Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-11-08
A PATIENT CONVICT.
HOW HE EFFECTED HIS ESCAPE FROM
PORTLAND JAIL.
The Only Prisoner Who Ever Man
aged to Get Out OF the Great Eng
IIsh Prison Tells How He Accom-
pIished the Difficult Feat.

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 1
was taken TO Portland. 1t was awful.
/ made up my mind to escape-a feat
never before accomplished. One day L
managed TO pick up small piece OF
hoop iron. That seemed like Sodsenu.
Every time l had the chance L took
that iron hopping with me, and worked
like niger to make it into saw. L
did it in fear and trembling. for the
slightest sound would have betrayed
me. \ stroke of luck awaited me. L
found convict who had got a little bit
of q file. He had no ambition and said
the file was no good to him. l gave
him my dinner for ii, and with the file
/ was able to complete the saw. Then
l 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 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, 1 eventually got through that.
Then / got into an airShaft, and after
three months hard work saw my way
clear to liberty.
AT last the opportunity came. 1t
was dark night, and all was still.
With my sheets 1 had made Il rope,
and. as luck would have it, l had pick
ed up a piece of wood, called n 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 L found
myself in the open air and managed to
throw the hooks on my linen ladder
over Il wall. BY this means l got on to
the roof of the officers quarters. There
was no one about, and the only sound
1 could hear was that made by my
beating heart. From the roof had to
jump on to the boundary wall, about
10 or II feet distant. 1 dare say it was
n bold leap, but you don't stick at
trities when you are escaping from
Portland. 1 made the leap and was
successful in reaching the boundary
wall. Then 1 got to the ground by
means of my linen ladder.
unfortunately the hooks were so Sc
cure that 1 had to leave the ladder
where it was, and if it had not been
for that 1 might have been in London
in three or four days. AS it was, L had
an awful experience. While making a
desperate tug at the ladder 1 heard
footsteps approaching, and L rushed
into the garden of the grove public
house. 1 turned round and saw
guard looking at the ladder. 4 few
minutes afterward shots were fired,
and a bell was rung. My escape had
been discovered. Guards were running
by ia all directions; but, unperceived,
l got through the window of the Ro-
man Catholic chapel and concealed my
self beneath the communion table,
which proved to be something very
sound of hurrying footsteps all night,
but no one came into the chapel until
the next morning, when service was
held there.
1T was not a pleasant position to be
in, L can assure you. \ SneeZe or Il
cough would have betrayed me, but
fortunately all went well. But 1 got
very hungry. So at the end of about
J., 7
Clifton hotel. / there found some bread
and meat, cheese and tobacco. What
was of more consequence, 1 was able
to steal hat and some clothes. With
the clothing and the food-the sweetest
food L ever tasted-I returned to my
hiding place in the chapel. Out of a
black coat 1 made a pair of trousers,
and put Oh 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 to 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. l could find none however. There |
was some silver plate, but that was of |
no use TO me. l obtained white stole, |
however. and with that made some |
thing resembling q shirt. Feeling now |
fairly confident as to my appearance.
walked down tie road and saw a |
milkman, who l afterward found gave |
Information about me. At little place |
10 miles from Portland l concealed my |
self in a field. Two men came In |
and l had to get out. |
They asked me where 1 was going. 1 |
said TO BlandfOrd.
They volunteered to show me the |
way. but we had not gone very far /
before we met two police inspectors. |
They asked me to go into public i
house and sriye an account of myself