The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1874.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 149, 24 June 1874, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1874.

A co-respondent has for warded to ub an account of the vagaries of an escaped lunatic, which calls for something more at our hands than the ordinary courtesy accorded to the public of permitting their letters to appear in the correspondence column of a newspaper. About & fortnight ago, we are informed, a man whose sanity appeared to be somewhat doubtful was Been prowling about in Waimea West at the foot of the Mputere Hills, and much inconvenience was caused to a party of Germans working on the roads by their dinners being stolen and other little pranks, which so incensed them that the man in question being proved to have been the cause of the annoyance was by them

Beized and summarily punished, "a good hammering " being administered to him. On the, following night a resident in the district was disturbed jaat as he was going to bed by a knocking at the ' door, -and upon his opening it he found there a man who begged hard for a night's lodging. :At first he was refused, .but he pleaded so earnestly, praying "for the love of God " that he might be allowed a place to rest his head that he was at lust admitted, but no sooner was lie inside the house than some eccentricities in which he indulged induced his host to suspect that be was giving shelter to a madman. He was accordingly placed in a room by himself and looked in, and the owner of the house being afraid to go to bed, sat up the whole night, and at daylight had no little trouble in getting rid'of his troublesome guest, who had been tramping up and down all night, and was with difficulty driven away in the morning. Ho next showed himself iri'an isolated house on the Appleb'y road, which, he entered, and finding only a woman at homo, demanded something to eat and drink. Bis wants in this respect were supplied, when he got up and said that be meant to go all over the house, and to enter every room. The woman fortunately was strong, powerful, and determined, and being inclined to look upon her home as her own and not open to the public, she raised the poker, that being the first weapon that came to her hand, and ordered the intruder out. He was cowed, and with a savage glare in bis eye retreated, and then proceeded to another house some four or five hundred yards distant, where the same performance waa repeated. Here, however, he found two men, by whom he waß bundled out of the house, and while one of them watched him, the other went off for the district constable, who lived about two miles away, those upon whom the man had intruded himself scarcely knowing whether to treat him as a madman or a robber. In a short time the constable came, and the man was followed, and, after a sharp tussle, in which tbe officer received some severe kicks, he wbs handcuffed and made prisoner and taken to Richmond, when he was placed in the lock-up. The Inspector of Police was telegraphed that a man of a certain description, supposed to be a lunatic, hud been arrested, what was to be done with him ? A reply was returned to the following effect — • our correspondent does not vouch for the accuracy of the words-r-" Bring him to Nelson. Be careful, as he is apt to be violent. 1 ' Be careful, as he is apt to be violent ! And for four days a madman who was known to be violent had bean suffered to prowl about the country without any notice being given of his escape from the asylum. When he was secured and rendered comparatively harmless, the constable was cautioned, to be careful of him, but so long as he was at large, so loDg as he was free to assault, perhaps to murder the settlers living in out of the way localities, no warning was given.. that such .a. man waß roaming about the country. Nay more, not even- the district constables were advised of his escape, at least, so it would appear, for he .who arrested him had no idea who it was with whom he had to deal. A mounted policeman certainly ha-J been seen in the Waimea for two or three days, but what his business was none seemed to know, for his enquiries were conducted in secret. Such ie the tale as told to us, and we have no reason whatever to doubt its correctness. : Had an ordinary criminal made his escape from gaol, the hue and cry would at once- have been raised, a reward offered for bis capture, and the whole country would have been on the alerf, but when a madman, irresponsible for his actions, not knowing or oaring what he is doing, and known to be dangerous, breaks awiay from confinement, no notice whatever is tnken of it beyond a policeman being sent but to look for him. Two days previous to his being re-taken his whereabouts was known, and he might easily have been captured, but no publicity was given to tbe fact that he had escaped, and none of those who saw him had the least idea who or what he was. It may be that the good name of our Lunatic Asylum depends upon escapades of this kind being hushed up, but is it right that the public should be exposed to such danger merely for the sake of preserving the good character of that institution ? To be forewarned is to be forearmed, and we say that to keep secret the escape of a dangerous lunatic was most reprehensible, and that those who were parties to it are deserving of the gravest censure. Had the house of the man who, unconscious of what he was doing, gave a night's shelter to this madman, been burned down; had the woman who was surprised by him when sitting alone, and in the goodness of her heart supplied him with food and drink, been murdered, upon whoso shoulders, we should like to know, would the blame rest? We do trust that the authorities will give instructions that any future escapes from tbe Asylum, especially when those who have eluded the vigilance of their keepers are known to be violent, should at once be made public, thereby facilitating the capture of the escaped parties, and placing on their guard those who are likely to called upon by such unpleasant visitors.

So much for the public interests, but we also have a word to say with regard to the treatment of the unfortunate man after he was captured. It appears that he was taken to the cell which does duty as a lock-up at Richmond, and

there, handcuffed, and without a rag to cover him beyond the clothes he had on, was left to spend a winter night. Comment is unnecessary, but an official inquiry :into this. act of cruelty is not altogether 'uncalled for. '4' v *■ *