THE LYTTELTON INFERNO.

NZ Truth, Issue 123, 26 October 1907, Page 6

THE LYTTELTON INFERNO.

THE DOMICILE OF THE DOOMED AND DAMNED. Terrible Lionel Terry. How Discharged Prisoners are Treated. V' r -fa v?! :V . : rv •,;.;.>■ [(By Ex-prisoner.) 1 -:v, >! * (Concluded.) >;: ' r ' (Reverting to myself, I now viisli to say that my health is ruined. I am so far gone m consumption to be beyond human aid. When I went into the gaol my health was good, and I was sound m body and limb, and every warder . knows it. I was next transferred .trom Lyttelton Gaol to the Napier Gaol, where I remained over two months, and on August 1907 I was discharged, thanks to the Governor of our colony, and to the kind-heartedness of Dr. Moore, who visits the gaol at Napier, and I have also to thank Mr .Flannery, the gaoler, for his kindness while I was there. If the Lyttelton prison had had the keeping of me up till now I would not be free yet. I have learnt a lesson that I am not likely to forget. The night that I was leaving Lyttelton for Napier there was several of us prisoners together but some going to other places, and when we all fell into .ranks m the front of the office, Gaoler Cleary called me to one side, and said : "I've heard that you have been writing letters to "Truth." I replied, "What's the good of telling me that now ; why did you not accuse me of it before, and find out if it was true." "Oh, its true enough H -," said Cleary, "and don't be trying it on up at Napier." I said to him, "I have never written a letter to "Truth" yet, but if I live to See the day that I am free to do so I will write a letter to that paper." and here it is, and a lengthy one, too. Another little incident worthy of note occurred on the day. I saw the Inspector of Prisons re my transferal to Napier. Chief Warder Nicholson came and told -mo that the Inspector would sec me about 1.30 p.m. Now, up to the present day my cell door had been shut at dinner time the same as the rest, but on this occasion the Chief ordered it to be opened. So at 1.30 p.m. along came old. Barney Clean and the Inspector, and on passing my cell door to get to the stairs to " get on the landing the gaoler saw mv cell door open and said to the Inspector, "We leave his cell open as much as possible, especially at dinner time, it being the warmest part of the day." The Inspector said that was right, and that that I must have plenty of air. But did Cleary know that my door had been closed for over five weeks the same time as the others were closed, or did he try to make out to the Inspector that I was getting splendid treatment and, therefore, make himself appear a humane gaoler to the Inspector ? Now, . Mr Editor, my door was closed for over five weeks at the usual hours, and that was the first hour it was left open since it was ordered to be closed by Nicholson. Nicholson was working his own point, but I did not forget to tell him about it when I was leaving Lyttelton Inferno. When the" Inspector is away things are very rocky, and they know when he is coming, and- which boat he is coming by, too, therefore, when he ho arrives everything is quiet, there is no shouting do this or do that, but tho warders, if they want anything done, will walk over to the prisoner and tell him quietly what to "do, but as soon as the Inspector is gone Pat Murray's voice is to be heard, '-'Come here you, and don't be trying to dodge work any longer, for if you do you'll go under the stairs." The above speech is oiten made by' Murray, a big bully of a warder who is too lazy to go and tackle hard graft. An amusing feat took place m the gaol with Lionel Terry, when he occupied the hospital department m the gaol. Terry was left with one attendant one afternoon, the other attendant having gone soon where. Terry wanted some exercise, and Wickes, the attendant m charge, stood at the door and blocked Terry from coming out, Terry gave Wiekes a shove and walked out on the warpath. Chief warder Nicholson went up to see what he could do, but only stood and looked on, but who should spy the stsjiggle but smart warder Anthony, and he made a dash up the stairs to the scene, saying on the road up, "I'll soon fix him, my word I will." When Anthpny got there, Terry was released by Wickes, and he (Terry) turned to Anthony and told him that his services were not required. I think I have given you a pretty good idea what the Lyiftelton Inferno was . like when I was there. And what I have penned is perfectly true, and I invite any one of the gaol staff at Lyttelton to contradict me through your columns on any one subject that I have touched". I have suffered at their hands, and that is one reason I write this, and another reason is that I want the whole colony to know what sort of men they place over others that have gone wrong. The Lyttelton Gaol is not a reformatory, it is " a criminal college. There is supposed to be a prison gate home at Lyttelton, but there is no such thing. I have known men discharged from the Lyttelton gates with not a penny m their pockets, and the necessary to pay their train fare from Lyttelton to iChristchurch. I ' always understood that a prisoner was also sent back from whence he came. Such, however, is not the case at Lyttelton. -Released prisoners are obliged to tramp over the Lyttelton Hill. He is discharged without a penny m ■his pockets, so what is he to do ? If he begs he is< promptly arrested, if lie, steals he is arrested, if he sleeps out m the open air, or m an old, shanty, he is arrested. The police keep a ready and alert eye on him, and the consequence, sooner or later, is the poor devil is back m gaoL .