The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-26 00:00:00

THE CAREER OF A NOTORIOUS

CONVICT.

We gave in The Sun a short time ago a brief account
of a desperate convict named George Woodcock, who
was sentenced to six months' imprisonment at the recent
Devon winter assizes for escaping from Dartmoor Pri-
son. It appears that, although so young—being only
25 years of age—he boasts that he has been in almost
every gaol in the country, and that he has committed
" every crime short of murder." He has been convicted
under various aliases—Sigismund, Colbeck, Johnson,
Thompson, and Massey. In the spring of 1853 he coal
witted a burglary at Bedferd, and was sentenced to 18
months' imprisonment. While in gaol he behaved with
great violence, and made several attacks upon the gover-
nor, Mr. Roberts. He was threatened with corporal punish.
went, but this had no effect upon, him, and in the fol-
lowing July he smashed the furoiture of his cell,
and threatened to take the life of any one who approached
him. The governor, however, with the assistance of the
officers, overpowered him, and he was then placed under
restraint. He afterwards kicked at the governor, and
serious injury would have been the result had he net
fortunately misstei his aim. On one occasion he closed
the door immediately on the governor entering the cell,
with the intention, as he afterwards stated, of stabbing
him, " washing his hands in his blood," and then destroy
ing himself. Frustrated in his diabolical design, be
exhibited alternate signs of repentance and fury; and on
being released from restraint he attempted to straegle
himself. Being detected in this attempt by one of the
warders, he endeavoured to dash out his brains by
knocking his head against the floor. So violent was his
conduct that for six weeks he was secured, hand and foot,
to his bed. In the month of August he was placed in
a lunatic asylum, and here Woodcock assumed a quiet
and even pious demeanour, which threw the keepers
off their guard, and on the 6th Oct. following he effected
his escape. He was not at large long, for in the next
mouth he was committed to Derby gaol on a charge of
theft, and was sentenced to a month's imprisonment and
10 years' penal servitude. While in Derby gaol the
governor, Mr. Sims, having ascertained that Woodcock
was a notorious character, made sundry inquiries re-
specting him, and found out that he had been iu
prison no less than five times in Wakefield for
various offences ; was sentenced to a month's impri-
sonment at Aylesbury sessions for stealing shoes, in
1847 ; three months for some offence, in the name
of Massey, at Durham, in 1848 ; a month's imprison-
ment at Leicester assizes, for stealing boots, i❑ 1849,
in the name of Johnson ; 12 months at Retford, in 1850,
for housebreaking ; and nine months at Northampton
assizes, in 1851, in the name of Thompson, for stealing
boots at Daventry. Besides this, Mr. Sims says he has
reason to believe he has bee❑ i❑ many more prisons in
London, Scotland, and France. The conduct of Wood-
cock while in Derby gaol was most violent and outrageous;
he struck a fellow-prisoner, and attempted the life of an
officer with a piece of wood which he broke off from the
seatboard of an iro❑ bedstead in his cell. He was i❑ the
dark cell of Northampton gaol for misconduct 72 days,
was once flogged ,and several times put in irons for
the safety of the officers. He boasted to the cbapiain
that he had committed every crime short of murder. On
o:,:e occasion he made a daring attempt to escape from
Preston gaol by ascending the chimney, but was dis-
covered. He retuned to come down again, but altered
his determination when some fire was kindled and the
smoke ascended the chimney. Being sent to Dartmoor
he made his escape while doing some out-door work.
He was apprehended at York, and was sent to the
Dation county gaol, which is the receptacle for all the
escaped convicts of Dartmoor ; for nu matter in what
part of the country they are apprehended, instead of
being taken back to Dartmoor, they are conveyed to the
county gaol, and, after undergoing a punishment, they
are sent bank to finish the period of penal servitude to
which they bad been previously sentenced.