Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-20
REFUGEE TAKES
ARDUOUS TRIP
WALKS WITH LEG IRONS TO
EvADE CAPTURE
MANY HARDsHlPs IN
SOUTH AFRICAN WlLDS
Efforts End in Naught, as Escape Is
Recognized in London and
Is Sent Back to
Prison

received in London of the death OF
Joseph Creswick, who, while fleeing
from justice accomplished ona of the
most remarkable walking fe0ts on
record.
Creswicl was undergoing a sentence
for forgery ir Rhodesia, and was be-
ing conveyed from one prison to an
other by train when he resolved to
escape. AS his legs were heavily
+ ironed the task was by no means an
easy one, hut Creswick was Il man or
infinite daring and resources.
His opportunity came one night when
the train in which he was being con
veyed was between BulaWayo ana
Salisbury The train was proceeding
at a fairly fast rate, and he found
that his guards were fast asleep. 1ie
quietly opened the carriage Gopr a1d
Jumped out He stumbled and fell, hut
he was by no means badly hurI. Dur
ing the IIGht he shuftied along N Inc
dark, his leg irons making every step
short and painful.
At dttyLreak he found there were no
houses in sight. He could see the rail
road in the distance, ana decided to
wall, in Il straight line from Il, For
tunately fer him he had been able to
conceal il his pockets some of the food
his guards Lad supplied lim with. Ii is
sleep, h. afterward explained, while
he wa; Wing on the open ground was
disturbed by noises to Whicn he was
rrEccustC med, and his 'tTe ANS were
fur from pleasant. once he hearu-ot
fancicd he heard-a dog barking aDoul
halr a mile away from nin, anG ho
gave himself up for lost, thinking the
animal II ust belong to search party
Finally Removes Irons
It was not until he had been walking
for several days that he addressed
himself to the task of getting rid OF
his leg-irons. AS he had no file or a
piece of metal of any description the
task was difficult, especially as ne
found himself growing somewhat
weak. wild fruit being his only means
of support after he had finished the
food he had with him when he leaped
from the train. His legs had become
chafed and the slightest movement
caused him great pain. Day after day,
night after night, he rubbed his irons
with the sharpest pieces of rock he
could find, until at last his efforts
were rewarded with success.
Thus freed, he went on through what
was to him an unknown country, with
out map or compass to guide him,
his sole object being to get to some
white settlement where he was not
likely to be claimed by the British
government.
Found Old Gun
Some weeks after his escape the
wanderer had a wonderful piece OF
| luck. In a hut, apparently belonging
to a settler. he found gun and some
ammunition. He managed to shoot
several zebras and other animals,
which provided him with many a well
! f. n
| one, got out of order, however, before
! his ammunition became exhausted
and he again had to rely upon fruit
! for his sustenance.
lust when CreSWick was coming to
! the conclusion that he had been walk
| ing round and round without making
much progress he fell in with some ma
tives who treated him in a friendly
manner. The Wanderer made them un-
derstand that he was in search of a
river, thinking that if he could find
one and follow it's course, it would lead
him to civilization. The natives gave
him certain directions as to how to
| find "a very long water" which Cres-
wick concluded must mean the river
| Congo, and for several more weeks ne
continued his weary tramp.
By this time his boots were so much
worn that they afforded scarcely any
protection to his feet. His prison cloth
ing had been torn to ribbons by the
shrubs and underground through which
he had had tG struggle and, as he after
ward said, the worst clothed tramp in
England would have Stunned him as
q shabby and undesirable acquaintance.
Captured In England
Just eight months after his escape
from the train between Salisbury and
Bulawayo he was found by a party
of Belgians lying in a weak and fever
ish condition 200 miles from Leopold
ville,on the Congo. They were much
impressed by the mans story, and
nursed him back to health. At Bonn
ba, arrayed in all the glory of a pair
of cricket flannels and a football jer-
sey, provided by his new friends, the
fugitive found a ship on which he
worked his passage to Antwerp. From
there he got ship to London. That,
however, led to his undoing, for while
walking in Whitechapel he was recog-
nized by Detective Inspector Belcher
of Scotland Yard, who arrested him
on the charge of escaping from lawful
custody.
He was taken subsequently to Rhod-
esia by Detective Brundell of the
Rhodesian police, as a fugitive often
der, and for his escapade he was sem
fenced to further term of six months
Imprisonment. But he had never COM
pletely recovered from the fever con-
traCted during his extraordinary wan
derings, and died in prison. Cres-
wick is described as d good heart
ed fellow and was great faYorite
with the prison officials, in spite of his
anxiptU to 6iSDpnSe with their 9ftpn-