 |
|
|
 | |
© 大象传媒
|
| |  |
Coch Bach y Bala – ‘The Welsh Houdini’ |
 |
Of the many professions John Jones followed – bricklayer, joiner, labourer, seaman and stoker – he was best known for his poaching and persistent thievery, both of which brought him into regular and continuous trouble with the Law. From a young age, Jones stole a variety of things, many of no use to him, which he would store in walls or hedges, and return to collect later.
Jones would often boast of his exploits, often claiming to have stolen things when he hadn’t. His self-publicising nature continued into his manhood, when his tendency to advertise his latest exploits was to become his downfall.
Jones’s first escape from prison was in November 1879, when he was awaiting trial at Ruthin Gaol, for stealing 15 watches at Bala and Llanfor. One evening, he opened his own cell door, and those of three others, walked out of the main door of the Gaol whilst the staff were at supper, and out into the night. A £5 reward was offered for his re-capture, and he was eventually apprehended three months later in bed in the Swan Inn, Mochdre near Colwyn Bay. Was it a tip-off from a customer who had heard Jones’s stories in the Swan Inn that night?
Your comments
| |
 Print this page |
|  | | |
Archive
Look back into the past using the Legacies' archives. Find nearly 200 tales from around the country in our collection.
Read more > |
| | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| The 大象传媒 is not responsible for the content of external Web sites. |
| | | |
| | |
| |
|
