THE TERRACE GAOL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 415, 26 January 1909, Page 5

THE TERRACE GAOL.

FREQUENCY OF ESCAPES.

13 THERE SUFFICIENT SUPERVISION ?

A DOUBTFUL MATTER,

: ''"-.'\ :.^-Wli.at'.chahccs- are. : open: to. a. prisoner to ;.,', escape:from '. tho•'Terrace'"'Gaol? Two recent ;;;;:: :happenihgs;''at v tlie/hscal.;prispn have again ;;giveni rise.■ to/this/question.' x. Tpwards: the' /'//./ close of. last month a 1 prisoner -named Burgess. /' . Bccured-'his freedom by climbing..over one of :.:/ thp;.walls with thp aid'of a rope and, npt ,:,: .'imprcbabjy;'- with / .assistance .of. eo.m-' ;:,;:/; panirinsij/;- ; And 'last/Saturday: ah ■ habitual '■■.: ';; criminal -, named/.McNeil; successfully / bolted /;/;.• from the yard whilst'under the charge of a V: wardpr/. It;.is.piily', natural, therefore;: that : /: "the .Man:;in the; Street".-, should inquire ://.:"Why : :is this?";. Upon making inquiries into -;,.',,:the : matter: aVPojnNioN;-':reporter ■ heard ,it - v there, had. ;:- './.been.: many,: moro~. escapes.; from the": Terrace "■•, .Gaol other'institution'pf tlio" ;.; Jnnd.in 'New Zealand,; with 'the exception': of ■•'v-S° .tree-planting camps,. He was. informed ■ : :.that..thero.had/beeri;: practically no escapes ';:-': froih..the ; prison- at Dunedin for a'number of. ;:;;.years,> whilst/at: ; M6untV:,Eden (Auckland)' :-:.-.;lh.e< number: was inconsiderable'.Questioned,: '/: to the matter,: the governor'. of : ; the' Terrace 1 Gaol (Mr/Armstrong) .merely .-,; paid.: f 'l consider Jtho 'institution quite secure, '■'_; /:and'l,have/a:very efficient;Btaff.'^.j-:/ :/-'-. ;;;///'/;/:- ;; Behaviour of; tiig 11 priiates.:_ '// -/// ' '%actly; hpw. many'offences-were cpmmittcd ■;-.'last, year by coiivjcts incarcerated in the local •-.-;. prison is npt known.:.:,: Only -the: aggravated 4 offences'.are dealt, with; in the 'Magistrate's :: : Ceurt, the. retnrns; 'for, 1808 :■ in'' connection ;:-:. W i ith''w.hicli:shdw. that-blip prisoner was con-. :■■•■;.■: victed,of .haying, escaped frbm'N-Point/Ha'Jsi':- ~,: wellsub-prispn;.that; twplwero fpund. guilty .-".";': of; having. been; fpund > in possessipn of- civi:.;..nan;clothes, etc. j that a : recently-discharged •:,-.:'Pri,sonpr,:;was irujictpd/fpr.having attempted ://■'J*? ;/ TOmoTe /;frpm; : .the: "prison igrpujids: a .',-"- Jotter xwhich, had;; been 'concealed fear ' tlje . .;:.gatfl; v that:a/pr.isoherJhad.'^ : ..-for haying.wmmitted ayioleut assault on.the .-. goVernor; of. the,' gaol;- : and, in... addition tp .....these.charges,.eno;was preferred against: a >-.; civilian. on- account, of his.having (allegedly) ■:--V-/-.Mlivere^'-goods'--tora , ,.priMner.--/^ith-regard^ ..■..■•.;;:tp.'tho' number: of-"minor-offences/(which are -■: ■: investigated -by.-vlsjjijn'g 'Justice's), all that is ,■-.". kcewn,is that thp: is"officially-con--' ■■.'sjdered to.be, extremely imalli/considering. ;, that therp.were .over: 1200 admissions to'tho s:,.prispn.during,tjf6 twely.e mpnths,; jri.addition: . \%M •■> W? ; - largo. : nuhihpr -of .'convicts, ujidis-- ■}■■■ X!harge4;at thp :end:of "1907, /Account miist of fchp.'fact that.the:crimiflals .;. reeejyed into the local prison include all that •...