The broad ax., 1896-11-28

he was not very long at liberty
Stealing gentleman's watch I'm Ieice.
ter Fields, he was stopped and can.
tured, though he was inScniously short,
ing stop thiefT' with all his might
Edgeworth Bess was also arrested on
suspicion and the two were place1 IN
strong ward OF the new prison In
Clerkenell The free and easy manner
In which prison discipline was then
conducted Is apparent enough, for Jack
was Immediately supplied with the nee
essary implements 10 effect his escape
by friendly visitors. After fling an
iron bar from the window he and Bess
managed to let themselves down into
the court yard, twenty-five feet below
ana then TO scale a wall more than
twenty feet high
A month or two later, with great In.
gratitude, he broke open the house Of
Mr.. Kneebone. the kindly tradesman
who had befrisnded him when he was
a child, and tits robbery scon brought
him back to jail, for KneebOna cnnl-
planned Of his less 10 the alI-powerful
Jonathan Wild, at once the greatest
thief and the greatest thief-taker Of
the time, who carried on, ON a very ex-
tensive scale, the business OF receiy-
Ing and restoring stolen property, de-
Quoting a considerable percentage for
his trouble from beth the owner and
the thief. Indeed, Men esis seems to
have pursued Sheppard for his I'M
grateful conduct to Kncchone. He
and his companion, Blueskin. had con-
cealed the plumber in n stable near the
Horse ferry, Westminster and In a
conndtng moment they showed the
place to an acquaintance, William
Field, who promised TO take the stolen
goods of their hands. This he was
kind enough to do by breaking open
the stable IN the night and carrying
on the contents, and then giving in
formation as to their whereabouts to
Jonathan Wild. Sheppard was imme-
diately apprehended and committed to
Newgate. and at the next session he
was convicted and sentenced to death.
With the help, however, of BeSs and
some other women, he sawed away
one of the spikes of the door and man.
aged TO thrust himself through and
escape, though some of the keepers
were actually in the lodge at the time
After a few days retirement In the
neighborhood of Clare market and
Drury lane, to which he appears to
have been partial, perhaps on account
of the ease with which he could there
carry on his business unrlolested. Nor
was this surprising, for, at a much
later date the parish Of St Mary-le-
Strand boosted only three watchmen
and two constables on duty every 9TH
or night; while the watchmen Of St
Clement Danes were in the habit OF
spending most of their time drinking
In o cellar near Arundel street In
safety, therefore, he went about, and
quite openly, for he was recognized by
many people who were, however,
afraid to interfere with him. He was
finally captured by the keepers of
Newgate. on Finchley common, In
which retired spot he had just taken
up his abode.
Alarmed at the genius he had shown
In escaping, the keepers placed him in
a ward known as the castle. where he
was handcuffed and heavily ironed,
and his chains fastered to a staple in
the floor On Oct. 10, at O'Clock, the
warden who came with his dinner, eX-
amined the handouts and chains and
found them secure. When he did his
rounds next morning there was pile
of bricks and mortar in the room, but
no jack He had worked OF his hand
cuffs and. with a crooked rail which
he had picked up on the floor. had
opened the paddock which fastened the
chain to the staple. But the difficulties
which he had still: to overcome might
have filled with Despair even prison
err escaping for ais life. His original
/ plan was to get up the chimney, but
| the aperture was blocked by an iron
bar. SO he was forced TO pick away
the bricks and mortar until be had
made O hole into the room beyond.
Even then he had five or six strong
and bolted doors to break through be
/ fore he could reach the leads, and his
progress was so slow that great part
| of his work had to be done In the
dark. The leap from the leads to the
pext house was so dangerous that he
was forced to go Lack to his cell and
( fetch his blanket. which he fastened
/ 10 the wall by means of a spike he had
broken of the chapel door. He was
thus able to descend In safety and
after waiting on the roof until mid
night. he slipped unperceived down the
stairs and into the street.
This marvelous escape, unfortunate