BREAKING GAOL.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 August 1920, Page 4

BREAKING GAOL.

i U USONEII’ S AL LEG AT lON S

AUCKLAND, Aug. 9. An allegation that ho had been “officially assisted” to escape from Mt Eden gaol was made in the Supreme Court by Daniel Murray, WiUen be was tried before Mr Justice Stringer ou charges of escaping from prison ou January 10th, and stealing from a house clothing valued at Lid. The prisoner, who was not represented by counsel, adopted an attitude of defiant bravado and frequently had to be rebuked by tbe judge. The charges were heard separately, and ou each occasion Murray exhausted his right of challenge of jurymeifit, and he objected when the Crown ordered more than six jurymen to stand aside. His Honour informed him that the Crown could order any number to stand aside. An adjournment was asked for by tire prisoner on the ground that he wanted to subpoena the ControllerGeneral of Prisons.

His Honour: What do you want hi,, for?—l wish to know if he is in Court. His Honour.: I do not know, and if I did know I should not tell you. -Murray: I wish him to give evid. i(,e that I was officially assisted to escape from gaol. His Honour: What nonsense! 1 will not grant you an adjournment on that plea. Murray: It is no nonsense. His Honour: Well, it appears to be an absurdity, and it is 1 who decide the matter. Evidence was then given as to the accused making his escape by means of a rope of blankets weighted with an iron stone-breaking cmsel. It was stated that tbe prisoner must have climbed up tbe rope from tbe courtyard in a corner where the sentry could not see him and swung over tbe outside wall. When be was arrested three months later be was wearing a suit ol clothes missed from a borne in the vicinity of the gaol. Murray did not give evidence, but obtained leave to call a prisoner named William Brewer. .Murray: What sentence are you do-

Brewer: I am not doing any sentence. J uas arrested twelve months ago and put in gaol without a trial. A civilian who was an ex-warder arrested nit without warrant. liis Honour: What lias this got to do with he case? -Murray : I want to show I was driven from Mt Eden by the treatment I got. 11 is Honour refused to hear any more evidence from Brewer, who was led away shouting that he was entitled to trial under the Habeas Corpus Act. It was a British Act and he was entitled to trial. -Murray joined.in and said :“I am going to expose tilings in this Court if I have to murder someone, to do it.”. When asked if he had any more evidence, -Murray said apparently it was no good calling a witness. His Honour: Yes,.if it.is relevant to whether, you escaped or. not. Murray: No, I will turn it up. Prisoner then made a long address in which lie complained bitterly of the larelating to habitual criminals. He coi tended that he had been wrongfully declared an habitual criminal in 1912 when he was 18 years old. This ha; “murdered” him. His Honour: For a “murdered” man you have been pretty lively since 1912. The Judge then read out prisoner's convictions since that time. He imposed a sentence of two years’ imprisonment to be concurrent with a sentence of two years’ hard labour the prisoner is-at present serving for theft from a dwelling. He again declared him an habitual criminal.