THREE PRISON CELLS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 288, 25 February 1928, Page 12

THREE PRISON CELLS

REMAINS OF EARLY AUCKLAND HIGH STREET LANDM "Wrecking operations being out on an old building at the ' tion of High Street and Conrad Lane have revealed the doors of three of the cells of an ; Auckland lock-up. 411 8t " In the latter part of the n _ century the building was u«,i police court, and the cells were £ pied by many notorious criminal, eluding Winiata. the Maori miM.' and Penn and Caffery, who wer*iT hanged for murdering a man ~ Taylor on Great Barrier Island ' For some time after this lattein 189 S the old cells were abase m? and the one-time police court nrrbecamo the meeting-room of the pital and Charitable Aid Board The next time the cells wen tw was during the Great War, whet ~ were used as military lock-ups. At one time many interesting - sages were scrawled on the dicipered walls, but successive ««•<"■ whitewash have caused them to'd.' appear, and the only writing now v. iblo is to the effect that "Private—. failed to provide .*• Oi whafailed to provide there is no icdk tion.

The cells are lofty, with small barwindows, about 12 feet above the % Facing the door are the remains ' tho old wooden pillows, raised axe three inches above the floor, on whin the prisoners used to sleep. Thedx*. are of thick iron, with a small ■***-. trapdoor.

Soon these cells will he demolish; and another old landmark veil s,, disappeared.