ALLEGED BRIBERY OF A REPORTER.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13337, 1 February 1909, Page 4

ALLEGED BRIBERY OF A REPORTER.

THE DUNEDIN CASE.

MR W. I/. CHRYSTAL'S VERSION

"Mr "W. It. Chrystal, private detective, of this who, it was alleged, in a message from Dunedin last week, attempted l , by offering a bribe of £5 to a reporter, to obtain information as to the person who had) supplied news regarding tbo Flourmillors' Association to the "Otago Daily Times/ 5 gave his version of the matter to a representative of "The Press" on. Saturday. "I have been spending'this week on a holiday in Otago and South Canterbury, and only returned late on Friday night from South Canterbury. This (.Saturday) morning my attention was drawn to the message from Dmvedin referring to mc, which appeared in 'The Press' of the 28th. What occurreri was a3 follows:—When I was in Dnnedin, I happened' to get into conversation with a young gentlemen in this incidental way: 'I notice, , I said, 'that you Otago people are likely to have to pay 5s per toni more for your flour than we in Canterbury.' Ho asked, 'flow is that? , I said, 'I saw about ten days ego a message, purporting to come from ChristehuTch. in the "Otago Daily Times," to that efrfect.' Ho aekedi, 'Are you interested?' 'Yes ' I said, 'I am a farmer from North Canterbury the representative of "The Press": "I own i seventeen acres of land/ in Richmond, | and there is a. crop of tenants growing on it to the number of nine or ten."] —'Mr Graham, sir, , - -I said 1 by way of cood humoured introduction. He then said, 'I suppose you are interested in this matter?' I said), 'Of course I am interested' in anything concerning the grain crops, andi 1 know that a good' many of my, friends are interested in the movements of the Millers' Association through hiv calling as a farmer , , Andl I speak feelingly,' 1 said, 'a-ikj would give £5 to know the party who gave this information, to the "Otago-Daily-Times," because I know it was none of my friends in North Canterbury who did' so.' [To the representative of "The Press": "And I just merely mentioned: £5 by way of giving emphasis and' to show that I *ras,speaking feelingly," The reporter,' What did the .gentleman say when you made this remark ?'.'„ Mr ChrrfltaD: "Hβ just laiigh«lnaV r -the wJioie thing: the whole *^-jibe. J 'j ~rJ? ontinu * n &> to representative of "The Press/ Mr CbjysJrl} edidi: "I art not so foolish as to £hink that I ooiild bribe a reporter by , offering him £o; there was no offer, thm> iras no rejection ; and! when we parted, we perted the very best of never had a warmer or a more cordial shake of hands with any gentleman [ have had the pleasure of accosting khan with this gentleman. I dijn't think that he would have been so cordial if I had deliberately offered him a bribe; I think he woufei have shown resentment if the facts were as' alleped in the message. The spirit an, which the meseage« is couched catne as a complete surprise to mc. I am satisfied that the gentleman I was speaking to in Duriedan never wrote it and: never inspired it. I never have insulted' a newspaper reporter in my life. I never roet_ a more gentlemanly set of men during the whole of my- long career as a public officer, and I have never yet had an unfriendly altercation of nnv kind with one of them." Asfced if he knew that the gentl-pmnn with whom he spoke in Dunedin, while he was sneaking to him, was a reporter/ Mr Chrystal answered: "I assume from what appeared in 'The Press' that ho must have been a reporter."