EVAN TRIES AN O- LEVEL

By Colin Dexter

1. What kind of a person was Evans?

-  a congenital kleptomaniac, not violent, clever, shrewd and manipulative jailbird.

-  had escaped thrice from the prison, earning the name ‘Evans the Break’.

-  a bit annoying but a charming rouge, good at imitations and stuff - a star at the Christmas concert.

2. What were the precautions taken for the smooth conduct of the examination?

-Governor deputed senior prison officer Jackson and Stephens especially for the exam duty

- the cell was thoroughly checked  for anything suspicious and sharp things like nail scissors, file and razor  which could facilitate escape were removed

 -  Microphone was fitted in the prison cell that the Governor would personally listen to

- Specially arranged invigilator – checked and pen knife taken away

3. Why was the ‘sigh of relief’ short lived after the examination?

-  relief short lived because when Stephens peeped in one last time after leaving the parson at the gate he was horrified.

-  saw a man with short hair; presumably McLeery in a pool of blood sprawled in Evan’s chair         

- assumed that Evans had escaped from the prison after injuring the invigilator.

-  raised an alarm - flurry of activity and panic followed.

4.What helped the prison officers track Evans?

The Governor, who knew a little the German language, was able to decode the information given in the correction slip. Index no. 313; Centre no. 271 made the six-figure reference 313/271 in Ordinance Survey map for Oxfordshire that led him to ‘Golden Lowen’-Golden Lion in Chipping Norton where Evans was staying.

Who, do you think, has the last laugh- The Governor or Evans? How?

- Evans has the last laugh in the story.

-The two persons, i.e. driver and the silent prison officer whom the Governor hands over Evans were accomplices of Evans.

-the Governor had cleverly traced Evans and nabbed the prisoner,

- became complacent in his self-congratulatory mood at having foiled the clever escape. Fails to check identity of officers who drive away Evans in the police van

- Evans escapes once again.

 How did McLeery want to help the police?

- The injured McLeery said that he knew where Evans was. He wanted to accompany the police in finding Evans –drive to Elsfield way

-He insisted that they did not have to call the ambulance as he was all right. He showed the photostated sheet pasted on the question paper to the Governor to impress upon him that Evans had befooled everybody.

What important clues were hidden in the German Question paper?

- a photocopied sheet was cleverly pasted on the last blank sheet of the German question paper

- had instructions written in German. It read: follow the plan. The vital point in time was three minutes before the end of the examination.

- He was not to hit the parson hard or overdo the Scots accent.

-He was to move the Headington round about and then make way to Newbury( given in coded language)

Where was the real McLeery?

- real Rev. McLeery was gagged and tied in his room since 8:15 am.

- two men visited McLeery in the morning.

- It was Evans accomplice who impersonated McLeery and came as the invigilator for the examination.

What was the significance of the two phone calls the Governor received after a quarter of an hour of the start of the examination?

 -first phone call was by the Assistant Secretary of the Examination Board  regarding a correction slip for the German paper that Evans was writing.

- The word ‘zum goldenen was to be used in place of ‘Goldene Lowen’

- second call came from the Magistrate’s Court. They needed a prison van and a couple of prison officers for a remand case.

- Both phone calls were hoax and part of escape plan.

 How did the prison machinery swing into action? What did they overlook?

Prison officers started shouting orders as soon as:

- discovered that Evans had escaped. Sirens were blown. Puzzled prisoners pushed their way along and doors were banged and bolted. Phones were ringing everywhere. Jackson and Stephens supported McLeery on either side and brought him to the prison yard. The identity of the injured ‘McLeery’ and his wound remained unchecked.

 What did the Governor think of Evans and his plan after ringing up Detective Chief Inspector Bell?

 The Governor admired clever Evans and his beautifully laid plan. He also commented on Evans’ carelessness in leaving behind the question paper. He said that all criminals got caught because they left important clues behind. He was sure that they would soon be able to catch Evans and put him in prison once again.

 What two purposes did the correction slip serve? Which of them did Evans consider more important? / Q. Why did Evans say, ‘correction slip killed two birds with a single stone?

The correction slip revealed the name of the hotel and its location. He had to go to ‘Golden Lion’. It also contained the exact time the exam started. For Evans, it was an important thing that the phone rang just before the exam finished. Thus he was able to get the prison officers out of the way for a couple of minutes.

 What did Evans’ own hair look like? What did he do with it to impersonate McLeery?

 Evans’ hair was long and wavy while McLeery had closely clipped hair. Jackson had removed Evans’ scissors, so he had to cut his hair off with a razor. After that he kept his head covered with a bobble hat to prevent it being noticed.

 How did the Governor of Oxford Prison locate the hiding place of Evans?

 The Governor told Evans that he had used the same method as Evans had done. The six figure reference 313/271 was formed by two hints- Index number 313 and centre number 271. If one takes an Ordinance Survey Map for Oxfords hire, this number lands are bang in the middle of Chipping Norton and hotel ‘Golden Lion’ there.

 What request did the Secretary of the Examination Board receive from the Governor of Oxford Prison?

The Governor of Oxford Prison’s request was to create an examination centre in the prison for one candidate named James Roderick Evans who wanted to appear in O Level German Examination to be held on June 8.

 What enquiry did the Secretary of the Examination Board make about Evans?

 The Secretary of the Examination wanted cursory details about the examinee regarding his nature. He wanted to know if Evans was a violent sort of a person. He was told that Evans was a kleptomaniac with no record of violence. He also inquired if there would be any trouble in keeping him incommunicado.

 Who met Evans on the eve of the examination? What does this brief interview reveal?

