as to bring his man down. A second convict named Rich, seized the fallen warrior's gun, and, waving it as a signal, started for the bush, followed by all the other prisoners. The black police patrollers charged after the ringleaders, at whom one of them named "Jack" fired, when Rich, turning, discharged Price's gun, but without effect. The musket report acted like wild-fire in bringing forth the whole guard, rank and file, when there was a smart run for it, and nine of the runaways were captured. The same night two more prisoners escaped by scaling the fence or palisade, but they were re-taken, and the next day the hangman was out from Melbourne, and had a regular "go in" with his cat-o'-nine-tails; for the eleven fugitives, and a twelfth for gross insubordination, received a stiff flogging. Amongst them was Rich, who was afterwards tried at the Supreme Court for feloniously shooting at the trooper. It was urged on his behalf that he fired in self-defence, a plea which the jury were simple or ignorant enough to swallow, for they acquitted him. The remaining eight of the seventeen got away miles into the interior, took to bushranging, and committed several daring depredations with impunity. Scarcely a week passed without an escape or two, but as a rule the scoundrels were re-captured and punished. Barrow issued a regulation that the labour gangs should dine where they worked, but after a time this was strongly objected to, because of the discomfort and inconvenience, especially in wet weather. The question was referred for the consideration of the Visiting Magistrate (Mr. Sturt), and he decided that on fine days the noon-day feed should decidedly be al fresco. The prisoners still persisted in their objection, and, headed by a plucky little "Pentonvillian" known as Owen Suffolk, they struck work. He was energetically seconded by a co-convict (Dillon), and each was condemned to two months' imprisonment, cumulative on the sentence he was serving. About this neither cared a rush. Next morning when the labour parties were being taken out, it was found that the arch-agitators (Suffolk and Dillon) were to be confined to barracks, and the others vowed they would not go without them. In this dilemma the Visiting Magistrate's aid was again invoked, and on his arrival he intimated that they should have the rest of the day and the night to think over it; but if on the next morning they persisted in their disobedience, he would order every man Jack of them to receive 100 lashes each. This hint brought them to reason, for the following day they quietly resumed work.
August of the year 1851 was wet and boisterous; and one dark, rainy, nasty night (the 19th), a wholesale attempted escape was made. Twenty-five prisoners were in the plot, and raising some of the flooring boards, they excavated a narrow tunnel through the mud and stone of the foundations, hoping by so undermining to burrow out under cover of the gloom and the tempest. Barrow had obtained some private information of the project, and had a force in readiness for its frustration. He accordingly appeared in the back-ground just as the operations for exit were about completed, and spoiled the little game. But he seemed to have been rather premature, for so decided a magisterial board (Messrs. Sturt and Fenwick) constituted for the trial of the offenders, by whom it was held that the evidence of the intended outbreak was insufficient, for Barrow ought to have "waited a little longer."
About 9 a.m. of the 29th August, a large convict gang was employed road-mending or making, a mile on the Melbourne side of the Stockade, and thirty of them suddenly bolted, of whom eighteen dashed off from the works and disappeared. The guard consisted of four armed constables, who fired into the mob, one of whom, (Robert Taylor), under a five years' sentence, was shot dead, a second (George Foyer) dangerously, and a third slightly wounded. It was Constable Price whose shot took fatal effect. The prisoner dangerously wounded received a bullet in the side which came out near his breast, and he, almost miraculously, recovered. Two of the four guards remained in charge of such of the prisoners as did not run, whilst Price and the fourth constable started away in pursuit. The black troopers (two of whom were supposed to be on duty) seem to have been asleep during the mêlée, but they turned up soon after. The fugitives scattered in twos and threes, each small squad taking the point of the compass which offered the best chance of a safe run. There had been recent floods, the Merri Creek was swollen almost to bursting, and two of the fellows w h o made for it were frightened by its frothy snarling, and, preferring land to water', had to retrograde, and strike out as best they could. Half-a-dozen made post haste for Melbourne, and were pursued by Mr. Grattan Anderson (son of the Pentridge poundkeeper) and a black trooper. The runaways, who had a good start, reached Brunswick, when some civilians, seeing they were escaping convicts, intercepted and bailed them into a paddock, where by the help of Anderson and the trooper,
