ESCAPED GERMANS.

Taihape Daily Times, 18 December 1917, Page 5

ESCAPED GERMANS.

STILL AT LARGE

DETAILS OF THE ESCAPE

Despite every effort made to ascertain their whereabouts, the German prsoners who escaped from Motuihi Island on Thursday in a motor launch arc still at large, and up to a late hour yesterday afternoon they had not been re-capturtd. The outstanding feature of the whole busintss appears to be the fact that nobody actually saw the prisoners escape, and that therefore nobody knows how they actually did escape. The facts as they are known now arc, briefly, that on Thursday Lieut.-Col. G. Harcourt Turner, commandant of the camp, visited Auckland in the launch Pearl, and, extraordinary as it may seem, the crew of the launch consisted of two Germans —one of whom tended the engines—who are stated to have been selected for the work because of their previous training at sea. A guard of two men usually accompanied the boat wherever it went, but on this particular occasion only one one guard was taken. The launch rercturned to k|otuihi shortly after 6 p.m., and at the roll call at that hour every prisoner on the island had been accounted for, including the two prisoners on the launch. When Lieut.-Col. Turner and the guard were landed on the wharf, which is on the western side of the island, they walked up the hill to the camp buildings on the headland, leaving the two Germans to take the launch back to the moorings in accordance with the usual practice, and to come back in the dinghy, which is always left at the moorings when the launch was away. From, that moment all knowledge of the Germans ceases, and they seem to have gone awmy without let or hindrance. They took away the launch and dinghy without a single soul seeing them, and virtually, therefore, made prisoners of people on the island, as no other launch was kept there. Two other prisoners were engaged on the wharf, carrying coal from there up to the camp, but apparently these men were also without guards of any kind, and it is assumed that they embarked on the launch with the other two prisoners. The launch was then no doubt taken round a point to the north, where the remaining members of the party were to be taken on board.

AUTHORITIES SUSPICIOUS An interesting point about tire escape is the fact that the authorities in Auckland had in some way become suspicious that' an attempt to escape would be made, and in consequence had ordered the island to be patrolled by motor launches every night after dark. No one thought, however that the attempt would be made in broad daylight in view af the fact that there were guards on the island who were supposed to be watching them. Consequently the patrol did not go out until after the escape had taken place, and when they did go they did not know that any men had escaped. The boats went out from Auckland, and communication was cut off by the prisoners beforehand. The fact, too, that the -wires were earthed at a place difficult to find seems to indicate that the wdiole escape was very carefully planned from the outset. In addition to the patrols it had been arranged by Colonel Patterson, in command of the Auckland Military District that at least four times during the night he should be communicated with by telephone from the island to ensure that all was tyqlLbThis hpd been done regularly:'for a number of weeks now at stated hours. That step had been taken because he considered that the prisoners on the island were men who needed very careful watching. Colonel Patterson had been called to Wellington on the night of the escape, and therfore had no knowledge of the escap till he received a communication in Wellington. In addition to the telephone communications h had arragned that a launch on which some of the wharf guard were sleeping could be communicated -with at once of the usual telephone message did n ot come through from the island. When he left for Wellington he arranged that the people on the island should ring up the exchange who in turn could communicate with the officers in charge during his absence. NO RIFLES TAKEN

A statement lias gained currency that the guards on the island were at times without rifles and without ammunition. This, however, is quite incorrect. Each guard had a rifle and plenty of amunition. All the rifles and ammunition are still on the-; island, as a check of everything was taken yesterday by Colonel Patterson. This proves, at least, that the prisoners did not get away with any of the arms or amunition intended for the use of the guards. On the other hand it would have been a very simple matter for the escapees to have procured both provisions and arms. Visitors appear to have been allowed on the island regularly, and there is nothing to have prevented them from placing both provisions and arms on any of the adjacent islands, and informing the prisoners of its exact location. The opinion is held by some that in

view of the weather on Thursday night the prisoners have not gone 'Outside the gulf. It is contended that a boat such as the Pcearl could not weather

the heavy seas that were running. This is more or less conjecture. If the men on board were prepared to take the risk, as in all probability they were, the chances are that even if they were caught by a big sea they could hold on long enough to bale the boat out again.

THE COURT OF INQUIRY

SITTINGS IN AUCKLAND

WELLINGTON, Dcembcr 17

Interviewed pn Sunday night the Defence Minister stated that the Motuihi escapees had not been re-captured. He added that the Court of Inquiry into the matter comprises Colonel McDonald and Licut.-Colouel Neave, both Imperial officers engaged in the training camps, and Lieut.-Colonel Gumming, of Auckland, who has had service at the front. They proceed to Auckland to-day. The Wellington Post evidently reflecting an uneasy feeling prevailing here that slackness regarding enemy prisoners, may not be confined to Motuihi Island officilas, remarks editorially: —It is evident on the face of it that the escape is due to some grave delinquency on the part of some person or persons or system, and calls for exemplary punishment. It points out that the Minister of Defence has been criticised, even persecuted, by persons urging stronger measures regarding eeemy aliens, but the cold facts of Motuihi show that critics have had on their side a large measure of justification. '‘What is required/’ says the Post, “is a resolute and fearless search for causes, not for scapegoats.” Major S. C. Schofield, who has been appointed commandant of Motuihi pending the court martial, was attached to the Third (Auckland) Mounted Rifles, and has seen two years’ active service in the present war, having left New Zealand with the Main Body of the Expeditionarj^Force.