THE "SPIRITED" CONVICTS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 285, 28 July 1888, Page 4

THE "SPIRITED" CONVICTS.

Auckland readers will appreciate the rollicking fun of the following remarks on the Cury-Casparini afFair by " Puff," in the Wellington " Press :" — Talking about the French, this is an awkward business about (Jury and Gasparini, the refugees from New Caledonia. The R.M. at Auckland refused a further lemand and dismissed the charge againsc them. Yet the Government ordered the detectives to arrest them and spirited them out of gaol and sent them to Wellington. Spirited them out of gaol, did they ? That was a rum proceeding. Yes, they say the French Consul demanded that they should be tried at Wellington. What, Jellreys Doorbang? Oh, he must be a terror. A regular spit-a-biickbat, .sao'e norn dc pomme tk lerre, piirlycoo yodam. Ho is, 1 can tell you. He wouldn't allow the men to be let loose. He oworo he'd send lot the Faboit and bombard Auckland il they weren't paeke J oil down to him heie immediately. Not really, did he? Oh, how awful. Yes, he went up to Fergus's oihec, all over brass buttons and legions o\ honom, and blew hi& nose with an enormous tncolour pocket-handkerchiel, and gabbled French at the rate of 19 knots an hour, and twisted his moustaches till he looked like Mephistopheles. The sanguinary republican cut-tluoat. And what did Feiguo say V I Oh, he got into a blue funk, and said he'd do any moital thing Mounseer Froggy ] wanted if he'd only let him oil this time ! So he wired up to Auckland to the detectives to spiiit Cury and Gasparini out of chokey, and send them down here to be handed over to Jeffreys .Doorbang ! What will he do with them I wonder ? Cut theii heads oif, of course ! I'm told he's had a guillotine lig^ed up in his backyard on pmposu, and been practising on all his neighboui s' cats ! Ha ba ! 110 ho ! He ho ■ What aie you laughing at ? Hav'n't you got any feeling of humanity ? 1 tell you, these two poor innocent rcluge&aie in imminent pciil of a cruel and unjtibt death, unless Napier and Chapman can inteiposc They re j;oing to bung actionsa^auist e\ oiy body for ialso impiisonniont and all soits of othei things. Ho ho! He he ■ Halm! This melancholy subject appeals toalioid you intense amusement ! Would you kindly explain wheic the lun comes in ? Napier and Chapman, eh '{ I thought lawyeis wcic in it ! Cuiy has lots ot com ! He's a good client, he is ! Well, but what arc the facts about the thing ? 1 saw you were pulling 1 my leg all the time 1 was talking ' Y\ hy, deal boy, the thing's as simple a^ possible ! There's no mystery about it, no spiriting, no gore, no luxuiics ot any kind ! The ivCfcident Magistiate at Auckland had no power to dismiss the men oi dispose ot the cabe at all and the French Consul, acting on his instiuctions, has rioked iox cxliadition in the usual way ' J don't quite understand. Why, in 187 ian Act \\as> passed m IScw Zealand lor the extradition ol criminals, and under thau Act peihaps the courts here might deal with such cases. But on the I6bh of August, 1876, a treaty was signed between Gioat Britain and France, lor the cxtiaditiou of French criminals tioni British colonies, and nee rer^a, which superseded the New Zealand Act. And what docs the tieaty say V Article 16 provides that in the event of ciiminals of either nation being found in any colony of the other, extradition may be granted " by the highest authority in such colony."' Now, the H.jNL at Auckland may be a \eiy decent chap in his way, but he isn't the highest authoiity in the colony, not by chalks. No, the Covernor is the highest authoiity, i-n't he ' J ust a few ' Well, the French Consul has meiely asked that, it the Magistrates and lawyer? at Auckland have quite done with thc->e two convicts, they may be bi ought to Wellington and dealt with by the Governor in terms ot the treaty Is that the regular ditto ? Certainly. There have been scoies of cases in other colonies. This is the proper course of pioccdure. Then why didn't Jettieys Doorbang make tin-- application before '. Because ho didn't want to inteifeic with the Magistrates' and lawyers' innocent amusements at Auckland ! II the R jVI. had chosen to send the men back to Now Caledonia, or lemand them in custody till the French authoiities could send for them, w ell and good. But if they arc to bo let loose, then the Consul appeals to "the highest authority." Yes, I <->ec ! He's bound to get the men sent back it he can. Are they very desperate ciiminals '! They're a pretty bad lot. Ga&parmi's a burglar and genciai practitioner. Cury got se^on years loi haudulent bankruptcy. Indeed ? That's very hard. No wondei theic's so much sympathy for him at Auckland ! Ah, but he was also convicted of adulterating wine. Oh, then there ought to be no compassion ior him. The heartless villain ! A man who would adulterate wine desencs the sevcicst punishment. You think so? A more prudent and popular course i& to choose wine of the very best quality, and steal it. Cury evidently didn't know his business. Cury-ous, isn't it V