Famous Escapes

Some might think that going to prison is the end of the road. Others will endure their time and press on with what they can. Studying, working or just plain laying around waiting for your time or life to end. Then, there are others, who cannot see their lives spent behind bars. Those specific people just can’t stand the life that was chosen for them. Only one solution remains, escape, breakout, take the midnight express. Here are a few of the most famous people that, in a way or an other, just had to flee.

Henry Charrière by some is a survivor. He is also by others a great fiction writer. While maybe the name may not ring a bell, Papillon on the other hand is a world renowned nickname. It is that nickname that Henry was given in prison due to his butterfly tattoo on his chest. In his book he explains the events that took place between 1932-1945. Wrongly convicted of murder in France, papillon spent 13 years in and out of prisons. Some attempts might not have been very successful, but never did he despair. One prison in particular gave him more trouble though. He tried to escape from the Barranquilla prison five times, every attempt he failed.Through prison transfers, escape attempts, solitary confinement, surviving horrible conditions, papillon was set free at last.Reading through Henry Charrière’s book, I can understand why critics where so inclined to call it a fiction tale. But papillon has always maintained throughout the years that all was true.

Jack Sheppard, an apprentice carpenter, decided that the art of wood would not be enough to suffice. With only one year left before his training would be done, he took to burglary. In 1724 he was arrested five times and escaped on four of them. His career as a burglar would be very short but would be very memorable. After his fifth arrest in less than two years, he was hanged, ending his brief criminal life.

After his first arrest, Sheppard was to be locked up over night on the top floor of the prison for further questioning in the morning. It took him less than three hours to break through the timber roof. He lowered himself to the ground with a rope he made out of the bed sheets. Still wearing his “irons” he joined a crowd that had gathered by the sound of the breakout. In a very Hollywood movie like manner, he distracted the crowd by pointing on the shadows on the roof and said he could see the escapee, while all we’re looking, he silently departed.