N.Z. PRISONS
RAROTONGAN NATIVES PLEASE WITH TREATMENT RECEIVED. WONDERFUL GAOL. It is not often that convicts leave the preeincts of his Majesty's prisons so pleased with the conditions and treatment received that they resolve to tell their acquaintances what a fine place gaol .is, and give adviee how to gain admission. Yet, according to a story told in court at Rarotonga, this apparently happened. The Monowai, which arrived in Wellington , recently, brought two Rarotongan prisoners, who, it is undertood, are to serve sentences of five and 15 years respectively in New Zealand for arson. According to a passenger, who had been some time on the island, the story told in court was that a prisoner on returning from serving a sentence in New Zealand, told his fellow natives what a wonderful place gaol was. He was also supposed to have told his associatss that a good way to cover up one's tracks after a theft was committed was to burn the place down. The result was that a native already serving a sentence of seven years and a half, escaped from a working gang, and after stealing some goods from the store of W. II. Groves and Sons, traders, together with an aecomplice, set fire to it. The fire, which occurred about ten o'clock in the evening, caused intense excitement on the island, and only very strenuous efforts prevented it from spreading. So far as the oldest inha'bitants can remember, this was the first fire that has ever occurred on the island. The natives were greatly awed by the speetaele, and appeared to be thoroughly frightened. Curiously enough, following the blaze, there had been two further outbreaks on the island, two native shacks being burned. It was for setting fire to the store that the two natives received their ; sentences, which, it is understood, will be served in New Zealand. "The natives in Rarotonga gave their friends a great send-off, and were immensely ticlded to think that they were going to spend some time in gaol," the passenger added.
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Bibliographic details
Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 291, 3 August 1932, Page 3
Word Count
339N.Z. PRISONS Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 291, 3 August 1932, Page 3
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