TORTURING EXPERIENCE

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 10 August 1917, Page 1

TORTURING EXPERIENCE

A BRIEF RESPITE. Twenty-two years ago a childless married couph of the artisan class, living in Sydney, saw an advertisement asking if someone would adopt a baby. They communicated with the address given, and the result was that a young woman called on them with an infant boy. They took from her the child, which they brought tip as their own. The mother gave neither her name nor any particulars of the child's paternity. She simplv parted with the boy and vanish»l out of his own and his foster-parents' lives. Last week; that boy, grown to manhood, was hanged in Long Bay Prisou for the murder of a° little girl at Rockdale. It was a particularly gross crime, the child being enticed from some playmates on the roadside, violated, and strangled. For sonic reason or other the

Labor Conference (writes the Sydney corre- ' spondent of the • Lyttelton Times') took great interest in this man after his condemnation to death, and sent a deputation to the Attorney-General to plead for commutation' of the sentence. The reason advanced in justification was that the man was " mad." The Attorney-General pointed out that there was no evidence of insanity—that the leading alienists in the State were convinced thai Benzing knew what he was doing, planned his crime beforehand, and showed bv his subsequent actions that be appreciated the nature of his crime. Therefore Cabinet had decided that the penalty should be paid. On the night before the execution a further deputation advanced on the Acting-Premier, insisting that it had new evidence. This was that as an infant Benzing bad a sunstroke. It was then nearly midnight, olid Mr Fuller, after long argument, agreed to ' have tins investigated. Next mornin?. 10 minutes before the hour of execution, "while a was with the prisoner, a taxi ( sped up to the gaol bearing the Controller of Prisons. Benzing was informed that his r execution was to be po'stponed. The wretched ■ man said nothing. He merely bowed his > head and drew a long, deep breath. That " day Cabinet held another investigation and resolved that the interrupted han"in<* x should proceed. And so that night Benzin" ' was again told that he must die. was ver moved once more to the condemned cell, and j the hangman duly claimed him. l(. UUIS (, have been a torturing experience.