Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1891-11-21 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

SINGULAR ESCAPE OF A PRISONER.  A young Frenchwoman, named Alice Rogier, described as the maid of Miss Helen Clarke, of 21, Lowndes-street, was chars, d at the Westminster Police-court on Saturday with stealing marked money and a number of small articles of jewellery, valued at £.50, the property of her mistress. When evidence of the arrest bad been given, the prisoner was remanded for a week in custody, and was taken from the court to the waiting-room for female prisoners. This room is on the first floor, in a recently-built extension of the court premises, and is lighted by heavily-barred windows, and by a skylight which opens for the purpose of ventilation to the extent of sin inches. In the ordinary course the prisoner would have been placed in a cell till the arrival of the prison-van, but she was allowed to remain in the waiting-room, because she had been seized with faintness in the court. While the prisoner was in this room her sister applied for permission to see her, and was admitted by Mies Scrutton, the attendant on female prisoners. The two young Women began to converse in French, and Miss Scrutton, who had other prisoners to attend to, left the room for the purpose, locking the door from the outside. When she returned, half an hour later, the visitor met her as she unlocked the door, and hurried out of the room, saying that she had been detained, and had to keep an appointment somewhere. The attendant let her go, and then entered the room, the door of which she had just unlocked. To her astonishment the room was empty, although only one woman had passed out at the door, and there was no other known means of exit, An alarm was given instantly, and the vicinity of the court scoured in search of the escaped prisoner, who could nowhere be found. Inspector Lyon was summoned from the adjacent police-station, and made a careful examination of the waiting-room. He was able to conclude, from the marks which he found, that the prisoner had climbed up the wooden divisions which separate the seats in which prisoners await the hearing of their cases. From the ' top of the partition she had been able to mount upon a beam which helps to support the open roof, and from the beam, by an astonishing effort of agility and determination, she had climbed into the skylight and squeezed through an opening which, though four feet long, was in no part more than six incises wide. She was then on the roof of a twostorey-building. From this she dropped eight feet on to the flat roof of the general public waiting-room. Off this roof she was able to scramble down to tbe top of a building at the side of the court, and, after another drop of about ten feet, was free to walk out into Vincent - square at a side of the court which would be free from police observation. As soon as the escape was known, the police took active measures for the prisoner's recapture. They had reason to believe that she might go to Maidenhead, where there lived a man with whom she had been acquainted. This supposition proved to be well-founded, and late on Saturday night she was arrested by the Berkshire police in the company of the man, who was also detained.  —They were brought to London, and taken on Monday before Mr. Shell at Westminster. Alice Rogier, aged 30, was charged with making her escape from the prisoners' room, and Denis Egan, 30, butler, of Summersham, Maidenhead, was charged with aiding and abetting her. Ada Taylor, a well-dressed young woman, who described herself as cook, at 7, Seville-street, Lowndessquare, said she had been keeping company with Egan, and was acquainted with Rogier. On Saturday afternoon she was with Egan, who told her that Mdlle. Rogier had been charged with stealing things, and had escaped from custody. Just then they met her walking through Lowndes-square. Egan stopped to talk to her, but witness refused to do so, and went back to her kitchen. Two hours later she was called up the area steps by a cabman, who told her that Egan wanted to speak to her. She went to the corner of the street, where she found both the prisoners in a cab. They asked her to go with them to Paddington Station. She was jealous, and, wishing to find out what relations existed between Egan and Mdlle. Rogier, she got into the cab and drove with them to the station. She was not told anything about the female prisoner's escape. Both prisoners left Paddington for Maidenhead by the 9.20 train, and witness saw no more of them. Detective Jones said be and Sergeant Maguire found the prisoners detained at Maidenhead Police. station. He arrested the woman, who said, "I am very sorry, now, that I have done this." Sergeant Maguire said he arrested the male prisoner, who said, "I did not know that she had escaped till I saw Sergeant Waldock at Rochester-row at half-past four on Saturday. About half-past seven in the evening I met Mademoiselle inSeville-street. Shesaidshewas coming to me at Maidenhead. I said, 'You had better not, as the police are sure to find you down there.' She would not go back, so we both went to Paddington. We went to Maidenhead, and then to my master's place at Suromersham' where the police found us." Mr. Mei' mid if the man bad done no more than not prevent the woman from accompanying him, the charge of aiding and abetting to escape would not lie, though it might be that he had been guilty of harbouring the escaped prisoner. To know that, it would be necessary to call the Berkshire police, and hear how and where the prisoner was found. It was a question how far the female prisoner's sister was an accessory.  0: Roger: My sister did nothing. She say I must not do so, because I will break my neck, and they will catch me outside. She cry, she make a noise, because I do it; but I, myself, Ido it easy. I ran away, and take a cab in the square. I did it myself, and if you do not believe, I can do it again to show you. Mr. Shell remanded both prisoners for a week, offering to take bail for Egan. The witness Ada Taylor said she would give bail for Egos, but Mr. Shell, laughing, said he feared that would not be • sufficient guarantee.  JOHANN LIEWHIWINI bequeathed to the city of Berlin the mum of 50,000 marks for the erection of a hospital for poor "Christian men." The condition imposed on the authorities was that the hospital should receive the name of the donor. At a recent meeting of the authorities responsible for the conscience of the community, it was decided that taking into consideration the facts that the donor had killed his maid servant and that be had com.nitted suicide, Site bequest most be declined.