The Sun.
London, England, 1802-11-30 00:00:00

3. 0 ILVSON,' .771 E ;SMUGGL ER' 1, SECOND

ESCAPE FROM PRISON.

1r may be recolleled that, about four years ago,
this person, and another-, were apprehended, for ob.
struling'and ill using some of the Revenue Officer's,
while in 'the execution of their duty upon the Suss, x
Coast, and were committed to the New Jail, in ,the
BoroUgh,to take their trial ; but both Prisoners effect.
ed their escape in the following desperate manner :
Having procured, by the means of an accomplice, a
brace of pistols, they took a favourable opportunity,
when the Turnkey was alone, and demanded their
berty, or they threatened to shoot him dead on the
spot. The man was obliged to open the doors, but as
they were both heavily ironed, he conceived it would
be an easy matter to follow them, and -have- them
again secured. He was, however, Ibiled in this
design, for when the Prisoners had gained the outer_
door, two horses were in readiness, and a man was
waiting, who assisted them to mount. Thus they
got -clear off; and were not' heard of for some
time, notwithstanding five hundred pounds reward
was offered foc their apprehension. The first
time Johnson was heard:of, after his escape, was
at the time the Expedition to the Helder was
meditated 'by Government, when he made an of-
fer of his services to accompany the Expedition,
as, from his smuggling connections, he had gain-
ed a complete knowledge of the Dutch Coast ;
Government accepted of his services, and granted
him a full pardon, -on his promise never to be again
concerned in. the Smuggling Trade. Johnson ac--
quitted himself, in this undertaking,. so much to the
satisfadion of his employers, that he•becatile a great
favourite with several of the Ex-Ministers, and with
the late Sir RALPH 111EttcRomsve in particular.
He afterwards contracted debts to the amount-of
eleven thousand pounds, was arrested, -and lodged
in the Fleet Prison, nearly six months ago, wheie
he remained.,

It appears, before he became an inhabitant of the
Fleet, that, in his pecuniary difficulties, he again
had recourse to smuggling, and was supposed to
' have been at the head of a gang of Smugglers, who,
on the 6th of June, kept in custody some of the Re-
venue Officers, at Southwould, in Sussex, while others
of their party took away some smuggled goods. It
is not more than a fortnight since he was recognised,
by some of these Officers, in the Fleet ; they had
'come from Sussex to see him, and swore to his be-
ing the man who took a leading part in the business
of that day. The Lord Mayor attended at 'the
Fleet, for the purpose of examining Johnson; and
from the evidence adduced by the, Officers, his Lord-
, ship ordered him 'to be detained for a capital felony.
A Bill of Indilment was preferred against hint, and
it was expefted that a true Bill would have been
found this day.•
Johnson aware of these circumstances,, turned his
thoughts .once more to making his escape, which
he effe6ted yesterday morning, notwithstanding he
was confined in a strong room, with two doors, or
rather a double-door, such as are generally fixed to
the. Chambers in'lnns of Court. At the top of each
door was a, pannel, instead of glass. It was by,
forcing but these two pannels, and Creeping through
the holes of them, that Johnson was enabled to reach
the gallery, and from thence the hiBh wall that stir.
rounds the prison ; which it was impossible for him tO
have done, without accomplices, as the pannelof the
outer-door, it appears, had been forced from without.
The manner by which he broke out the panne' of the
inner-door appears very clear, from the instruments
he-left 'behind him in the room, and which he had
employed on the occasion. He had bored,. with,a
small giinblet, an innumerablequantity_ Of holes
in the. panne', till it became like a riddle`; ;and
then, with a knife or chissel, he cut away that part
of the wood which separated the holesr and by
these mear,s effeaed his putpose, without causing
any noise. The holes had been prepared some _
days before, and filled up with paste, to prevent
a discovery. On his coming to that part of the
wall next to Fleet-market, he found .a,ropeJadder,
which his friends, on the outside, had provided
for him, and placed there, agreeable to their plan.
This was between three and four o'clock in the morn.
ing, and-it is supposed, from circumstances, that he
was upwards of half an hour before-he could clear the
wall. From its enormous height, and the arrange.
ment of the spikes, it is a matter of astonishment how
he was ever able to accomplish his purpose. Having
gained the most material point, he found, as. on the
former occasion, that no part of his plan had been
negletled by his accomplices,' for in Fleet-market he
• met two men waiting for him, on horseback, leading
a spars 'horse ; he immediately mounted, and they ail.
galloped off together. A Watchman, on the out-
side, observed the meeting, but did not know what
had happened, till he observed the ladder, towards
day-break, hanging from the wall;_opposite to Fleet_
Market, when he knocked up the Warden of the
Fleet, who, on being- informed of it, soon guessed
who was the run-away. This'affair is the more to
be regretted, on his account, as it makes him liable
,tO the whole of the debts, which amount to eleven
thousand pounds!

On Saturday last Johnson sent out of the Fleet, a
box, containing linen and papers, which caused
some observations.; but he was thought so sccu►c
that it never induced a suspicion that he meant
himself so soon to follow. A reward of five hun-
dred pounds is offered for his apprehension.

On Wednesday evening about seven o'clock, a
youth, the son of a tradesman in Piccadilly, ob-
servingtwo men running along the lower side of
Berkeley square (carrying a heavy basket between
them),- and turning up Hay-hill, called out, " hal-
low, you fellows, where are youtgoing with - that
basket ?" On which they both -let go their hold,
andlan off;, the lad pursued them, and-coming up.
With the hindmost, the fellow turned round and
aimed a blow at him with a stick, which he avoid-
' ed, but h;ving- no weapon himself, was obliged •to
give up the pursuit. On inquiry, the basket con-
taincd some hundreds of eggs, and was stolen from
Mr. Gunter, confectioner, in Berkeley square,- who
generously gave the youth a guinea for his courage
s and spirit.'