THE LIBERATION of WALTER THICKER.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 15, Issue 790, 26 May 1870, Page 3

THE LIBERATION of WALTER THICKER.

Finis Coronat Qj)its. [From the Evcniag-Post, May 10."] We may say with every confidence that; there are few of our readers who will not receive with unmixed satis faction the announcement which appears in another column of a free pardon having been .accorded to i Walter Trieker. But while happy to know that right has at length triumphed, we must not fell into the : error of supposing that the Govern- < merit is entitled to the slightest credit or thanks in the matter ; the concession that they ha\e now made has been reluctantly wrung from them by an expression of public opinion, too powerful to contend against. That Trieker has been enlarged is a triumph to the people of the Province who have fought for his liberty; that he has remained so long in jail is a disgrace to the Legislature which has allowed pri vate prejudice to stand in the way of justice. Nor must it be forgotten that this tardy restitution has been made at a time when, it is robbed ot hall* its value, by being left open to the suspicion of interested motives. A general election is not far off: and how would the .lion, member for Rangirikei lace his constituents with his reiterated pledges unfulfilled 1 A. very instructive lesson as to the value ol perseverance may be gleaned from the result of the efforts made to obtain Tricker's release. Mr Stock, who has mainly fought the battle with such determined assiduity, has had much to contend with—the obstinately held opinions of the judge—the hindrance given on every occasion by the Provincial authorities, guided by the pretended fears for personal safety of the Provincial Secretary—the fierce opposition 01 the Independent, which as usual only turned with the tide—the opposition of the jailer, who left no stone unturned to maintain his clutch on. the prisoner—and yet he went on with a simple earnest faith in the justice of his cause, and a belief that he would eventually succeed—a belief now abundantly justified. There are other heroes besides those who earn laurels on the blood-stained field, and the calm determination with which Mr Stock has fought his long battle against injustice and oppression lias proved his claim to the title. We may without vanity say that we have ever done our utmost to second his efforts, and have nevei 1 neglected an opportunity "in season or out of season," to keep public attention directed to them, but to him alone the principal merit belongs. Trieker will be a free man to-mor row ; he will be restored to the busy world and to the society of his fel-low-men, from which he has been so long excluded; but what legislative enactment can bid the long period of suffering and sorrow he has undergone roll back, like the shadow on Hezekiah's dial'? Who can remove the taint from his name, or give him back again the best years of his life wasted in prison ? What equivalent can be offered to his wife and family for the enforced absence of their natural protector during the time that he might have comfortably pro-

jvided for their future subsistence f lb is not enough that Tricker should. '<te set at libeity j he has a moml claim for such compensation as is now possible, and if the authorities have made a mistake, they must not only admit but endeavor to rectify it.

jFrom tlie Evening Post, May lU."| The release of Walter Tricker, agitated for so many years, has until very lately appeared an almost unattainable dream. However, the long battle has been fought, the victory won, and the unfortunate man restored to the light of day, and the society of his fellow men. Those who only know by vague imagination what a term of .penal servitude means, would have arrived at a more intimate knowledge of its effects had they seen Tricker yesterday, emerging from the jail, a haggard, miserable, shattered-looking man, with his springs of life and capacity for enjoyment apparently dried up. The sunlight and the fresh breeze were strange to him; he almost shrank from the concourse in the streets, so wonderfully altered since he saw them; and, long unaccustomed to the exercise of walking, he tottered feebly along, looking as if lie felt himself a trespasser on the public road. There were some individuals harsh enough to comment on his unprepossessing appearance, but we imagine few of them, in his circumstances, would have looked much better. Not that we would insinuate that Tucker has been subjected to any harshness beyond the restraiut enjoined by law; on the contrary, we have reason to believe that, while exceedingly anxious to keep him, Mr Read allowed him every indulgence and privilege to which he was at all entitled, Trieker's friends have adopted a very judicious course in sending him away on his road to his wife and family at once, before he had the opportunity to fall into the temptation of intoxication, to which a man in his naturally excited state might be peculiarly liable, and it is to be hoped that his friends in Wanganui will behave in the same manner. We would remind all his friends, as well as himself, that, although now free, he is, and will continue, a marked man, and that his subsequent career will be watched by jealous eyes. "Various persons have to a certain extent pledged their credit for him, and if he entertains the slightest gratitude for the efforts made ill his behalf, he will conduct himself in such a manner as to justify the opinions they have expressed in reference to him. We earnestly counsel him to forget tie irrevocable past; to banish every teeHng of bitterness or revenge from his mind, and by his subsequent life to give thelie to the aspersions cast upon him. If he pursues such a coarse as this, sympathy for his misfortunes will make him many friends. Again we advise him not to forget that for perhaps a long time to come he will be "on his trial." Some people seem to have taken it into their heads that the Government still retain a hold on Tricker, and can re-arrest him if they choose—but ' this is a mistake, He is now, to all intents and purposes, a free man, although there are certain disablities attached to him still, under the commutation of his sentence, which would have been obviated by a free pardon. No doubt the Government wish to save themselves if possible from airy subsequent liability for compensation; but we must tell them again that they have acted in a most ungracious manner, and have not the remotest claim for either thanks or gratitude. Even when the permission for the man's release came at last, it was delayed in the Grovernment Qilices for over 19 hours, to allow the Attorney General to throw legal - subtleties in the way of any recomi pense for the wrong and cruel injustice he has received. We can tell the Government, however, that the people only receive what has been ■ so grudgingly accorded "on account;" that they want a full pardon, and also compensation, and furthermore, that they intend to have it, too, The Press, which has put its "hand to the plough," will not look back until ample justice has been wrung from such unwilling dispensers,