"SQUIRE'S DAUGHTER."

Taihape Daily Times, 15 July 1919, Page 7

"SQUIRE'S DAUGHTER. "

CURIOUS INATERNMENT STORY. “PYJAMAS AND PEARLS.” The internment of Miss Hilda M. Howsin, the “squire’s daughter,” has come to an end after she has been imprisoned zfior ithrele yeans without trial, says the Glasgow. Wé'el~:ly Herald. The Nation publishes an article, “Internment Years,” signed “H.M.H.,” which is quite obviously written -by this lady. It describes her arrival at Ayles-bllry—-“great doors with cavernous porehways and clanging keys in -the darkness. ’ ’ It tells of the hot Summer nights in the narrow cell, the long hours with “the fearful raucour shrieks of some half-insane prisoner in another wing, raving with steady dehumanised persistence.” “Gradually more exercise was allowed the prisoners, and she was allowed paper, pens, and ink, and the hour for bed was extended to 9.30 pm. “No charge has been brought against anyone of this miscellaneous collection of women, chiefly German, gathered up an dumped together there.’ " She describes them waitingto take their turns at the Washingup sink——t.he woman with smart tailored skirt and shirt, her with the dingy faded wrapper, the indecorous one in silk pyjama suit in vivid emerald, the girl with a magnificent fur coat, the young Grecian goddess washing pots with a string of pearls ‘on her beautiful neck. The last one was young, and “adorned tho oldest profession in the world, and laughed at changing it for an-' other.” It was in company such as this that Miss Howsin spent her three years —-without trial.

She was still not free. A few months ago, when her health had broken down by her improsinment, she. was discharged to the custody of a family of position in Sussex who were Willing to lguarantee her “good boll3Violll‘-” The final repeal of “Dora” will make Miss Howsin a. completely free woman. 4 Her case is one of the most extra.~ ordinary instances of war-time administration. She had been a supporter of Indian and Egyptian Nationalist movements in pre-War days, 311'd in M3s’; 1-915, she went to Montreux to meet a certain Mr Virendranath :Chattopadhyaya, ~a Hindoo of} high’ connections and distinguished talents, who was closely «concerned with «the Indian revolution- ' ists. - g She saw him, and brought ‘back a, . verbal message to a. woman in London, A It was alleged -that the woman was a. spy, and that the Indian came" to Switzerland from Berlin to meet Miss I Howsin. She denied any knowledge of i either fact. i On September 7, 1915, she was interned by -order of the Home Secrevtary, and remained in prison for over three years. Three attempts were made {to obtain a writ of habeas corpus, but ithe judges all refused to interfere. l Mr I-Iyndham published her case in ’éTulstice,v and it raised ‘in the ‘House of Commons, but without avail. ,She was brought before the Advisory .Committee and questioned, without ihaving any legal adviser; but, in spite (of this, no-thing was discovered that ; would justify the authorities in making any charge against her." . The feeling of those who have urged her release is thatshe had been indisvcreet, and that her case was muddled ‘by her friends. ‘