blister on his breast, displayed so ostentatiously as to admit a portion of it being seen. At this time there were two brothers, named Bloomfield, Chief-Constables in Victoria, viz, one in Melbourne, and the other at the Grange. A s a reward was offered for Staunton's apprehension, no doubt the Melbourne Bloomfield kept the brother Veil posted as to all the rumoured movements of the runaway. This led to the arrest ofthe supposed criminal, and on being brought before the Grange Police Court he did not deny that he was the person wanted. H e was remanded to Melbourne, and the Grange police were in a great slate of uneasiness for fear such a desperado might effect a second escape on his journey to the capital. H e was consequently heavily ironed, and put on board thefirstvessel sailing from Portland to Melbourne, when to m a k e doubly sure of his safe custody, he was chained to the mast day and night. At the end of the month he arrived in town, when it was ascertained, to the ineffable disgust of all concerned, that the prisoner was not Staunton, but quite a different person—some half-witted fool, who, through a morbid craving for notoriety, had actually stated since his remand, that he was the real Simon Pure. But the real Staunton did after all go to Sydney, where, in the course of a few months, he got into a drunken row, and was locked up in a watch-house. Here he was recognised, and remanded to Melbourne, which he reached in the early part of 1852, and was tried for the crime for which he had been in thefirstinstance committed. At the end of 1851, provision was m a d e for strengthening the staff of the gaol, and in addition to the gaoler and matron, there were eleven male and four female turnkeys, and the executioner was still retained at the daily wage of 2s. 6d. and rations. Additions to the gaol seemed for some time to be so indispensable, that in May, 1851, the erection of a new parallel wing was commenced, but it was not to be finished for two years. It was to provide for one hundred prisoners, in three tiers of cells, of seventeen on each side. T h e walls were to be of blue basalt, more durable, and better to the eye than the brown stone (half free and half sand) of the first wing. This m a d e a slow progress atfirst,but the gold fever that broke out before the year was over, gave it an impetus little expected when the foundation was laid.
WINTLE'S PLUCK AND COOLNESS.
In quelling the several attempts at insubordination and prison-breaking, Mr. Wintle always showed a coolness and courage before which the rebelling prisoners would quail, and more than once he narrowly escaped injury at their hands. O n one occasion a fellow struck him a furious blow with a broom-handle across the throat, and got half choked himself in return. Often in the evening, Wintle used to take a walk from the gaol to Brunswick to visit some friends residing there. T h e country northward of the gaol was then a wild, uninhabited bush, and his way was through a portion of the Royal Park. Near sundown he was once leisurely returning on his constitutional, and when passing through the n o w University Reserve, was suddenly confronted by an ex-prisoner, who, presenting a pistol at his whilom guardian, exclaimed, " N o w , you , I've got you—stand !" Wintle looked the m a n straight in the face, knocked the pistol out of his hand, administered the rascal a sound kicking, and leisurely resumed his walk home. N o peison, save his family, ever heard a word about the rencounter, until it was recently communicated to m e by one of them. Mr. Wintle retained his onerous office up to 1869, when he was most unnecessarily required by the Government to retire on a well-deserved pension. H e died on the 28th April, 1870, and there can be little doubt that his end was accelerated through being relieved from active employment, and worry about the settlement of the amount of compensation or superannuation to which he felt himself entitled, there being circumstances in his case that could not be fairly met by the Civil Service Act. T h efinalarrangement was hung up so long that it is only recently that a compromise has been effected with his family. Strangely enough Wintle was succeeded in the governorship of the Melbourne Gaol by Mr. J. B. Castieau, w h o obtained an appointment there through Wintle, in 1852. M r . Castieau w h o had proved himself a thoroughly efficient public officer, was subsequently Inspector-General of Penal Establishments, and so far fared better than his predecessor.
