Episode 9: George Wilder - Folk Hero at Large
Explicit content warning
07/30/22 • 31 min
Our most lighthearted case yet! Andi talks to Ayla about George Wilder, a prison escapee. He was first sent to New Plymouth prison in 1961 for burglaries, thefts and car conversions. In 1962 at age 25 he escaped by climbing the prison wall and escaping into the country and was caught 65 days later. He was transferred to Mount Eden prison and had an extra 3 years added to his 4-year sentence. 6 months later, he escaped again, despite patrols every 30 minutes in his unit. He used hacksaw blades and a homemade key which he got from other inmates, cutting the lock from his door before going around the unit and asking if anyone else wanted to escape. George and 3 prisoners escaped to the yard and then used sheet ropes to lower themselves down the prison wall. The 3 prisoners were caught a few days later, but George was not caught for 172 days. By this time, he had both national and international coverage. He survived by breaking into people’s homes, eating their food and then leaving them thank you notes. Once caught, his new sentence was 13 years, longer than what most murderers were getting. However, he managed to escape again! With two other prisoners and a sawn-off shotgun, George kidnapped a prison warden and took him to a house 1.5km away, taking the people inside the house captive too. 3 hours later George was caught. He was released on 20th June 1969.
HELPFUL LINKS:
Check out George's song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwOV6N2_RsY
Listener discretion is advised, our content will not be for everyone.
Music by Kyle Hsieh
Our most lighthearted case yet! Andi talks to Ayla about George Wilder, a prison escapee. He was first sent to New Plymouth prison in 1961 for burglaries, thefts and car conversions. In 1962 at age 25 he escaped by climbing the prison wall and escaping into the country and was caught 65 days later. He was transferred to Mount Eden prison and had an extra 3 years added to his 4-year sentence. 6 months later, he escaped again, despite patrols every 30 minutes in his unit. He used hacksaw blades and a homemade key which he got from other inmates, cutting the lock from his door before going around the unit and asking if anyone else wanted to escape. George and 3 prisoners escaped to the yard and then used sheet ropes to lower themselves down the prison wall. The 3 prisoners were caught a few days later, but George was not caught for 172 days. By this time, he had both national and international coverage. He survived by breaking into people’s homes, eating their food and then leaving them thank you notes. Once caught, his new sentence was 13 years, longer than what most murderers were getting. However, he managed to escape again! With two other prisoners and a sawn-off shotgun, George kidnapped a prison warden and took him to a house 1.5km away, taking the people inside the house captive too. 3 hours later George was caught. He was released on 20th June 1969.
HELPFUL LINKS:
Check out George's song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwOV6N2_RsY
Listener discretion is advised, our content will not be for everyone.
Music by Kyle Hsieh
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Episode 8: Walter Bolton - New Zealand's last execution
Ayla covers the unusual deaths of the Bolton family, and New Zealand's last ever execution before capital punishment was abolished.
Listener Discretion is advised, expect descriptions of violent crimes, and horrific injuries.
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Music by Kyle Hsieh
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Listener discretion is advised, our content will not be for everyone.
Music by Kyle Hsieh
Next Episode
Episode 10: Minnie Dean - Baby Farmer
Andi and Ayla explore the baby farming era and Minnie Dean’s involvement. Minnie moved from Scotland to Invercargill with her two children in the early 1860s. Once in New Zealand she married Charles Dean, and they adopted two further children. Years later, after moving into a two-bedroom cottage, Minnie found one of her children and two grandchildren dead in a well, a suspected murder-suicide. It was around this time that Minnie started partaking in ‘baby farming’ or taking in unwanted children for money, with up to 9 young children at once. In 1889 and 1891, two babies lost their lives under Minnie’s care. The outcome of this was for Minnie to provide better living conditions for her children. 6 weeks’ later another baby died, leaving the public to think Minnie was to blame, despite investigations coming to nothing due to inadequate child welfare laws. In 1895 Minnie was seen boarding a train carrying a baby and a hatbox, then on her way home was spotted with only the hatbox. Minnie was again investigated, and three children were found buried in her yard. In 1895 she was found guilty of the murder of Dorothy Carter and was sentenced to death by hanging. Out of the 26 children she had in her care, one was reclaimed by their family, five were found healthy, and six had died. The fate of the others is unknown.
Listener discretion is advised, our content will not be for everyone.
Music by Kyle Hsieh
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