•; have, been seiitpnced -■'district; no mat :'.: |er hw light pr. how grave the ofenc©'which ; vthey;ha7p committed/"'/':-:;' ' ' : -/:|:/- : " ; . /;:5;:/.//;;:;;/,::'//;:;:.;'E^r'v.isipri,;/ ? ;:/ /.//.'/",//:: ■:-.-., h the'ameunt'bf/'Biipe'rvision. that : obtains ;-" WF'f W: . -" natevcr" may be the opihipn in - .ofhcial;circles, there are many who are cen- ,.:.; vincedahat;. a,: great : >ileal of 'improvement :;.; might, ba made in"? this'direction. ■: /If is .-.'■; stated.by a number of 'deponents, who ought .-.-;.; tp-knoWjthat thp tendency:'iß-to have an in■e sufficient number/of, men:, in charge'of--'pri- . soners'at. ajl .times. ■ It' is. stated that it is' ,-. not: at,- all : unusual to send .'several prisoners ./-.'froin pne"place to another;tirider'thp charge "/:?'::OTe:o/Bcial./: A:: casp/in point'will be ./: readily^called/tP' Not long -agp six'/pr :';;. seven" prisoners ; : were'ordefed to be .removed ',: : from ; Wcllington '-.to Auckland. "As "there was :, pnlj : nnp pfiipjal; in. charge, nf themV it -was ■<-. net. surprising ■- when/it was' learned : that '//cne. .bad'.;been -"lost"/.on"the/•'jpuruey. -;:'His /whercabeuts'.'/arp': still:-a 'mystery. ■:; Thp/'easpwith/.wlubh M'Neilmade gpod'his ;.;-escapa;has/caused/'anrrapression;that suffi/ ' •/.', cieiit. precaution's are not 'taken' in regardto , hardened;'criminals; :M'Neil,: it is stated, ;.;W had; threatened ..to .break-: gaol-' when 'the' pp- ;:. pprtuflity presented/itself.-,.-:And-'yet .he'was /■allowed to reach a;*spbt from which he had, . K ..it Would:s/3eju, Ijtfcla 'difficulty.in.'securhig.his ' ':-,/rreeaprn'/;/ I !Vhy;. timp. not so long-■-"..ago—when.conyicts whp had threatened .to ' /, escape, or/who jt:was/believed-intended to .;;: makp.a da?h/for/lifjerty, might have; been" ' ~' Deeu:;in- thcirV places'. in' : the gangs - weighted ~- with;leg chains,' .Such, precautiphswpuid pf . ;r/ceursp,/b:o7uhnecessary:. if/the amount 'of : /supervision werp incwased.:..-'. -//:',/ ;.://;/:. Wsy a Warcler/iise his Ride? / / // >-, As _ np 'attempt /was".'rnadp:• te,-, frighten ../'. M'Ncil: intp :■■ surrendering,: it: is crreneeusly ■',; held by many/that ihe/order under which a i :;.:: wanier ;is allowed - to/.uee'- his rifle has been .1 ::"countermanded..'.' As a ma'tter. cf: fact 'that''is' ' . .not ,thp casp. There is still : in existence an J ~-.prder, to the effect that, if a ; prispner whp'is- i -.■/.-.trying;tb/ escape declines to 'surrender/when' .* /called upen an -officer.',may fire. tp the right pr 1 . .tp. the-left, ef.'him, and thpn,;if he dpcsnpt i ./:stop,:may'fire.low.at him;/On a number,pf ' Bccasipns in the past, but.npt in recent years, ' .' officers have feund ;it'necessary tc fire in thp i -.-;_. di.rect.ien pf.an escaping pristmer in order to '■ ./. compel- himto.'stop.' Itis;on record that a '} ,'co.rpuer's juryin a-spiithern' centre cpmpli- : : ;mented a/warder :whe;had fired ' upnnS.a .:■ -,: desperate : criminal withfatal results f' It is " ; . ; :-understood/that, all/tho'/wardars are net "required .tp'befarmed-whilst nn' duty.' Kis .--.. possible,' thorefpre, that the warder whe was 2 /'m'.chafgc pf'M'Neil/was npt'in possessipn nf '-/.a.'weappn.-,/:',..;.;:,':;/'■'//,;:;-:,/. ;•■.-.:■■'■■./■" '-; -.'