The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-24 00:00:00

e riots

:D ....5,

gentlemen showing a great deal more alarm, in-
deed, than the prisoner herself did; while the feel-
ing that prompts some to cry on hearing the death-
warrant of a fellow-being pronounced seemed

overcome by astonishment, one tender-hearted
policeman, near the place where the prisoner sat,
being the only person we saw shed tears. The aspect
of the city at large seemed one of unusual agitation.
Meanwhile the miserable woman, delivered over to
the charge of Governor Stirling, was at once
lodged in the cell which had been prepared in case
of an unfavourable verdict. Possessing rare
strength of will, she has retained her self-command
since sentenced with the same outward quietude as
heretofore, and has expressed her innocence in strong
terms several times. Whatever her hope of a respite
may be, she does not express herself regarding it in
any way, making the remark on one occasion that
she wished her statement given to the public, rot
for her own sake, but that for the sake of her hus-
band and child the world might know she is not the
deeply-stained criminal she is convicted of being.
Her story finds many believers, and many more,
though not convinced, would yet give the unfortu-
nate woman the due benefit of the doubt as to the
justice of the verdict."

ATTEMPTED ESCAPE FROM SUSSEX
COUN7Y Gs OL.

On Wednesday and Thursday last, considerable
excitement prevailed at the County Gaol; in cense-
quence of a prisoner attempting to make his escape
from the building. His name is DimoHard Francois,
a Frenchman, about 32 years of age. He was com-
mitted for trial from Eastbourne, on the charge of
stealing some silver spoons and wearing apparel at
Hailsham. It is the custom at the gaol to allow
prisoners awaiting their trial to take two hours'
open air exercise each day—one hour in the fore-
noon and another between 2 and 3 o'clock. On
Wednesday, Francois and 12 other prisoners took
their afternoon's airing together, being, as usual
guarded by turnkeys. At the termination of the
exercise they were marched again into the prison and
replaced in their cells. Francois, however, stopped
back, for the purpose, it was thought at the time, of
proceeding to the governor to get aletter written. At
half-past 4 o'clock, after an hour and a half had
elapsed, the turnkey in whose ward Francois was
placed, finding the man had not returned, inquired
for him, but the governor had not seen him, and sus-
picions were at once aroused that he had effected his
escape. Wednesday is a day on which visitors are
allowed to see their friends in prison, and the infe-
rence was that the prisoner, nho was in plain
clothes, and not in the prison garb, this being the
rule with those awaiting their trial, had passed
through the gate with other persons. The gatekeeper,
who has a register of all persons admitted, was
positive that no such man as the prisoner was de-
scribed had gone out, so that the first conclusion
seemed to be unfounded. The building was then
searched over and over again. Every crack and
corner where it was thought possible a human being
might secrete himself was closely inspected, and the
place in fact literally turned inside out. No Fran-
cois, however, could be found, and the first conclu
sion—namely,
again that he had gone out at the gate—
wasadhered. to. To guard against any pos-
sibility of his being secreted about the premises,
however, double watch was put on inside and out-
side of the building all night, and a body of police
likewise patrolled the outer wall. Thursday morn-
ing came, but no signs of Francois, and all hope of
" preventing" his escape was abandoned. Every
one concluded he was gone. About a quarter past
one in the afternoon Mr. William Sanders (son of
the governor, Mr. John Sanders), who had but
shortly before returned from London, saw a man
run from the direction of the coal-hole to the outer
wall, taking with him a short ladder which was
being used by men engaged in painting the build-
ing. He immediately gave chase, and rushing up
the ladder after him, caught the runaway as he was
in the act of attempting to scale the wall. This
man was the missing prisoner Francois. He made
no resistance, and was speedily marched off to his
cell. Upon examination it was found that he had
secreted himself in a small place near the engine:.
house filled with coke. The coke had been
plied
nearly up to the ceiling, and Francois, during the
time that elapsed between his leaving the other pri-
soners and the alarm being given, had crawled up
to the top of the heap and completely buried him-
self under the coke. Upon this hard bed he lay
and fasted for 24 hours. Francois, although a

young man, is stated to be au Old offender, and
evidently fully acquainted with the habits of ti
prison, as the hour when he attempted to scale the
res.f
wall was at a time when the prisoners were at
dinner and the turnkeys were all engaged in the
building. Had not Mr. Sanders, jun., amid t
- en nii
mtes,r
u.lr.
been in that particular part of the • -11 e
probability is he would have got over
the w
sonlyduly dring thae 11t'213
Sanders,not cleanthaeway. governor,lt ist
to state,
thatyears that he has had the appointment of
cheiet to
officerl
of the gaol, not a single prisoner has effected his
Advertiser.
escape.—,Sussex

Since the conclusion of the trial, says the
Northern Daily Mail, public opinion has swayed to
and fro as regards the verdict given. The Manner
in which her statement" before sentence tallies
with the evidence of the Crown has been generally
remarked upon as favouring the idea ihatshe had
told the truth., A memorial to the Secre-
tary eskipg tora_Co.nnputation
and a public meeting is spoken o ihe.view
a general reg.nest to the sane effect •to Sir George
Grey. .",

The Scotsman. s Y(:,:terd,i; an additional
/1:•
11::11 Ng
t7l'll.(oalleges that ou the ,ti;j,in,°3
bell, wEis answered.bi:iiio
cups, whereupon he took 1..;.r
hhertlitco wash part of the lobby, for
old man. She told Liu
that she' was in the.hallit of being eMployee.' zhe
when Jessie M'Pherson
swinehravienahnathetaeougswaedvaes her sixpence. Another witness gives
'arked to M'Pherson that
more reliable testimony to the effect that one day
1.113; seemed to think she was
some
ohamOsreti Iny
acquaintancebheefro rs ehothpe,
sr ato.ufe rhrd:
made of money, as she was always borrowing from
her ; whereupon M'Pherson .remarked that it was
the same with her and Mrs. M'Lachlan, who was
always borrowing from her. She added that ehe
would not only stop lending, but have back
from her what she had lent. The Crown autho-
rities were very minute in their search for
any article of clothing belonging to old Mr.
Flem—ing that could show whether he had any hand
in the murder, but found nothing. They made him
account also for every article of clothing of which
he had been possessed. They took down the jaw-
box and water-closet pipes and dug the whole gar-
den, without any result."
The Glasgow Morning Journal, which warmly
espouses the cause of Mrs. M'Lachlan, says :—" No
great public or national event could have produced
for the time being greater or more universal excite-
ment than that which prevailed throughout the
city on Satut day afternoon. From the opening of
the trial on Wednesday all other topics were lost
sight of, and the progress of the case was watched
day after day with an attention that has been given
to no criminal casernot even excepting the famous
Madeline Smith.. trial. The ferment in the public
mind reached the greatest pitch, when, with the
issue of the trial, was made known the extraordi-
nary statement read by the prisoner's counsel before
the passing of the sentence. The scene in court
whilst Mr. Clark read the paper was a striking one.
The prisoner, stolid heretofore throughout her weary
sitting, cried bitterly but silently, her grief seem-
ing greatest whilst the account of the last moments
of the murdered woman was being read; but on the
conclusion of the statement becoming, whilst Lord
Deas told her, in harsh and unmerciful terms, her
fixed doom, and his opinion of her.story, once more
composed, and wearing, indeed, an air stern even
to defiance. The jury who had just settled her fate
seemed much more discomposed than before the
reading of the statement, the faces of some of the