A PRISON INCIDENT.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16434, 30 January 1919, Page 5

A PRISON INCIDENT.

NINE DAYS' BREAD AND WATER. A special Court was held by Mr T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., at the Addington Prison yesterday to try Mary Sheedy, -upon a charge ; of committing an aggravated offence under 1 the Prisons Act, in that she used personal violence towards a prison officer. In a torrent o£ words Sheedy detailed her grievances to his Worship. Sh« had kicked brutally -until she was black and blue, she said, and ehe had been put m the , "dummy" at night without any sheet. The . --prison officials had had a "down" on her j from the day she entered the prison. She certainly pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against her. . When accused'had to pause momentarily to recover her breath, Susan Walsh, the wardress assaulted, was given a chonco to tender her evidence. At 9 a-m. on January 15th, 'she said, sho told accused to have her bath, but Sheedy replied that she did not feel well I enough. • At 1 p.m. on the same day accused 1 rushed to the bathroom saying she would 'have a bath, at the same time using obscene language. Witness told her ehe could not : have a bath, and turned to unlock the door, I and accused then struck her violently on the back of the head, saying that she would push "her face in. Accused went to strike her a second time, but another person came along and pulled her away. Accused said Walsh had struck her over the head with keys and pushed her. She alleged tlyit Walsh had struck prisoners in other gsfols. WalsM denied the allegations. A prisoner of Maori birth, stated be a first offender, was produced as a witness. She said accused had struck Wnlsh and sh© had gone and pulled accused off. Sheedy sari the witness was telling lies. For that reason she would ask her no questions. Christina Lawson said accused pushed Walsh and then Walsh pushed accused. Walsh raised her keys, but witness did not see if she struck accused or "not. Accused's nose bled afterwards. Walsh denied using the keys in the manner indicated. Sheedy broke out into a fresh flood of talk. "I will never do my time," she said. "That is straight. They have a down on me and Mary McKegnev." She would never leave the prison alive, she declared; there would *be murder and she would hang for it. The Magistrate said accused's actions that afternoon proved what manner of person she was. She would be sentenced to nine days' bread and water at periods of three days each, with two days' intervals between. With reference to the paragraph published yesterday morning detailing a statement made by Sheedy that Ghe had been ill-treated at the Addington prison, and could call Mrs Miller, the official visitor to the prison, to prove it, Mrs Miller stated yesterday to iv "Press" reporter that the woman - had no foundation for this statement, and she would in no way corroborate what ehe had said. The prisoners received the very best treatment.