Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-09-14
TOOK ADVANTAGE or ROC
Daring Leap for Liberty In fhe History
of Darimoor Prison.

Inc most daring and successful leap
for liberty" which D2rtmoor prison
has known occurred little more than &
year ago, and one feature of it was
made great capital of by the local and
London press. About o'clock in the
afternoon a gang Of twenty convicts,
while working cut on the moor, be-
came suddenly enveloped in char
acteristic DaTtmoor mist. Three
warders were in charge of the party,
and the chief of these at once ordered
a fall in and march On coming
within sight OF the prison, three men
Suddenly bounded cut of the ranks and
vanished into the fog. Fortunately
for the fugitives, the rest of the men
had to be safely marched to their cells
before the alarm could be given, and
fortunately for the warders five or six
of these were within a few weeks of
being liberated, and their comrades,
much less by following their example.
The fate eff the three was both comic
and tragic. Cne was soon overtaken
by the horsemen, and while leaping
a low wall was shot dead. The rule
is that fugitive must be called to
three times before he is fired upon,
and then only his lower limbs are aim
ed at. Our readers will remember the
severe censure which the press next
day passed on the authorities for this
disaster Undoubtedly it was due to
an accident that the shot proved a IA
tai one. No. 2 wandered about the
moor for days, unable to find his way
or to get anything to eat, and finally
gave himself up to a farmer, who
marched him back to Princetown and
claimed the e5 reward.
The fate of the third was more ro-
mantle. He wandered fer six miles
over the frozen moor, then, crossing
the old Roman bridge, he came in the
early dawn of Christmas morning to
the little hamlet Of Pool Bridge. Here
he broke into the dining room of
Quaker gentleman's house, and, as the
rooms appearance testified next morn
ing to the astonfshed maid, helped
himself generously to the good things
with which the family had been cele-
hrating the festive eve Going into
the hall, he exchanged his tell-taIe cap
for a silk hat, and his yellow Jacket
for fashionable Chesterfield overcOat
of convenient length An umbrella
and "a pair of kid gloves completed his
costume. But whether his sampling
of the Christmas fare had been "too
welF' or not, when he left the house
in the early morning he foolishly set
did he discover what he lad done till
a warder rode by and inquired of the
fashiionably dressed gentleman wheth-
err he had seen anything and the
tower of the church came into view.
Terrified, he struck away to the right,
and hid throughout Christmas day up
on the moor. Afterward it is current
in PrincetOwn, where the doings of
that Christmas eve are still much dis
cussed, he confessed that many times
he lay down among the rocks and
bushes, as he saw the glasses of the
search party pointed in his direction.
When night fell, he came to Tavistock,
where he broke into house at the
back Of the one in which this account
is being written. Ultimately, he got
clear away from the dangerous neigh
borhood tol Davenport, and would I'M
dCubtedly now be beyond the water
but for a most trivial and foolish fail
lIre of his indiscretion. Walking along
a read in the outskirts OF the seaport |
he met a policeman, who was accom- |
panied by a small terrier dog. The |
constable nodded good morning" and |
passed on but his dog turned around |
and, as little dogs will do, began snuff |
ing at the convict's heels. He, not !
1aring to look around, imagined that |
ne was D6lnS IC1lOWSu, ana immediate
y set off to run The policeman
turned to look for his dog, found it in
hot pursuit, and, OF course, Joined in
The chase. Capture followed easily |
and number whatever he was soon
found himself at Princetown.
The most celebrated escape of the
past, and, it is said. the only one which
was finally successful dates for three
weeks in a peat cutters cottage, al
most under the shadow OF the prison
walls The grandmother who lived in
the house was dangerously i'll; but
when the wardens came to search the
house she got up from her bed and
gave it, together with her nightcap, to
The convict, who most successfully sus-
aimed the role Of an asthmatical old
woman of 80. When the excitement
lad subsidized he quietly left the house
1t night in the peat cutters clothes
md escaped to Observation-Disclosures S
Journal.