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St. Andrews Standard, Sept 29, 1852Escape from Prison
On Wednesday night last, Charles Hickey, charged with stealing from a shop in St. Stephen, and confined in the County Jail here, made his escape from it in the following manner: The Jail is undergoing repairs, several apartments are in consequence rendered unfit for use, and the jailor is compelled to occupy one near the prisoner's room, and off the same passage. This passage is usually secured by fastening the doors at the end of it, on the outside; but owing to the Jailor being obliged to sleep where he did, this could not be done. Hickey was the only prisoner on this floor. His room was, according to custom, examined the 1st thing at night; when this was done, Hickey was in bed, and his light was extinguished. Every thing appeared to be secure, and the Jailor retired to rest. Having ascertained this circumstance, the prisoner converted a tin pannikin filled with butter into a lamp, and manufactured the iron bale of a water bucket into a small crow bar--then, taking down a long shelf and raising it against the wall, and one end raised on a tub, and the other resting near the aperture in the brick wall, intended for the admission of a stove pipe, he contrived a seat by winding a blanket round the plank. Once astride of this with his crowbar, he soon made the opening large enough to admit his body. Before removing the brick, however, he forced through the stove pipe hole onto the passage floor, some bedding, and disposed his mattress in such a way in his own room as to receive and deaden the sound of the falling bricks and rubbish. He then let himself down into the passage, bolted the iron door on the outside, leaving the Jailor within, and without molestation helped himself to sundry articles of apparel, and a few knickknacks belonging to the Jailor, and obtained his freedom. The Justices being at the time in Session, investigated the affair, and unanimously resolved that no blame was attributable for Capt. Law, the Jailor. Capt. Law has had charge of this Jail for 21 years, and this is the first instance of a prisoner escaping from it.