Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1880.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 234, 2 October 1880, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1880.

In the Wellington Chronicle of Monday last there is an article on the recent gaol enquiry insselsqn, in ; which, it .is stated, without., any attempt being made to prove the statement,, that the investigation was a partizan affair, and that consequently the result could not be satiafactory. Now, to this we can give a most positive denial, for we are able to. state that never at any enquiry of the kind at" which we have been present have we seen so much latitude allowed in the way of questioning and making inter jectory.remarks : as was granted to ''the prisoner .Thompson. The charge* made was that he niad/* been cruelly treated, and he was permitted every possible opportunity of substantiating that charge ; to what .extent he- succeeded our readers are aware, for they have had a full opportunity, of iperusing; the evidence and of forming their own judgment, thereon, out being in any way dependent upon" the report of the. Gommissionersi : The; chief . causd of compjaini with our contemporary is tbatthß'ikteWardet Atkinson wtis 'not' per-ja?itjtelc(-to conduct, the enquiry, but the cirCunjßtanceß pf the case quite account for

this; Atkinson waa the man who made- the charges in the Chronicle upon which the Government ordered the enquiry, which was fixed to take place on a certain day of whichAtkinson was advised in plenty of time' to allow of his making the necessary arrange-, nients to be present. He, however, declined to attend, and consequently the investigation proceeded without him, the caߧ against the gaoler being conducted by the prisoner' Thompson, who, as all who heard him when on his trial in the Supreme Court must allow, was possessed of quite sufficient ability to enable him to do himself the fullest justice in the examination of witnesses, and the summing up of the evidence. After a few witnesses had been examined, Mr Atkinson was pleased to change his mind \ he thought he would come over from Wanganui, and he was good enough to apprise the Commissioners of his intention, upon learning which they adjourned the enquiry until it was convenient for him to put in an appearance. This he. Sid in course of time. He gave his evidence as he pleased, ■ and Thompson, was., at liberty to further examine bihi it) he' thought fit to do so, and to elicit anything that might tell against the gaoler which he had forgotten. *Ttie result we all know. To say that Atkinson, upon his arrival here, should have been Tallowed to take the conduct of the case out of Thompson's bands, and that, because he was not permitted, to'do so, the .enquiry was unsatisfactory and " a partizan affair fi is sitnply absurd. Nor is it as though; the investiga--tion had been carried on with closed doors and the public had nothing before them but the report.of the Commissioners. The evidence, was published day by, day, and, the public verdict had been arrived at. long be"fore the report appeared in print.