ESCAPEE FROM AVONDALE.

Taihape Daily Times, 30 January 1918, Page 6

ESCAPEE FROM AVONDALE.

CAPTURED AT PATEA,

* YOUNG MAN'S KEMAKKABLE CAREER.

WANGANUI, Jan. 28,

A young man who escaped recently from Avondale Mental Hospital -was arrested at Patea under rather extraordinary circumstances. TSis young fellow did not carry the stamp of the criminal on his face; in fact, ho was just the reverse —a quiet, inoffensive, gentlemanly looking lad, and one wTio would, at any time, be taken fox a Sunday school teacher, rather tlian a desperate criminal

CAREER OF A YOUNG CRIMINAL.

The story surrounding his late doings, as told at Patea, is rather interesting, and shows that if he is lacking in morals, he has "a way with him." This individual, who is barely -23 years of age, walked into motor garage at Patea, and asked if he could be "obliged" with the loan of a j>ump connection for his motor cycle which, he said, had broken down just outside Patea. It was this episode that led to his undoing and arrest. -It appears that the visitor, although under 25 years of age, has been declared an habitual criminal, and has been sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, including one sentence of ten years.

Brought up in an industrial school, lie gave promise of a "brilliant future, being gifted as few axe, -He was a fine conversationalist, a .clever painter in oils or water colours, .and it is said that he could have made a name for himself not only as an .artist, but as an architect and engineer. Unfortunately his talents, when Ihe left school, led him, it is alleged, into .the wrong channel. Possibly his love for mechanism led him to interview a motor, .dealer in "Wellington on January 15, and ask to have a trial of a motorcycle valued at £IO.O. The debt charmed with the 3 r oung .man's manner and address, allowed to have a trial of a machine, remarking as the prospective purchaser left the shop, "Take it up the street, and don't run away uith it."' The suggestion did not require cultivation, it being already well developed. The young man "being astride a machine that could do its 60 miles an hour comfortably, there iwas :not muck hope of overtaking him, consequently all the firm could do, when suspicion was aroused, was to place the matter in the hands of the police.. No time was lost in advising police stations in the Dominion of the circumstances with an accurate description of the

young man's appearance, among the details supplied being the fact that he had a scar at the back of the right ear. Constable Annonx, ;of JPatea, having been acquainted with .the -particulars, passed what informafion necessary on to the local garage .owner. '{Within a few hours the young man In question arrived at the garage for '.the pump connection. The owner .at (.once recognised in the- applicant .a .man resembling the description of the man ed. The poHee were immediately communicated with and in order to afford the officer time to reach the garage, the ownex kept working quietly with the repairs.

Upon the arrival of x< the man :in blue" the young fellow, when questioned told a story in such a charming way that it would easily have fleceived the most unsuspecting, :had lit not been for a timely warning. JThe tell-tale scar at the back .of the ,ear, however,»proved an easy mark of identification, and, coupled \w.ith .the fact that thecyele answered the description of the one missing, a chain of circumstantial evidence was forged that compelled further action on the part of the police. The cycle, it may be stated, had its number altered from "W.N., 151" to "W. 51."

Upon removal to the loek-up prisoner admitted his guilt, and he gave • some detail of his late experiences. For eighteen months he said, he led Si respectable life and he thought he •did some good work in the Wakarapa, whero h. 6 closely Identified himself with the Boy Scouts' movement, having a troop of nearly 200 boys. Some of these he took on a camping . tour as far as Castlecliff. There he gained the goodwill of the Wanganui people.

When the young man was searched at the Patea police station, a cheque fcook was found upon him with the butts filled in for various amounts representing cheques drawn and cashed each of r which formulates a charge against him. One charge is in respect to a sum of £5 which he is alleged to have defrauded a Wairarapa farmer of.

According to the prisoner's account, a certain farmer came into an '• -tel and declared that he (prisoner) ' .1 beaten him for £lO. "As a matter ?£ fact." said the prisoner, "he was c\ly suiting, for he had never seen mr. and he did not know I was standing near him So that I thought I would pay him out, and I beat him for a fiver, without him knowing who I was."

After a time spent in gaol the doc-

tors certified that this enterprising young man was not fit to be at large, and he was committed to Avondale, from which place, it is stated, he escaped on DecembeT 11 last. As showing that the man is devoid of fear, it may be stated that on two previous occasions he escaped from custody, once leaping from a train, and another time jumping overboard from the s.s. Maori.

In order that no further risks might be taken with him, Constable Aimour and his charge were handicuffed to each other, and.upon arrival at Wellington, three policemen met the train and escorted the young man to tho cells,