CASE OF OLAF AANENSEN.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 968, 8 November 1910, Page 5

CASE OF OLAF AANENSEN.

.VICE-CONSUL'S; OPINION OF IT.

Mr. E. B. Wlijte, Vice-Consur for Norway at. .Westport, who is'at. present, in . Wellington, made a statement, last even- . Mg_ to. a noiriNioir representative, whiclv .in;the:main is on the same lines as the evidence which has-been submitted to the irti J . nstlce In connection with the case -, ot, UJaf Aacensen, ■ a young. Norwegian, Bailor, who made allegations of gross maltreatment cgainst. Captain Breu, of the . Merman barque Martha - Beokhahn. • Mr. Whj&j says that he first saw Aanen- : sen on board the barque, when he com- ■. plained of:-being ill and wanted, to eoe a doctor. The captain agreed to this, and took-him. to Dr. Hallwnght, the hospital . doctor, who examined him, Aanonsen alleged that he was suffering from, tuber- ■ miosis, which is believed, to be ..true, ana wished. t Oj be . operated on. The doctor,■ however, did. not advise any such course, it £ h T- to ' retu ™. to, "is ship and .look after himself. :.When'they left the ■ doctors they visited tho Grand Hotel ana. had a drink. ; Aanensen then said mat he na.i no money,-so the captain cave him some. With that he procured liquor—more, apparently, than wa's pood " ttl il m ~7 mX r^ e a "«cene", on. the'ship. He threatened the captain, and (renerallv . behaved m an extraordinary manner. He ■ «as captured, handcuffed, and put in the '' =w l ?r rt ere he sle P fc l uite comfort- , ably.. His feet, wero on a level' with his head and there,was plenty of room in * llKr ' He was kept there.for a time - t« The nest day there v , another disßraceful scene/during which Aanensen threw stones at the ship, and the captafn had to fire his revolve in.the air to frighten tho man. Then w n ] ? a ?° tho allegations which have already been published againstCap'no at?w f When in WeUiagten.l.e made ?? toeemmunicato with the Norwegian Consul (Uγ. A. W Newton) r™ S^^alr^nVieSe ;i|s«-nw3ol Whyte who worked ko- unronitthHv Iα . Wcstport over three years ago K convinced all along that the police had made a grave error, and it w ,, Ihljr, v his efforts that Conolly (who fina f/ con- . fessed) was charged with perjury, aifd eentencod to seven years' iMpriiont It will ■ be. remembered that theThock of the affair undermiMd tho healtl, of Andersen, who died in a fit in AVcstport o{ de « ai *<l. as ho died ■m Jfr. Whyte's arms, were: "I „„„ saw.Bonrke in my life!" For his work m connection with that case Mr 'win4n was; decorated by tho King of 'Norwir with the Order of St. Olaf, a S piece of jewellery (pendant from a ribbon in .Norway's national colours). If is fi n only order of the kind Iwld in New Z™ land; if not in Anstralasin, and has to be returned at death to Norway.