Sentence prisoners might escape, receiving help from friends outside. The plotters were stated to be provided with a slow watch, a little prepared tinder, and gunpowder, as follows. The previous day, while standing at the Library door, he had observed a long sentence convict N°21 pass prohibited articles (some tinder) to a short sentence prisoner about to be discharged in a few days. Logan called the latter, told him what he had seen and threatened to report him; the prisoner begged earnestly to be let off, and at last offered to give important information about the tailor shop. Logan, superior intelligence, saw that there was something serious in the matter, and using threat and persuasion, got the man to give the above information. He urged him at once to report it to me, but the man declared he dared not do this — it was a briad conspiracy, and if he gave information he would be killed by the triads as soon as he got out of Gaol.
The man had obtained his information from prisoner N. 91, who had tried to employ him to procure a bag of matches, telling him the particulars how it was to be employed in firing the tailor shop. I had some grounds for believing that there might be truth in this statement. Some weeks ago, I had received information that a little gunpowder had been smuggled into the tailor shop. I had searched for it, but could not find it, and disbelieved the story, particularly as it added the ridiculous statement that it was intended to smuggle in a pistol to shoot someone. I had quite recently discovered several ...