Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-03-16
A HOLE IN THE ROCK
The Story of ar Attempted Es-
cape From Gibraltar.
BURROWING OUT OF PRISON.
The Wonderful Secret Work That Con-
vict ReaIff Performed In the Teeth Of
Constant and Systematic Supervision
by His Jailers.

by His Jailers.
Ambrose Realff was undergoing a
life sentence on the towering rock OF
Gibraltar for scuttlng his ship for the
sake of the insurance money. The
governor told the story of Realff's at
tempt to escape:
''That fellow led rowing life-a
daredevil that Obeyed every impulse.
good or bad. And yet for three whole
years l found him model prisoner.
AT first he was employed as carpen-
ter, and n little later we put him on
the harbor works. But suddenly to
this wild nature came an unquencha-
BILE thirst for freedom. 1t that time
Realff was in charge of all the labor
ers' pick handles aEN v heelbarrows in
the Rosia quarry. where he was In
stalled in little lean-to shed against
u hollow in the mighty cliff. Every
report put before me extolled the
mans good behavior
"Well. every afternoon at the work
ing party of convicts would form up
and return to the prison-which. as
you know, contains some Of the tough
est characters Of both east and west
and an officer would so to Realif's
shed to unlock him and bring him
along with the rest.
but this afternoon the door was
opened in vain. Realff was not there
And yet twenty minutes previously he
had been seen through the little win
dow when visited by the chief warder
lie had even answered to his name as
lie stood planning at his bench Z, Il dark
recess. He was gone. how or where
not a soul knew. PROFESSIONALLY the
shed was locked on the outside. and
the lock had not been tempered with.
And there appeared no other exit eX-
cept the door. nothing but solid rock.
The little shanty was ransacked, emp
tied. but without result
Gould the man. wondered. have
discovered some secret recess? You
know the whole rock Is fairly honey
cOmbed with holes. both natural and
artificial. like Gruyere cheese. Alarmed
at the results such an escape would
have ON the morale Of my dangerous
gangs. l had torches brought and per-
xonally examined every nook and cram
ny of the cliff against which the shed
was built Then my best officers went
over 1t all with hammer and crowbar.
But no. nothing but solid rock. Now
for the floor. 1t was level and fairly
smooth. just covered in places with Il
little loose shingle.
bring me bucket of water
cried with sudden inspiration. When it
came. ! threw it carefully out. and we
all watched. More and more! We
fnirly inundated the floor and shouted
with excitement as we saw it ebb al
most as swiftly as we poured.
: "Mere absorption was impossible.
The rock was not porous. There must
be cave or tunnel below. The man
hunt was growing hotter now. Reent-
lessly we traced the ebbing streams to
a dark and distant corner. where had
to get down on all tours to crawl un-
der a massive rock shelf. Here the
last trickle disappeared.
like flash our crowbars were at
work. and. To- n big block was pried
up. revealing dark gulf below. ap-
preached 1t cautiously. Now. Realff.'
! cried sternly. it's all up! We've got
you!
There was no reply. My chief
warder poked pole down and found
a depth Of eight feet. He and two
giant subordinates got out their re-
volvers. seized lanterns and swung
themselves in - as ticklish job as
routing out wounded tiger from his
lair. We above waited long and
breathlessly. Suddenly faint shout
Travelled up to us. followed by sounds
of desperate struggle in the cavern.
by and by back they came. with Realff
securely handcuffed. Lowering ropes,
we hauled him up, battered, but smil-
ing
lie faced his disappointment with
rare pluck. flashed a smile on me and
said. Better luck next time. colonel
THAT was the end Of four long and
patient years Of endeavor. l think he
discovered the pit shortly after he
was first put in the shed. And he had
not only enlarged it with scrap of
iron and the patience Of another Baron
Trench, but he had also extended It
laterally. no doubt hoping for ultimate
escape to the sea by the subterranean
passage.
''Rut even this in any event was only
the first stage. Realff's provision went
much farther. He had actually built
himself a boat out Of nondescript
scraps Of canvas, old sacks and odds
and ends Of timber. 1t was a marvel
OF constructive skill. yet surely none
but q desperate man would think of
committing himself to the Mediter-
ranean or Atlantic in such crazy
skiff-a mere tiny coracle barely capa-
bic OF keeping a man afloat. OF course
he felt sure that once launched he
would soon be picked up by some
passing craft in the crowded strait Of
Gibraltar, and he had story ready
for his saviors as we'll as provisions
for himself. OF these last he had
fundamentally biscuit and salt
pork-laid by bit by bit from his ra-
tons and carried out daily from the
prison in such small quantities as to
elude the search made at every parade