WANGANUI BARRACKS AFFAIR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 70, 17 December 1918, Page 6

WANGANUI BARRACKS AFFAIR

CASE OF LIEUT. CRAMPTON

THE ASSAULT AT SAMOA

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. The inquiry into the conduct of the Detention Barracks at Wanganui, and especially the case of Lieutenant Crampton; is referred to at some length in tho following statement prepared by Iho Defence Department and issued with the authority of the Minister of Defence-.— It has been suggested that 'in view of his ooniluct in Samoa Lieutenant Crampton wai> not a suitable person to be appointed as officer-in-charge of the AYaliganui Detention Barracks. Lieutenant Crampton originally served in the Boyal Navy, and at the outbreak of war was a sergeant-major in the New Zealand Permanent Force. He served overseas in tho present war, departing with the Main Body in 1914, and returning from abroad in June, 1916, invalided for wounds. During his service abroad lie was promoted in the field to commissioned rank, and .became a second lieutenant. Oji his return to New Zealand ho was selected to till the combined offices of Provost Marshal and Judge of tho Native Court at Samoa, where his duties brought, him into conflict with Germans and natives. On December 7, 191 G. Lieutenant Crampton had occasion to call upon a certain half-caste Samoan woman to conduct some investigations which he litijl tyeen instructed to make by the Administrator. In Ihe course of his duty he had oecasio" to again' call upon her on December S, 9, 'and 11. On December 31 he received information- that: the woman had ill-treated a slave girl by cutting her shoulders with a knife, and in the course of his duty he called to see her about that. The woman resented the interference and complained to the American Consul, with the result that Lieutenant Crampton wns court-martiall-ed upon two charges—one practically amounting to, attempted rape upon her between December 7 and 11, and the other to assaulting her with a walking ■ stick on December 81. The first charge was disproved on the evidence, and the Court acquitted him; on the second charge the Court found him guilty, but the evidence was so trivial {hat they sentenced him only to a reprimand. The woman appears to have made no complaint whatever until she found that Lieutenant Crampton, as Provost Marshal, was determined to iprotect her slave girl from injury. The Administrator duly reprimanded him and returned him to New Zealand with the proceedings of the court martial. Perusal of these proceedings convinced Headquarters, Wellington, that not only should Lieutenant Crampton .have been acquitted of the first charge, but also that he should have been acquitted of the second charge, as the verdict was against the weight of evidence. Lieutenant Crampton was employed in one of,- the Wellington Defence offices until lie was selected as the oflicer-in-charge of the Wanganui Detention Barracks. The court martial in Samoa was considered in connection with the appointment and was not regarded as a bar. Before he took charge of the barracks he -went to the Terrace Gaol for a month's training in modem prison methods, and was considered to be as suitable a roan for the position as 'was likely to be found. The Samoan court-martial proceedings were placed before Mr. Hewitt, S.M., on his investigation, and tho fact that he has not in any way referred to the matter in his report makes it evident that he considered it as of little importance. When Mr. Hewitt commenced his inquiry into the allegations concerning Wanganui Detention Barracks lie decided that he would question each witness separately, and he desired that the staff at Wanganui should be dispersed-so as to avoid any opportunity of collusion. The staff was accordingly dispersed and employed in different parts of the Dominion, with the exception of Lieutenant Crampton, whom Mr. Hewitt thought wns better left in charge. When Mr. Hewitt made his report, lie recomuie.nded that the personnel of the staff be changed. By the dispersal of the staff and • the employment of other persons this had already been done except in the case of Lieutenant Crampton. -Consideration was being given to entirely new arrangements for the custody of detention prisoners, and would have been given effect to before this but that the influenza epidemic intervened. The intention underlying tho new arrangements was to discontinue the use of Wanganui Prison for detention prisoners and to accommodate them at Trenthain, and this intention is in process of being carried out. The original staff at Wanganui is now disposed as follows:—. Lieutenant Crampton is at Wanganui for tho purpose of handing over to his successor, fifteen have been discharged, and two who were not dirpctly concerned in the matters reported on are still in the employment of the Defence Department at Wellington. Mr. Hewitt's report and his findings were not communicated to Lieutenant Crampton and the staff, atfd the first intimation that they received as to tho nature of the findings was when they svere published in" the Press after being laid on the table of the House. Immediately he saw the nature of the report Lieutenant Crampton demanded a court-martial for himself and his staff. A court-martial will bo assembled without delay for the trial of Lieutenant Crampton and his staff on charges based on Mr. Hewitt's report, and Lieutenant Crampton is being relieved of duty ponding tho result of the court-martial.