An Interview with Priestley.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4484, 19 May 1883, Page 1 (Supplement)

An Interview with Priestley.

The substance of the statements made by Priestley is as follows :—He was unfairly treated by the police, who did not caution him in the usual manner, that whatever he said might be used against him, but endeavored to;" pump ". both the accused parties^ so that they might bolster up a case against them, and cover their want of tact and intelligence to cover the mystery. He details many tricks and devices of the detectives to entrap him in the way of „ asking him to write ;to Mrs Hamilton, while they were both in gaol, informing her of the state of his, health; how a .prisoner used to offer him paper and ink for the_ purpose. He explains the notorious acrostic which was produced at the trial thus :—" I was out riding in Mongonui with' two ; young ladies (?); we went to an old Maori pah, where we rested. We were asking each other fiddles. One of them asked me if I could guess what the acrostic meant. She gave it to me from memory. I wrote it down, I went over it a good many times, but could not guess it. The girl would not at first tell me what it meant. I told her I would ask her mother. Then she; said, " Head the first word in each line; downwards. She did not say any more. I was disgusted and tore it up in her presence. When I went back to Auck-; land a Mr G-. Wilson came to see me at Neilson's, and at night after tea we were talking on various temptations, and we argued that women caused more sin in the world than men, arid during the discussion I told him of this acrostic. As I repeated it he wrote it down. He after' wards went with me into- my study and asked me ifhe had written it correctly. As I'was looking at it, Miss tTeilson came into the room. I did riot want her to see it so I put it into my blotting pad. I afterwards forgot all about it, and never heard another word of it until I heard of it being in the hands of the detectives, who were using it as evidence of. the alleged criminal intimacy between myself and Mrs Hamilton." He was asked why he gave a false address as to where he slept on the night of Hamilton's death ? and explained that he called to see a certain family, and found them in a drinkiug mood; he tried to persuade them put of it, and stayed late, thinking his presence might influence them; he eventuaily stayed all night. Upon reflection he thought, "What wjll the people of the 'church think if they ever hear that I spent the night with such a drunken dissolute lot, and many of my respectable friends would condemn me for staying in such a disreputable place, so I was tempted to ask Mrs Horn to say 1 slept at her place* on that night." He could not give any theory as to the cause of Hamilton's death, but was convinced that Mrs Hamilton knew the particulars. He was sure that a weak woman like Mrs Hamilton could not have inflicted the wound. The Hamiltons both had faults ; he was stingy, and would not allow his wife sufficient money; they were always nagging, and Hamilton was never at home; he had been known to strike his wife. Priestley thought the reason the detectives settled on him as an accomplice was because the gossipping neighbors spoke of his being intimate at the house, and because the police had not gumption enough to fix anybody with having any ill-will or bad'feeling towards Hamilton. The police seemed to be entirely at sea over the case. The police had perjured themselves. In one case a detective swore that he had obtained lot of information from a lady in Queen street whose shutters Priestly used to take down, and upon being confronted with her, she swore that the detective had never spoken to her. He" solemnly swore that he had never been criminally intimate with Mrs Hamilton, and that she was one of the last women in Auckland to indulge in illicit connection. He was very friendly with her in a platonic way, and saw no harm it. Was surprised that Mrs Hamilton had gone- to Sydney, but did not mean to follow her; hoped never to see her again, • as he had suffered misery enough on her account. He did not intend to go into the ministry again, as the trial might be thrown in his face. Priestly finished a long interview by declaring "as man to man I tell you I am as innocent and ignorant of that crime as the babe unborn." ' . . - ...