CAMP PRISONERS' ESCAPADE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 18, 5 February 1937, Page 5

CAMP PRISONERS' ESCAPADE

—Presa Assooiation.)

Men Open Their Doors F*om The Inside BURGLARY COMMITTED

(By Teleeraph

WANGANFI, This Day. Aa the result of a uight escapade by prisoners at tbe Waikune prisoncamp and a burglary at MqKee's stpre, prisoners named Lindsay Edist EdOwhango, on tbe night of December «• ward Garner, aged 27, and Albert Harrjs, aged 36, were chprged with breaking and pntering the store of T- J* McICee by night and stealing> £12, a cash register, two cases pf butter^ a quantity of tobaccp and stores valued at £104 10/3, and also with converting a motor -car at The. Chateau to their own use. The car was valued at £393 and was the property of L. J. D. Bayfield. Warder Bissett described how small pieces of wood had been out frpm tho doom jamb so that the dpora could be opened from withiu. The prisoners weore locked in. their hute at 7-30 p-m. and were released at 6.30 in the morning. It was 10 days after the'robbery that he noticed the condition of the doors. Mr McKee, storekeeper at Moawhango, said that the Yale lock on the front door was foreed. The majority of the stolen goods had been recevered, but not the money. Detectives White and Murray gave evidence of having noticed the condition of the hut doors and of having reeovered the majority of the stolen goods in the vicinity of the camp. Bpth prisoners admitted taking part in the robbery. Detective Murray produced a statement by Albert Jphrris, aged 34, who is serving two years at Waikune, des-cribi-ng the escapade. In the statement he said that there were afcout 10 or 112 other prisoners at the Whakapapanui camp, epch having a separate hut, If was decided hv the accused and three others to break into McKee' s store at Owhango. On the evening of December 7, while the prisoner was with Warder Bissett in the garden, a prisoner referred to as No 1 was to cut a plece of wood out of the door of the prisoner's hut with a hacksaw blade so that the door could then he opened. from ihe inside and

the wood temporarily replaced. The other prisoners similiarly operated on their hut doors. The four then got, out after light-out in the camp and. walked to the Chateau, about five miles away, where prisoner No 1 stole a car, and the party then drove to Owhango and broke into McKee' s store, where they stole tobacco and cigarefctes, tinned fruit, two boxes of butter and also a cash register containing money. They drove back towards the prisoncamp, where they dumped the register in a busb. The stolen property was hidden near the camp and fhe car wa§ then driven farther along the road, whea-e it was abandoned by Prisoner No 1. The huts were re-entered about half an hour before reopening time. The prisQner regretted that he had anything to do with the thefts but said that he was prompted into committii|g the offence by the thought of Christr mas approaching aud by a desire for a little variation of food. He also wanted a change from the gaol weed that he was smoking. Lindsay Edist Edward Garner' s statement was on similar lines to that of Harris, He admitted that he. was responsible for taking the car and driving the three other prisoners to Owhango. He was sorry he had" had anything to do with the theft, The honest reason for the offence was that he wanted a change of diet from that he had been getting at the prison. The accused pleaded guilty and were committed for sentence.