The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1899-11-06
A PATIENT CONVICT.
HOW ks EFFECTED HIS ESCAPE FROM
PORTLAND JAIL.
The Only Prisoner Who Ever Man
aged to Get Out Of the Great Eng
liSh Prison Tells How He Accom-
plfshed the Difficult Feat.

aged to Get Out of the Great Eng
liSh Prison Tells How He Accom-
plished the Difficult Feat.
William Bartlett, a we'll known Eng
lish burglar, is the only man who ever
effected his escape from Portland pris-
on, an escape which is the original Of
that described in Hawley Smart's
novel. Broken Bounds" Bartlett told
the story of his escape to a reporter as
follows:
THE correct details of my escape
have never been told" he said. III
tell you what actually happened. In
1865 l received a sentence Of ten years
penal servitude. From Pentonville l
was taken to Portland. 1t was awful.
l made up my mind to escape-a feat
never before accomplished. One day l
managed to pick up a small piece Of
hoop iron. That seemed like a godsend.
Every time l had the chance l tool
that iron hopping with me. and worked
like a niger to make it into a saw. l
did it in fear and trembling. for the
slightest sound would have betrayed
me. \ stroke of luck awaited me. l
found a convict who had got a little bit
of a file. He had no ambition and said
the file was no good to him. l gave
him my dinner for it. and with the file
I was able to complete the saw. Then
/ managed. by working stealthily ev-
cry evening after l had been locked up
for the night, to saw through the wood
flooring Of my cell. Every night l had
to replace the boards, SO that the ward.
ers should not see what l had done.
Then an awful disappointment await
ed me The space beneath my cell was
lined with sheet iron: but, nothing
daunted, l eventually got through that.
Then l got into an airshaft. and after
three months hard work saw my way
clear to liberty.
AT last the opportunity came. 1t
was a dark night, and all was still.
With my sheets l had made a rope.
and. as luck would have it, l had pick
ed up a piece Of wood. called a dog
with iron hooks at each end. l put my
stool underneath the quilt, to look as
much like my body as possible in case
the warders should look in, and then
went down the passage it had taken
me three months hard labor to make.
After lifting an iron grating | found
myself in the open air and managed to
throw the hooks on my linen ladder
over a wall. BY this means l got on to
the roof Of the officers quarters. There
was no q about, and the only sound
l could hear was that made by my
beating heart. From the roof I had to
jump on to the boundary wall, about
10 or Il feet distant. l dare say it was
a bold leap. but you don't stick at
trifes when you are escaping from
Portland. l made the leap and was
successful IN reaching the boundary
wall. Then l got to the ground by
means Of my linen ladder.
unfortunately the hooks were so Sc
cure that l had to leave the ladder
where it was. and if it had not been
for that l might have been in London
in three or four days. AS it was, l had
'A i Il
desperate tug at the ladder l heard
footsteps approaching. and / rushed
into the garden Of the grove public
house. l turned round and saw q
guard looking at the ladder. A few
minutes afterward shots We're fired.
and a bell was rung. My escape had
been discovered. Guards We're running
by In all directions; but, u~nperceived,
| got through the window of the Ro-
man Catholic chapel and concealed my
self beneath the communion table,
which proved to be something very
much like a box. l could hear the
ound Of h%urrying footsteps all night,
but no one came into the chapel until
the next morning. when service was
held there.
1T was not q pleasant position to be
IN, l can assure you. \. sneeZe or q
cough would have betrayed me, but
fortunately all went well. But got
very hungry. SO at the end Of about
SO hours | stole out and broke into the
Clifton hotel. l there found some bread
and meat, cheese and tobacco. What
was Of more consequence, | was able
to steal a hat and some clothes. With
the clothing and the fOod-the sweetest
1ood | ever tasted-I returned to my
hiding place in the chapel. Out Of a
black coat l made a pair OF trousers,
and put on another Of the stolen coats,
which happened to be made Of velvet.
The food l divided into six portions,
and for six days l was concealed be-
meath that communion table. There
were frequent services, and, what was
still worse, the priest used t 0 come
in at night for private devotions.
AT last l had more than enough OF
it and broke into the priests house
with the object Of obtaining some mon
ey. | could find none, however. There
was some silver plate, but that was Of
no use to me. l obtained a white stole,
however, and with that made some.
thing resembling a shirt. Feeling now
fairly confident as to my appearance,
l walked down tie road and saw q
milkman, who l afterward found gave
information about me. At a little place
10 miles from Portland | concealed my.
self in a field. Two men came in
blackberrving, and | had to get out.