New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-11-11
Daring Escape from Lincoln Castle

Daring Escape from Lincoln Castle
The burglar Ralph, says the Nottingham
(Eugland) Journal of a late date, was recap
tured on Thursday, on the Trent Bridge, in this
town. @'
1t appears, that at about 8 o'clock in the
morning, Bostock, of the county constabulary
force, perceived man passing over the bridge.
1t being the duty of the officer stationed there
to stop and search every one having a suspicious
appearance, Bostock, considering he had such.
went up to him and inquired what he had about
him. The fellow made no other reply than
laughing in his face, instantly struck fhe po-
leeman on the head with thick stick he had
in his hand. Bostock's hat was broken by
the force of the blow, and his forehead consid-
erably injured, but he nevertheless with the
greatest determination closed with his assaIiant
They were both powerful men, and the officer
had for some time the worst Of the encounter,
his opponent all the while dealing him the most
savage blows with his stick. Bostock, however,
with singular courage continued his exertions,
until a man named Birkin went up to his as
sistance.
The fellow was then, after desperate resis-
tance, overpowered and conveyed into the sta
ton house, where he seized the tongs, and again
fiercely attacked the policeman. He was, how
ever, at last secured and handcuffed, after
which he was conveyed to the county police
searched, a number of housebreaking imple-
ments were found upon his person, and also a
pewter key. 1t was soon discovered that he was
| the convict who had escaped from Lincoln Cas-
tie two days previously, and that the key above
mentioned was the one by which he had con-
triVed to unlock the door of his cell. He did
not attempt to conceal the fact, and further
told Bostock that he was very sorry he had left
a carving knife in his cell, as if he had had it
in his possession he would have ripped him up.
The following is another account of the
| prisoners remarkable escape, taken from the
| Stamford Mercury, containing (among some
facts before mentioned) several fresh incidents
1.-The former escape was clever, but this is
really astounding, for though the man had o
chain with locks to each leg, and chain from
| the centre of the leg-chains attached by cuff
to the left wrist, he escaped from the sleeping
room, and cleared the inner and outer walls
| taking the chains with him. The facts, as
closely as they can be ascertained, are these
Ralph, as he passed through the day-room
stole pewter mug. The mug, which must
| have been taken as he passed through tht
room from the airing ground, was not missed
As the nights are now long, the prisoners have
about an hour and half of gas light eaci
night. The handle of the mug he broke off ant
melted in his tin drinking-ean over the ga
light, and having previously made upon tn,
slate Ca slate to write upon being furnished) I
mould of champed bread, part of his rations
he cast key to unlock the cell door. An uu
finished pewter key was left in the mould. Th
door locked from the outside, so that all hi
knowledge of the lock must have been obtaine
from his observance of it as he passed from th
airing yard to the cell But the key to b
manufactured was also what is called maste
key-that is, there is a day key which unbolt
or bolts the lock bolt to certain distance, an
a master key, used at nights, to give the bolt
further and more difficult hold. The maste
key has power over both movements, but til
minor key has no power over the second move
ment.
To gain access to the lock, the key-hole bein
on the outside, would be great difficulty, bu
this the genius Of crime soon compassed. In tn
door is small wicket or food-hole door, whie
fastens with spring lock With q bit of tin
or something Of that kind, the prisoner appear
to have stopped the perfect clenching Of til
bolt, SO that he had only to press back the ii
and push the wicket at the same time to pres
it open The wicked opened, he could get gu
| his arm and reach the key hole of the door, ano
| as the loek-bolts are well oiled, the bolt woul
easily yield to the pewter key. Having opene
| the door he descended from the upper to th
Hover corridor, and went into the cooking
kitchen. Here he obtained carving knife, an
attempted to break open some drawers, and d
break open desk, which contained only papers
Z but he also obtained the clothes of the insar
prisoner Baines, and hat belonging to one
= the officers of the prison. He seems then
lhaye taken lot OF straps, and to have returnt
to his room and cut up into strips lot OF be
iclothiug; one end of line formed of the
strips he fastened to one of the outer bars OF Il
window of the cell, which was on the seeuI
floor, leaving the other end dangling to Il
lground.
Returning to the lower apartments he fou1
= his way to the coal cellar, after taking son
matches and d pnrt Of a candle, and from Il
coal cellar he scrambled up the Goals al
through the CRATE into the airing yard. I'll
knife and strips Of bed clothing he carried alol
with him, as also the clothes, candle, matehe
etc, that he had obtained Having got into Il
airing yard, he either pulled himself up to Il
wall top by means of these strips he had d
= tached to his cell window bars, or by Singh
the strips he had taken along with him, with
lpieee of coal at one end, over the wall. Ho
ever he reached the top of the wall without di
lodging any of the loose bricks. He tn
appears 10 have gone along the wall upon t
US loose bricks without dislodging any, or to ha
: walked by the tips of his toes along small ledg
| on each side Of the upper part of the wall to
angle in the wall Arrived there, he piled t
loose bricks right and left till he made g.
clear down to the solid wall. He then
: himself down by the means of the strips OF
clothing he had carried with him.
Thence he proceeded to the county hall, a
at the back smashed pane, opened the VI
= dow and, having gained entrance to the cro'
court, proceeded down the stairs from the dc
to the lower apartments, where, on passing
and from trial, he perceived there were ladde
One Of these, thirty feet long, he took a
g pushed through window, and then coming o
side the building pulled it out, carried it to
outer wall, reared it, and assembled to the tol
wall; then he pulled the ladder up, let it dc
9. on the outside, and descended. It must be Q
ceded that this escape is one of the most dar
and wonderful feats that has ever been acc
plished, the plan showing the deepest sagac
It. and an extraordinary amount of self-reliaI
- olol- L. bx,
for G d;aa,1t;s - .to hea,, sneb
1t. arons, eio uiiiio1ApiSo Ianoa 'i",p =eSe ~
= would require rare courage and patience.
op, large carving knife taken out Of the oook-r