On 7 March 1867, Johns escaped through a hole he had made in the prison wall. Despite an extensive manhunt, no sign of him was found, and he would not be recaptured for nearly two years. He did not return to any of his old haunts, and he committed no crimes, so the authorities received very little information about him. Also, many convicts were encouraged by Johns' audacious escape, and a number of escapes were attempted in the following months, so that he was quickly forgotten.