MOTUIHI ESCAPE.

Taihape Daily Times, 26 January 1918, Page 5

MOTUIHI ESCAPE.

COLONEL TURNER TO BE TRIED

ARRAIGNED BEFORE SEVEN OFFICERS.

The trial by court-martial of Lieut.Colonel C. H. Turner, late commandant of the Mofuihi Island Internment Camp, will commence at Auckland on Tuesday morning. The court wilf be constituted as follows: , ■ '

• President.—Colonel N. IV Adams, C.M G., New Zealand Field - Artillery^

- Members.—Lieutenant-Colonel L. Slceman, Imperial General Staff;.: Lieu-tenant-Colonel D. Pringle, 2nd, Wellington and- West Coast-. Mounted Rifles; W. Por.6th, Hauraki, Regiment; JLieutonJ.. A. Frederickf. Ot a'go Coast Defence; Infantry; .Lieviteiianf Colonel J, Deans, Ist Mounted Rifles, C.Y.C.; Lieutenant-Colonel F. T. Bellringer, Regiment.

Waiting Members—Lieutenant-Col-onel J. Hislop, 9th, Hawke's Bay, Regiment; Lieutenant-Colonel J. P. Stevenson, Auckland Coast Defence Infantry; Lieutenant-Colonel G. J. B'eattie, New Zealand Field Artillery

Prosecutor. —Captain P. E. Baldwin Counsel may appear on behalf of the prosecutor. The Judge Advocate General, Colonel J. E. Eeed, K.C., .will also be present. Captain J_ E. Pullen, Garrison Artillery will appear for Lieut.Colonel Turner.

Lieutenant-Colonel Turner is charged: That, being a member of the Defence Forces of New Zealand, he, without reasonable excuse, allowed to escape persons committed to his charge, in that he, at Motuihi Island, on or about December 13, 1917, while commandant of the said island, and having the care, charge, and custody of certain prisoners of war and interned alien enemies, to wit, one Lieut-Com-mander Count von Luekner, Lieut. Kircheiss, Wireless Operator Grun, Wireless Engineer Freund, Naval Cadets von Zatorski, Paulsen, Schmidt, Mellert, and Klohn, Seaman H. Erdmann, and one von Egidy, a Samoan Government official, allowed the said Incut.-Commander Count von Luekner and the others mentioned to obtain possession of a launch and to make other preparations for their escape, without taking reasonable means to Prevent it, and thus permitted the escape of the said Lieut.-Commandcr Count von Luekner and the others mentioned

There are two alternative charges: (1) That he, without reasonable exCuse > allowed to escape, persons whom was his duty to keep, in having done the acts alleged in the particulars of the first charge, or (2) that he, without reasonable excuse, allowed to escape persons whom it was his duty to guard, in having done the acts alleged in the particulars of the first charge.