The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-09 00:00:00

AT7EMPTED ESCAPE FROM BEADING

JAIL.

A littla excitement has been created in Reading
by the report of a daring, but unsuccessful attempt
to escape from the county gaol. About a fortnight
ago, a stylishly dressed fellow was apprehended on
the charge of having passed two counterfeit Bank
of England notes to tradesmen of the town, to
whom he had given orders for new clothing and
boots. In neither case had the tradesmen parted
with the possession of the goods, for although he
had paid them with the counterfeit notes, he
directed the parcels to be sent to the Great
Western Hotel, where ho alleged he had taken
up his quarters. it was • soon discovered that
ho had cheated the tradesmen, and when in-
formation was given to the police, he was sought
after, and in the evening found near a public house.
Seeing a policeman approaching, he ran off in the
direction of the railway station, but was eagerly
pursued by the police-officer. The cry of " Stop
thief" caused others to join in the pursuit, and when
getting near the South-Eastern Railway station,
the noise attracted the attention of a porter named
Horwood. The continued cries .led him to look
out, and seeing a man running, he stepped out from
the doorway of the station, and made an attempt to
stop the fellow, whose name is Jackson. The latter,
seeing the probability of a capture, became despe-
rate, and with a life-preserver which he carried in
his hand, he struck Horwood a fearful blow on the
side of the head, and felled him to the ground. The
noise was so great that other railway officers were
quickly at the spot, and seeing Jackson they at once
stopped to ascertain the cause for which he was
wanted. The porter Horwood was found to be
seriously injured, and for several days his life was
despaired of. Jackson was afterwards removed to
the station, and after an examination, two days
from that time, he was committed to the county
gaol for trial at the summer assizes. His attempted
escape from the gaol was characterized by great
dexterity and ingenuity. It appears that to the
hammocks upon which the prisoners sleep are at-
tached hooks, to place into pins in the walls of the
cells. He had ripped one of those off and bent it
into a semi-circular shape, in order that by throw-
ing it on to the top of the wall it might fasten there.
The sheets with which he was supplied he tore into
strips, and at the end he fastened the hook. In order
to have accomplished this task he must have been
engaged nearly the whole of a night, but he carried
on his work so quietly that he was not heard by
the warder on watch, although he several times
passed the cell. After attending chapel in the
morning he was taken out for an airing into the
yard with the other prisoners, having twisted the
long rope which he made with the sheets around his
body. At the usual time the bell rang for the priso-
ners to be taken into the gaol from the airing yards,
and by some extraordinary means he managed to get
over the iron rails of the airing yard, of the height of
seven feet, and he ran to the boundary wall of the
gaol. As quick as lightning he threw up his rope
to the top of the wall, and the hook having made a
secure fastening, he ran up like a cat,and had nearly
reached the top, when he was espied by a warder
at a distant part of the prison grounds. He ran at
once and gave an alarm to the governor and deputy-
governor, who were quickly on the spot, and pre-
vented the fellow effectually escaping. Jackson fell
down exhausted, and was removed to his cell. If
he had not been observed just at that moment,there
is little doubt he would have scaled the wall, and,
as he would have alighted on the side of the Abbey
ruins, it is probable he would have been unobserved,
and got clear off. On examining the rope, it was
discovered that he had fastened in a wooden spoon i
to form a kind of step upon which to rest his foot,
but this appears to have given way, and thus he
lost the support upon which he reckoned. He was
closely searched on being taken back to the gaol,
and there was discovered upon him an iron hook,
which he had taken out of the cell in the Borough
Bridewell, where he was confined on being first
captured ; and this he had used to enable him to
carry out his escape. He has since professed to be
deeply penitent at what he has done, and with the
utmost sang froid has told some of the officers that
if the gaol gates were thrown open to him he would
not run away, for he would prefer undergoing the
punishment due to the crime with which he stands
charged. Jackson is about 32 or 33 years of age,
and is suspected to belong to a gang of London
sharpers.