Between Shireoaks and Kineton Park he heard a noise, and looking out of the window saw one of warders with a shoe in his hand. The train was stopped as soon as possible, but it had run nearly two miles before it came to a stand, and was brought up near the malt-kiln at Kineton Park.
The two warders and Mr. Barlow at once got out and ran back along the line, and when they neared the spot where Peace made his plunge they found him lying insensible on the line.
He appeared much hurt, but when he was moved to the side of the road consciousness returned, and he begged them to cover him up as he was very cold.
Shortly afterwards a slow train came up, and this was stopped. Peace was put into the van and brought on to Sheffield.
It seems that the escape was managed in this way. As the train was flying on at full speed Peace induced the warder to allow him to open the window.
No sooner was this done than the convict flung himself head first through the opening. The warder seized him by the leg, and held on for some time, but the prisoner struggled so violently that his shoe came off in the warder’s hand, and the wretched man fell upon the line.
One of the first persons who reached Peace after his desperate leap was a blacksmith, named William Stephenson, who is at present working at Kineton Park.
He says:—About a quarter to nine o’clock I was standing close to Kineton-park station, when the fast train from London came slowly into the station. Almost everybody was at the carriage windows, and some were craning their necks out, and looking back up the line. We asked what was the matter, and they shouted excitedly “Peace has escaped; he has jumped out of the train.”
We knew all about Peace at Kineton Park, and there was a general rush from the platform up the line after the warders, whom we could see just ahead of us.
The guard said they had just stopped for the warders to get out, and we rushed on.