THE GAOL STRUGGLE

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1257, 12 October 1911, Page 5

THE GAOL STRUGGLE

AT AUCKLAND. ( PRISONER STRUCK DOWN. AND DEALT WITH BY THE COTOT. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, October 11. At the Police Court to-day a big, strapping young man, nntncd Frederick Logan, handcuffed and in prison garb, appeared before Mr. E. C. Cutlcn, S.M., on a chargo of having, on September 27, assaulted, at Mount Eden gaol, AVnrder K. W. Thompson,' and with having incited other prisoners to mutiny by calliug oil thorn to como to Ids assistance, AVnrder Thompson stated in ovidenoo that, 011 September 27, ho wns in clinrgo of a party of prisoners in the sione-cut-ting yard, and Logan was one of tlio party. Prisoner naked loovo to retire, and was granted it. When witness turned round, ho saw Logan leaving the yard with a hospital party of prisoners, who wore going to soo the dispenser. Witness then called him back, and remonstrated with him for leaving the yard without permission. Logan then said, in. a threatening manner: "This is dirt on your part." Witness told him to put on his coat, as he intended to lock him up. He refused, and, picking up a wooden straight-edge, threatened to knoo-k witness's head oif. Witness walked up to him, and prisoner struck him on. tho shoulder find arm with tho straight edge. He (witness) closed with him, and pulled, him away. Prisoner, however, broko free, and struck at witness's head with tho stick, and was knocked down by witness witli a liaton. He hit the prisoner on tho side of tho head. While being removed from the yard, Logan shouted to the other prisoners to help him deal with witness, and usal obscene language. Warders Johnston and Campbell came to witness's Assistance, n.nd, on being lot up, Logan kicked viciously at witness. He also called tho other prisoners who did not go to help liim, "a cowardly lot." In nnswer to questions by the accused, witness stated that lie did not remember asking another Warder about prisoner's work. lie himself had found fault with his work, but it wa6 not truo that ho had poked his baton in Logan's face, and said lio "would teach him to carry complaints to tho gaoler." Prisoner's work was unsatisfactory. Ho could not say why it was that prisoners were continually going to tho gaoler and reporting him_ (witness). Warder Johnston gave similar evidence. Warder Donovan deposed that ho had overheard a conversation in tho penal cells between Logan and another prisoner named Smith. _ In this conversation Smith had advised Logan to call him (as evidence for liim in the inquiry), and any prisoner that had been reported by Warder Thompson, and mentioned Murphy and King as reliable men. Accused's defence was that Warder Thompson was continually annoying, tantalising, threatening, and finding fault with his work. Ho had applied to tho gaoler to be removed from the charge of Warder Thompson, but tho application had been refused. Ho had also complained that ho had not been permitted to seo tho Visiting Justices. Tho magistrate convicted accused, and sentenced him to an additional six months' imprisonment, and also ordered him to be placed on bread and water for seven daVs. The accused was sentencod to six months' imprisonment in February last for an assault upon .mother warder. His original sentence is ono of four years' for theft.