ENGLISHMAN IN SPANISH PRISON,

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1736, 29 April 1913, Page 11

ENGLISHMAN IN SPANISH PRISON,

MARCHED THROUGH THE STREETS WITH THUMBSCREWS. Burins: the hearing of a case at Leeds Assizes last month an amazing story was told which sent tho mind back to mediaeval days. It concerned the arrest of a Halifax man in Vigo, Spain. The crossexamination of the Chief Constable of Halifax revealed a. horrible state of affairs in tho prison in which the man had been lod'cd. The .prisoner was Arthur Robinson, .aged 3S, tlie ton of a former Mayor of Halifax, and the offences to which ho pleaded guilty were that he quitted tlie country within four months before the presentation of :his petition in bankruptcy, and that lie took with- him «£BXO, which ought to have been divided among his creditors.

Mr. Waugh, K.C., who defended, ques-' honed the Chief Constable of Halifax, who said he knew that when Robinson was arrested in Spain ho was not allowed to put on his overcoat. The ceil in which hi: was kept was a large bare room, tho windows of which were in such a bad state that it was full of draughts. "Do you know," Mr. Waugh asked, "that for five weeks lie was subject to the cold of tho night without anv extra clothing?" Witness: Yes. ■>

Do you know that ho was not allowed a cliango of linen:—Yes. I made application myself and was refused.

Do you know that the cell communicated directly with a sewer? —I do not know, but it >vas in an insanitary condition. There '.vas an abominable stench? —Yos.

Do you know that when lie was finally taken from prison ho was marched through tlie streets with thumbscrews upon his' hands?—l understand that he was marched through the streets. I saw him come aboard witli lliem on.

Tho Halifax Official Receiver said, in answer to Mr. Waugh, that Robinson's failure had nothing to do with his business, wh:eh was a success, lint was a result solely of his speculations. Weiz :V3t his stockbrokers prosecuted at the lust Assizes for fraudulent conversion, mid have you not come to the conclusion that he was their dupe?—l believe they encouraged him and' persuaded him to so ou after he had decided to stop. In 100S ho paid up his losses, which ainnunled to .£IO.OOO.

Tho Commissioner passed sentence of four mouths' imprisonment in the second division*