Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-05-03
A TICKET 0F-LEAVE MAN
A Strange Story OF A Strange Adven-
tursr.-The Thisf-Auihor-A Rsn.aas
OF AustfaiRsia

fof many years the principal penal settle
ment Of Great Britain. The gentleman
forger, the fraudulent merchant, the
rebel, the burglar, poacher and the pick
pocket are met there on one common
ground.
Que Of the most remarkable criminals
who ever figured in the annals of crime
was Owen Dudley, a London thief trans
ported to Van Dlemsn's Land in the year
l 547. Dudley was man OF considerable
ability, and appeared us the author Of a
story under the appropriate title Of days
OF Crime and Years OF suffering" This
v ry narrative was prepared In Ills cell In
the bench" or the principal prison In
Hobarlown, the olty Of the island. In
this work, which was given 10 the colon
lal public Just previous to his escape 10
Europe, the author showed he had eon-
siderable kno~ledge Of criminals and Jail
discipline. puley was Que of the class
of epnvicts who were not confined on
their landing In the COLONY, on account
Of 4, o 1 conduct during the passage out
10 the convict ship, but placed under
strict surveillance, or became ''ticket-
of-lt ave men.
tbs grace did not benefit Dudley much,
for IN the year of 1850 or Isl he was ar
refted for robbing the Launceston mail,
and received q lang sentence, which ex-
tended over four or ave years. During
this time he was engaged as a kind of
clerk In tbs prison. His acquaintance
with the criminals of-not only the island
but Of the adjoining Australian colon
ies-was very considerable, and some of
them had very large sums secreted, the
proceeds Of robberles. He was able By
the position he was placed In, aided no
doubt By a lax discipline, 10 change the
warrants Of prisoners and alter the terms
Of prisonment through the books, Que
Of the foraeries not so clever as the others
was discovered, and Dudley was Informed
OF the fact. He made no defence, but
quietly submitted TO the heavy irons that
were placed on his arms aud legs, and
went 10 the hulks'
With the gold fever raging In Victoria
be determined upon escape. To effect
his release frcm the hulks Il would lie
necessary that'he should he 'sdisahled"
and sent on shore. He contrived TO force
an old rusty nall deep In his arm. The
result went further than he anticipated
the arm was amputated but still ha gained
bis object, and was sent on shore az a
disabled convict" from the hplk9,
and allowed opee "a ticket.V' The one
armed convict had now but one purpose,
VITO cross the straits aud reach the
Australian gold fields. In the penal DAYS
of the beautiful island no one could leave
II without Q clearance from the lnagis
trafes u prote they we're not SIN bond"
Many convicts did escape to the gold
mines, and not few aIe now dwelling
In California and In the United States
under assumed names. Dudley knew the
risk Of discovery by being slowed away
by sailors In the different steamers or
sailing vessels bound ~ Melbourne, so
he cpnclHded he 1nust have clearance.
Hundreds Of the "iree" applied every
day before the magistrates, aud Dudley
contrlved 10 become intimate with one Of
the applicants. The result wac a dead
body was found In the river Derwent
stripped Of ever ything,and Dudley was on
bis way to the gold fields under the name
of Alpin" as q free passenger, with $50
In bis booklet. But Che l0Ye Of vice elung
10 him, for Up 1853 we next hear of him
ae Mr.. Stafford, IN tie richest of all gold
mines, ballarett, Tue confusion in all
the government departments arising
from the discovery of the precious metal
made his escape more easy. He now as
sumed the calling of a detective under
another name, aud continued to extract
large sums vi money from CONFLICTS who
bad eSaded punishment and dlggers
who evaded the license fee, but be again
ell into the society Of his old friends, the
D. lla", and beeamp criminal OF Victoria
erlony Iu the Penbridge goal, near
Me bourne, no was known under the
slang term Of the "billet man." which
ucai hat he was clever enough, when
In pris'n, to receive u good position.
His conduct was noted In the books rs q
steauy man" So In 1864 be ielt The
government hotel once more with ticket.
He made his way 10 the house OF friend
living IN one Of the slums Of Melbourne,
and In concert with others formed q
scheme for manufacturing q quantity Of
forged notes fol the Indian marketg, hui
the detectives secured tue onloe, and
though they prevented the "himsles
being used they could not bring home The
crime to the principal actors, the plant
being removed before raid was mad,
upon the forging house. nuney, sliaI
Alpiu, alias stafford, was naturally 1
clever fellow both with pen and tongue
and We next hear Of him as "an actor
and, according 10 the local press, "Mr
Forrest (eK Dubey) was member of tn,
histrlunic profession 81 sseat ability>
While pels6natinR tue character OF Jon
athsn Wild IN the drama of Jack Shep
pard," he was wanted" by the Var
Diemsn's Land police as a "bolter.
Had he not substituted the wooden arm
for tue one cut aA it's doubtful If hi
. would have been discovered
Ga account Of some interest used by hi
brother In England, he received pardon
he hatW ha
I TO the United Kingdom. His poems 0
"Days of Crime" p" Thoughts in m
Cell, " " Not Lost FOyeyeT,n were nov
published, aud With the money he re
1 celyed from these wallis and proceeds o
] other swindles he managed to take hi
adieus Of the colonies. During his pas
4 sage to Europe he contrived to male
number OF irisnds, and landed In the oil
4 country described az ga wealthy squatte
from Australia" lie made his way b
' his brothers house, edged himself int
I several drawing rooms, his hosts think
+ log he was slightly outre for Engls
I society but II was excusable, at least s
they thought, as he was from the "roug
Australian brush life." Then he talked
Cautiously" as Artemus would hay
g said, largely, Qf Vie sAualtelng interests
! admitted be had dabAled in Journalism
D and was part proprietor Of the Melb0arH
|, Argus.
/ AT last he was introduced to a "oharm
Q Ing widow" who was possessed of hols
8 and grounds and some G5, 900 In tn
T funds. Dudley made a dead set at IN
n widow, and AFTER a little lime wrote
e letter, she being present, TO dertain &C
o ioltnr 10 Melbourne, directing him /
i dispose of his ''stations," mining share
Q and interest In certain newspapers, 1
4 fact all his property. The solicitor, VIII
4 had several times defended him, knew h
! was up TO some Of his games, aud want
ed, perhaps, the Melbourne postnlark I
: Jorge a letter, forwarded II to the pnlle
al egptland' Yard, London. In tn
4 meantime our hero not only contfived I
borrow s0me $4,000 (awal.ing as he sal
{ for remittanoes,) but married her. II
e had to accomplices one a female, h
Q Called bile niece One day they went o
= the river Thames, near Richmond; DUDE
Q mnnaR to upset the boat, his uewl
e made wife sank, the rest escaped, but tn
d public believed fnlly were drowned.
q paragraph, written by himself, headed
a IN, lancholy Accident 10 an Australian,
appeared 10 the papers, and regret wa
a eviuced that his body was lost In pub
v lie river This expression aatonished th
q Journalists, and II was ultimately disco,
q cred that he had escaped with bis wife
a money. The proceeds Of the sale of hI
q wlio's furniture and other property.
a This London pickpocket, author swint
A Ter aud murderer ID now settled down n,
Il many rnlles from New York, but whethl
}. Ia days Of crime or years Of suffering
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