 -Mr. Jackson and Mr. Stephens visited Evans on the morning of the Examination to ensure that he did not have any weapon with him as Evans had escaped from prison thrice earlier.

-it revealed that Jackson despite his harsh stance had a soft corner for Evans and thus permitted him keep his bobble hat on for luck.

What puzzled Mr. Jackson about the contents in McLeery’s suitcase?

- Jackson saw a smallish semi-inflated rubber ring such as a young child might have to struggle into.

-On being questioned by Jackson, he replied that he suffered from piles and could not sit on a hard surface for long.

 Why did the Governor doubt the phone call from the Examination board for the correction in the paper? What did he do?

-  the Governor doubted the phone call from the Examination board for the correction in the paper because he thought it might be a fake call. He tried to verify it by calling the Examination Board from the other line . Since the number was busy he assumed the call was a genuine one.

-  applied the little German he had learnt and was convinced that it was about the agreement of adjectives.

-  the invigilator announcing the correction sounded genuine.

 How did Stephens keep an eye on Evans? What did he notice on looking through the peep-hole in Evans’ cell?

-  Stephens peeped after every one minute.

-              He found Evans sitting with his pen between his lips. He sat staring straight in front at the door as if waiting for some inspiration.

-              McLeery sat on his chair reading the ‘Church Times’. His right index finger was hooked beneath the narrow clerical collar. The fingers of the left hand were slowly stroking the short black board.

The scene never seemed to change

What request did Evans make about half an hour before the end of the examination? What did Stephens think about it?

-Evans requested to have a blanket put round his shoulders.

- A minute later, Stephens was surprised to see a grey blanket draped round Evans’ shoulders.

- At first –thought he would report the irregularity but then felt that Evans was perhaps feeling cold as the ‘D’ wing got no sunlight.

 How did Evans manage his final escape?

- Evans was nabbed at the hotel, handcuffed and made to sit in the prison van.

-The complacent Governor failed to verify the identity of the officer and driver.

- As the van turned on to the Oxford Road, the silent prison officer who was Evans’ accomplice unlocked the handcuffs. Evans had a good laugh as he instructed the  driver –his friend to go towards Newbury- he escaped the fourth time.

Character Sketch of Evans

1.            Evans, the charming rouge is cunning and shrewd - had earned the name ‘Evans the break’ for escaping from the jail thrice.

2.            A kleptomaniac by birth, he is not violent but an amusing fellow, good at imitations, and a star at the Christmas concert. Through his cheerful mannerisms he is able to win over and hoodwink the prison staff - fool the Governor into letting him take German lessons which he uses to master-mind his escape - coaxes Jackson to allow him to keep his bobble hat on for luck.

3.            - uses presence of mind to outwit and manipulate the officials. He complains about getting disturbed by Stephen’s presence in the cell and succeeds in getting him out, complains about the cold in the cell requesting for a blanket which he cleverly uses to change into the parson’s disguise. He spills pig’s blood over himself and through brilliant acting fools the officials into believing he is Mcleery, wounded by Evans.

4.            He stirs panic in the jail - offers to help them nab Evans - is so convincing that no one doubts his word - drives out of the jail with the police detectives.  He and his shrewd accomplices are innovative and meticulous in their planning. Even when he is taken aback to find the Governor in his hotel room, he retains his cool and thus he has the last laugh. He had foreseen this move and planned with his friends who came with the prison van. Thus, he escapes again.

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 Who, do you think, has the last laugh- The Governor or Evans?               

1. Evans, a shrewd jail bird, having escaped thrice earlier, knew the complacency and predictable moves of jail officials.

2. His plan began months earlier. His accomplice came as the German teacher to the prison. On his part, the Governor, determined not to be ‘just a good for giggles’ officer, went overboard in making arrangements for the German O-level examination Evans would appear for.

3. Officer  Jackson thoroughly searched the cell and cleared any object which could harm the invigilating parson, who was frisked, his briefcase examined and pen knife taken away. The cell was bugged with the Governor listening for anything amiss and Stephens kept a constant eye on Evans.

4.But they failed to see through the hoax phone calls -the  request for correction from the Examination board, that the rubber ring had pig’s blood,  the parson was wearing double set of clothes, beard , spectacles and that Evan’s bobble hat plus the request for a blanket were for Evans’ disguise. Stephen’s, without checking his identity or injury, at once believed that Evan’s had hit him and escaped. The governor too believed the parson’s word and sends him out with detectives to nab Evans.

5. However, on realizing the truth, he quickly traced Evans to the hotel -Golden Lion- by decoding the clues in the exam paper, but in his self-congratulatory mood failed to see that the driver and the silent prison officer were Evan’s accomplices. Thus, Evans escapes again and has the last laugh.

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 Prison authorities made many blunders that helped Evans to escape. Discuss.

 1. The Governor made a tactical error in allowing a veteran jail-breaker to attend classes. Also, they neglected verifying the identity of the German teacher and took his word that he was from the technical college. Evan’s was his only student and the two friends master-minded the escape meticulously.

3. On the Examination day, Jackson allowed Evans’ to keep his ‘bobble-hat’ on or else the plan would have fallen flat.

4. If Stephens had not been shifted out from the cell, the escape would not have been possible.

5. The governor and his officers could not see through the hoax phone calls. 

7. Stephen’s justifying Evan’s request for a blanket was a great error.

8 Jackson should have frisked and searched McLeery without hesitation and seen the rubber ring closely.

 9. The gullible prison staff believed that the injured man was McLeery, without checking his identity or the wound.

10. When Evans was arrested, the complacent Governor let the receptionist order the prison van and did not accompany the arrested Evans or check the identity of the silent police officer and driver who were Evans’ accomplices.