By Press Release
This excerpt from the Isle of Wight Observer of March 5th, 1921 describes a Parkhurst prisoner in ways that just over 100 year later would be unthinkable!
CONVICT UP A TREE
A coloured convict at Parkhurst caused considerable diversion by climbing to the top of a 60ft. elm tree growing in the exercise yard of the prison, and defying all the efforts of the authorities to secure his dislodgment.
He ascended the tree, as swiftly as a monkey, about eleven o’clock in the morning, and after sunset he was still sitting in one of the upper forks of the tree, occasionally singing and shouting in his native Indian tongue – he is stated to be a Parsee and a ship’s stoker. He is a big fellow standing quite 6ft high but as he was a hospital patient, and his escapade was not regarded as an attempt to escape, only persuasive measures were resorted to in order to persuade him to come down.
The man could be seen picking buds from the tree and eating them and occasionally he burst out into laughter and singing, and answered the shouts of soldiers and children outside the wall. He moved about in the tree with ape-like agility, sometimes swaying perilously as he sat in the top-most fork, and at other times descending to a safer position, where he would stand for a long time on a bow close to the main trunk.
Food and smoking materials displayed at the foot of the tree had no effect in inducing him to descent, but it was thought that when he became hungry and began to feel the cold of the night air he would think better of his exploit, and Zaccheus-like “come down.”
Contrary to expectation, the man spent the whole night in the tree, and completed 24 hours in that position. After rain had fallen he threw down his trousers, which were wet, leaving him with only pants, jersey and shirt. He entertained the patrolling warders during the night with singing and shouting.
Eventually the convict descended from the tree of his own accord, just after 11 o’clock without any special inducement and was marched back to hospital. He was evidently feeling a bit uncomfortable after losing most of his clothes, and another shower of rain no doubt influenced him to seek shelter. He was still singing gaily however, as he descended, much to the relief of the officials.