just deprived the old and respectable Gordon family, of
Sheepbridge, of the happiness peculiar to the new year by
a severe calamity involving the life of one of it.
members. Ou Friday evening last Miss Anne Au-
gusta Gordon retired to her room, and in a brief
apace of time loud shrinks were heard from her
apartment. It was soon discovered that the young lady's '
dress had taken fire, sod. despite the efforts of her sisters
std brother, was entirely consumed, not even her boots
weeping. while every portion of her body was more or less
burnt, with the exception of her chest and face. Dr. John-
son was immediately in attendance, but notwithstanding
medical aid, she died about 4 o'clock next morning. Miss
lubella and Miu Letitia Gordon have sustained several
hares in their efforts to relieve the deceased Young lady,
but we are glad to know the injuries are not serious.—
Nerry Telegraph.
GOVERNMENT INSURANCE AND ANNUMES.—The
following additional pest-offices will be open on and after
the Bth January, 1866, for the receipt of proposals for the
iseuraoce of lives or the purchase of government annuities,
ander the act 27 and 28 Vict., cap. 43, and for the receipt
0 the premiums becoming due to the Postmaster-General,
from time to time, under contracts for the insurance of
lives or the purchase of government annuities, and for the
?Meat of any sums which shall become payable by the
roetinaster-General under the said contracts :—Cheadle
(lfanchester), Glynmeath (Neath), Haddenbam (Timms),
Rollinwood (Manchester), Littleborough (Manchester), Mil-
ford Haven, Olbnry (Birmingham), Ongar (Brentwood),
lialtburn-by-Sea (Darlington), Sedbergh (Kendal), Silver-
110e (Newcastlo-under-Lype), Sr. Asaph (Rbyl), Tusford
(...Nawark), Usk (Newport, Mon.), Wanford, Widnes (War-
s,r!Vu), Wilmslow (Manchester), Winslow, Witham, Wood-
These offices will be open for such purposes during
the hours appointed for the transaistion of money-order basi-
lisk A handbill containing the principal rules of the Govern-
lust Iseuraoce and Annuity-office, and of the Post-office
Sayings Rinke, has been printed for gratuitous distribution,
cad espies may be obtained at the above-named offices. A
translation into Welsh of the band-bill has deo been printed
foe distribution in Wales, and copies may be obtained at
all post-office in Wales which has been opened teethe trans-
action of Government Insurance and Annuity be:sinew. The
raoutire will, from time to time, be extended to other poet-
cam than those named above, and doe notice will be given
sub extensions. If application be made to any post-
blaster for the extension of the measure to his °Moe, he
arfil at once report the circumstance to the secretary.