The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-03 00:00:00

THE LATE EXTRAORDINARY

ESCAPE FROM NEWGATE.
On Saturday, at the meeting of the Committee of
Aldermen in the inner room of the new Council
Chamber, for the transaction of the business con-
nected with the several prison gaols and the police,
Mr. CoPE, the governor of Newgate, laid before
the committee a lengthened report in connexion with
the recent escape of the convict Strudwick, who made
his escape from Newgate on Monday last, some par-
ticulars of which we gave in our paper a few days
ago. Strudwick, who is in his 25th year, is known
to the gaol authorities and the police as the first
burglar of the day. What were obstacles to others,
to him presented not the slightest difficulties. His
daring and skill were commensurate to his success,
for he was often in the habit of tossing, and
playing at skittles, and losing, in the course of an
afternoon, from fifty pounds to one hundred pounds,
the whole of which was obtained by robbery. When
apprehended, which was for burglary at Pimlico, a
person of the name of Jackson was taken with him,
and, when arraigned, the latter pleaded " guilty,"
declaring that Strudwick was innocent. This decla-
ration, which had an ulterior object in view, was dis-
regarded, and Strudwick was tried, found guilty,
and sentenced to be transported for ten years. Nothing
further transpired relative to him until Monday after-
noon, when he was directed, with another convict,
to whitewash one of the wards, and, in the opinion of
the authorities, there is no doubt the latter assisted
Strudwick to reach the skylight, and thus gain the
roof. According to the regulations of Newgate,
the convicts wear their own clothes, and on the
afternoon in question a pair of canvass trousers and a
smock-frock, having the word " Ne agate" on theme
were given to him to wear while he was engaged in►
whitewashing. These he disencumbered himself of
on the roof of one of the houses ; and at the time ha
reached the roof of the house of Mr. William Mac-
donald, the landlord of No. 7, he had only his waist-
coat on, and his shirt sleeves tucked up. It may
here be observed that the back part of Mr. Mac-
donald's house is a story lower than the front, and
the former being leads, a door opens to the landing,
and which was kept open. On the afternoon in
question, Mr. Macdonald (who was standing in the
bar waiting for a Mr. Sewell, his surgeon, who came
and dressed his right shoulder, which he had dislocated
about three weeks since in a steeple chase), hearing a
small terrier bark, went to the stairs, and met the con-
vict on the stairs, bleeding from two wounds, one in
the thick part of the arm, the other above the wrist,
the shirt sleeve still up. On leaving the house it
appeared he ran down Warwick.lane into Amen-
corner, and through Stationer's-hall-court, where all
trace of the convict was lost, within five minutes
after he had passed through Mr. Macdonald's house.
Mr. Sewell came, when he was told, that if he bad
arrived earlier, he would have had a new patient,
on which Mr. Sewell said, " Surely there has not
been an escape from Newgate." Mr. Macdonald replied
that was impossible. In half an hour afterwards two
of the turnkeys, who had gone through one of the
adjoining houses, came down stairs, they having
traced the track of the escaped convict, when the
whole matter was explained. Since then the course
of the convict has been traced, and it appears that
he threaded the narrow parapet at the back of the
prison, but as a chasm of several feet
presented itself between that portion of the
gaol and the houses he partly altered his
course and came round to the front, at the corner of
Newgate-street, where, between the house in which
the two head turnkeys live and the prison, an inclined
wall, the upper part hanging over, and still further
protected by a chevaux de frieze, presents itself; by
an extraordinary muscular exertion, the convict
caught hold of some of the spikes, and actually
balanced himself on them, and swung over, and it was
here he received the injuries. He then placed one of
his feet in the gutter, and fell about twelve feet. Had
he missed his footing be would have been precipitated
either into the yard of the gaol or into the street.
Although in danger of certain death, he made the
attempt, and succeeded. Not the slightest informa-
tion has been obtained as to his hiding-place. The
court, after being informed of all the facts of an es'
cape unparalleled in the history of the gaol, acquitted
the turnkeys of all blame.

BANK OF FRANCE.
The following is a return of the situation of the Bank
of France up to April 26:

ASSETS.

Cash and ingots
Ditto in branch banks
•••
Bills past due ••• ••• •••
Bills falling due in Paris, of which
15,070,0231. 61c. are from the branch
banks 49,096,300 65
Bills in the branch banks „. ... 81,209,257 85
Advances on coins and ingots... 7 00
Ditto on French public securities 218,2542!,616999 95
Ditto by branch banks... ... 1,504,337 00
Ditto to the State on Bons du Tresor... 50,000,000 00
Ditto on the loan of 150 millions . 50,000,000 00
Rentes of the reserve fund •
10,000 000 00
Rentes, disposable funds „, •
42,581'498 13
Investments of the new branch banks in
the public funds ••• 12,779,541 39
Hotel and furniture of the Bank 4,000,000 00
Real property of the branch banks ... 2,283,787 00
Loan of 10,000,0001. to the city of Paris 8,000,000 00
Interest in National Discount Bank 200,000 00
Ditto branch banks ... 230,000 00

... £200,275,996 92
128,882,221 06
507,420 95

Bills protested at Paris
Ditto at the branches
Expenses of administration of the Bank
Ditto of the branches ...

6,735,410 53
4,066,071 00
393,669 53
314,785 00

Miscellaneous ... .. ••• •••
Advance to the department of the

972,853 09

_
Seine ... ... ...
Loan of 3,000,000 f. to the city of Mar-
seilles ... ...

3,000,000 00

... 1,000,000 00

f. 703,803,946 06

LIABILITIES.

capital
Ditto of the Branch Banks
Reserve fund

... f. 67,900,000 00
... 23,350,000 00
10,000,000 00

Ditto of the branch banks

Reserve•imnnobiliere ... ...
Notes to bearer, in circulation ...
Ditto of the branch banks ...
Ditto to order (post-bills) ...