THE CAPTURE OF KING.

NZ Truth, Issue 119, 28 September 1907, Page 5

THE CAPTURE OF KING.

ANOTHER POLICE BLUNDER. What an Innocent Man Suffered. Will Commissioner Dinnie Take Action? .

To be arrested on a charge of child desertion, to be locked up for a couple of days m a sheep truck because there was no police lock-up handy, to be chivvied by an ignorant galoot of a police sergeant, and then to be escorted by the police a few hundred miles and to be told that you are not the man wanted, is, no doubt, m the minds of some of Boss Bobby Dirnie's blue-coated myrmidous, just a bit of a joke, and something that can be easily overlooked, and just as easily forgotten. However, as it happens, "Truth" does not regard such an occurrence m any such light, and, if we mistake not. the public will not look on such a matter with equanimity, and it is. therefore, with an idea of letting the public know what a man m New Zealand is likely to experience under Dinhic's wretched police regime that "Truth" proposes to tell of the arrest and subsequent treatment of a man named John King, a bricklayer, who, a couple of weeks ago, was brought before Magistrate ,Riddell at the Wellington S.M. Court, charged with child desertion, but was set at liberty because

THE POLICE HAP BLUNDERED, and because the police have blundered badly is just the reason why the public should hear of it. Everybody is getting sick of police blunders m this country, and it will only be when the Government is forced to pay something tangible m the shape of compensation that the police will be taught a much-needed lesson.

A couple of weeks ago the m an m question was working at Matamata. He had been there about eight days when the Law, m the shape of a constable stationed at Morrinsville, set. itself m motion, and took King m custody, because it was alleged that he had deserted his child m Wellington. Unfortunately, "Truth" is not possessed of the name of the blundering booby of a bobb" else, it is unnecessary to remark, it would be given due prominence. Anyhow, there , was no polico station handy, and King was nitchforked into a kind of sheep or 'milk van, where he was confined, under the cunrd, of course, of his clever captor, for nearly 48 hours. Next, he was removed to Hamilton, 50 miles distent, from which he was sent on to Wellington, .and set at liberty. Now. to give an idea of 'what some policeman consider their duty io a prisoner m custody, a prisoner who is possibly innocent, as King was, it is interesting to note how King fared at Hamilton. At this town, where there is a police sereeant m charge, King was. mct.irthorv-nllv speaking, put on the rack by ' this jackanapes of a sergeant. Wr. know very well that m France it is part of the wretched system to torment and torture, prisoners into confessing their crimes. Happily, such a system does not prevail m British communities, though, truth to tell, if a lot of

BUMPTIOUS AND BRUTAL BOBBIES had their way, the system m vogue m France would bo very useful m New Zealand. This sergeant at Hamilton, his name King docs not know, but there should be little difficulty m locating, actually gloated over King's sad ana sorry predicament. "Oh," said he, "I know you, you have been up before the Court several times." If King's assurance to "Truth" is to be depended upon, that sergeant is a wicked and atrocious liar, and King is ready to swear that he had never been before a court m his life before, and the statement that tho sergeant knew him can also be set down as an entire fabrication, made up by this bouncing police officer to make King's dilemma a great deal worse than it was. King was remanded, notwithstanding all his protestations of innocence, his offers to prove where he had been for mouths and months previously, his avowal to call, if given ' the opportunity, evidence to show that he was not the man wanted, he was packed off from Hamilton to Wellington, where, and every credit is due to Inspector Ellison, little time was lost m bringing the injured and innocent man before the Magistrate, and asking for his discharge. Who the real guilty party is ' of no great moment just now. The nolice'have m their possession a photograph of the wanted individual, and 'comparing King with that photograph, it is hard to really believe that there are such chuckle-headed fools m our police fores who could come to the conclusion that Kinc and the individual of the photograph are the same persons. King no more resembles

THE REAL CHILD DESERTER than Mary Ann Aitken resembles Madame Meiba, yet. m spite of this, the man is fragged away from his work by an idiot m blue, tormented and tantalised by a bumptious bounder of a slow-witted sergeant, who says he 'has a record, and knows him, whereas, m reality, the lying fool, tfad never set eyes on the man before. What "Truth" wants to know is this, does not the Government consider that there should be some sort of compensation made to the innocent man, who seems to have borne all these indignities far more quietly than others would have done. Does the Government intend to shut its eyes to this egregrious blunder ? Arc men, honest, hard-working men like King, to be at the mercy of such hair-brained lunatics like the Morrinsvillc policeman and the Hamilton sergeant, who arrest who they like on no grounds,, next to no grounds whatever ? What is Commissioner Dinnie going to do m the matter. A more unwarrantable outrage, a more hideous police blunder "Truth" has not come across for some time, and if

DINNIE DOES NOT TAKE ACTION by severely reprimanding the Morrinsville muggens of a policeman and the Hamilton hide-bound sergeant, then all this paper can say is that the public can ha idly expect anything m the shape of a fair deal irom this imported bobby 4