WARDER & THE YOUTH.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1805, 18 July 1913, Page 6

WARDER & THE YOUTH.

DRAMATIC STOIiY IX COURT. (By Telegraph—l'rces AEoodalion.) Auckland, July 17. Jowjih Thomas Christie, aged *19, a prisoner who escaped from Mount 15den ''«<>) for ti eouplo of hours, came before Mr, f. V, J'rawr, S.M., at tho Police f>nsrt this morning, Christie pleaded not guilty t/j n. charge of gaol-breaking. After Warder (Joy)e had described the method of escape, Warder Cook related the rircumstaiices attending tho rewpture, l'h« pri Miner, Christie, ftlien gave his version of t.ho affair. "On tho afternoon !" </'!(*ti<>n," lie .'aid, "I was just thinking ovr things, when, on a sudden impulse, J ran off across tho hills. I reached a piece of bush, and hid myself in Homo bracken. It was going on for six o clock when I came ouL of this hidingplace and started to walk along the.edge of the bush. I meant to cut across the corner of tho haddock. The first jndication I had of Warder Cook's presence was tli'i Ilanh of a revolver across my ear. After that-lie thumped me on the forehead with the butt of his revolver, and struck me in the stomach with his S OO, , wa , s vcr y am t wca k> al| j| alter Cook had dragged mo along by the collar a few yards, ho stood holding the revolver aud told mo to put tho liandcull's on." Tho magistrate pointed out that all this was a chargo against tho warder which could l>o mado in tho proper way at another time. Prisoner said that ho had defined to escape in order to have tho opportunity of telling the Court what punishment ho had already h.>!. His Worship asked what reasons prisoner had for getting away. "I have a. terrible big sentence," replied tho prisoner, "and two or three of tho warders have told mo that two or three prisoners with sentpnees like that have hung themselves. Of oourse I would not do anything like that." His Worship said that Christie would receive what might appear an inadequate months' hard labour, to be concurrent with his present sentence. The real punishment of tho sentence was that the Prisons Board would have no power to consider his case till nfter the six months' hard labour sentence had been served. If tho prisoner wished 1 to makr any charge against the warder, he wouli bo given an opportunity to do it in th proper way.