I I - American Memory

[ ^9^ ]
knowing the Information he had made to be but a blind
Amufement that would avail him nothing, he began to
meditate an Efcape. They had been thus detained for
about four Days, and their Friends hiving the Liberty
of feeing them, furnifli'd him with Implements proper
for his Defign, accordingly Mr. Sheppard goes to Work,
and on the zgth of Ma^; being Whitfon-Monday, at
sbout Two o'clock in the Morning, he had compleated
a prafticable Breach, and fawed off his Fetters; having
with unheard of Diligence and Dexterity cut off an Iron
Bar from the Window, and taken out a Mutin or Bar
cf the moil foiid Oak of about nine Inches in Thick-
nefs, by boring it thro' in many Places, a Work of
j!;reat Skill and Labour, they had ftill five and twenty
Foot to defcend from the Ground, Sheppard fattened a
Sheet and Blanket to the Bars, and caufes Madam to
take ofF her Gown and Petticoat, and fent her out firft.
End ihc being more corpulent than himfelf, it was with
i;Teat Pain and Difficulty that he got her through the
interval, and obferving his Directions, flie was inltantly
flown, and more frighted than hurt, the Philofopher
follow'd, and lighted with Eafe and Pleafure, but where
are they efcap'd to ? Why out of one Prifon into ano-
ther. The Reader is to undeiftand, that the Nenv-Pri-
fin and CletkenivellBiideivellVie contiguous to one ano-
ther, and they are got into the Yard of the latter, and
liave aWall of twenty-two Foot high to fcale before their
Liberty is perfefted ; Sheppard fir from being unpre-
pared to furmount this Difficulty, had his Gimblets and
Piercers ready, and made a Scaling Ladder. While the
Keepers and Prifoners of both Places were afleep in
their Beds he mounts his Baggage, and in lefs than, ten
Minutes carries both her and himfelf over the Wall,
and compleats an entire Efcape. Altho' his Efcape
from the Condemned-Hold in Ne-xvgate made a far greater
Noife in t/ie World than that from Ne-w-Prifin, it has
been allow'd by all the Gaol Keepers in London, that
one fo miraculous was never pcrform'd in England be-
fore j the broken Chains and Bars are kept at Netu-
Prifin