The Portland daily press., 1872-11-13
An Ingenious Sailor.
THE ADVENTURES OF JOHN rRorrs.

Several days ago the Russian bark Madura
arrived in this port from England, consigned
to Atwater, Wheeler & Co. The crew were
advertised recently, the firm to which the ves-
sci was consigned and the captain, as is
usually the case, refusing to pay any debts
that might be contracted by them. One of
the crew, John Trotts, of Maine. who had
shipped in England for the round trip. be-
came tired of the bark and attempted to leave.
and was mutinous. In consequence. the
captain applied to Sheriff Stevens to have
Trotts arrested. After short incarceration
in the lookup, Trotts was trotted back to the
bark, handcuffed Afterward he escaped
again, some confederate having apparently
cut with cold-chisel the chain that bound
the two cuffs together. The sheriff, in pass
ing through Chapel street, saw man with a
gait like John Trotts. He was disguised and
wore skull cap and scarf high up on his
face, which almost entirely concealed his
features. The sheriff tapped him on the
shoulder, and, pulling off the scarf, saw that
it was Trotts, and holding up his hands, found
both wrists encircled with handouts: but the
connecting chain had been cut, thus spelling
one of the sheriff's best pair. He was kindly
conducted to the lookup, and the Register,
in making note of his second escape and re-
arrest, said he shouldn't attempt to escape
again unless he made that escape good-and
Trotts has done it, apparently. Shortly after
midnight of the 9Th the lieutenant and door
man heard a noise like the slamming of door
inside the lookup. They at once looked in,
and saw Trotts sitting demurely on bench,
and Everything serene" Finding things
tranquil, the officers made no further exami-
nation into the cause of the noise. About
two o'clock this morning the acting lieuten-
ant went into the city courtroom and lighted
the gas, that he might see to look over some
files of cases before the court. BY means of
the light he discovered that the radiator near
the prisoners dock was forced out. and that
the ventilator behind it lay on the floor. An
examination showed that a yentilator opening
into the prison had been pulled out, and that
Trotts had insinuated his body into the small
aperture and forced out the ventilator discov-
cred on the floor, and which was in the wall
nearly opposite the first mentioned. Once
inside the city courtroom his escape was
easy and he made it good. At this writing
he has not been captured. A piece of an old
scraper, probably taken from the old Knight
building when it was pulled down, and
piece of nail iron crooked at one end, were
found inside. We are informed that there
were no pieces of scrap iron in the lookup
before the entrance of Trotts, who is supposed
to have had no iron about him-except what
was in his constitution-when he was put in.
1t is therefore thought that some fellow-pris-
oner. when released dropped in through a
grated window, at the instigation of Trotts,
the pieces of iron that were found, and with
which the daring Yankee sailor preserved the
reputation of his race for ingenuity by max
ing his escape There are other ventilators
In the lookup through which prisoners might
escape. One or two were bricked up some
time ago, after some New York thieves had
almost tescaped.-Nelu Haren Register.