ATTACKS ON WARDERS
PRISONERS ON TRIAL I EVENTS DESCRIBED IN COURT. ACCUSED SENT TO TittAL. ißy Telegraph—Press Association. l AUCKLAND. January 16 The trial of four prisoners who made i a sensational escape from the Auck- ' land prison on the evening of October I 1 after an alleged attack on three warders one of whom was seriously inI jured. was continued this afternoon in ! the Magistrates’ Court. Tile prisoners were: Randall Regin- ' j aid. Davis Smith, aged 27. labourer, j.-.rving a life sentence for murder: ' j David Fraser Watson, aged 21. seaman ' | am! labourer, serving a term for arson; Bryan James O’Heir aged 23. serving ’ a -erm for burglary, and John Henry 1 Silva, aged 25. labourer mid butcher. serving a term for breaking and entering and theft. : Each was charged with the at- ‘; tempted murder of Joseph Gravdon Crawford, warder, and with assaulting ' two other warders. Further charges ■' against the various prisoners will be 1 i preferred later. including unlawful ’ j conversion of motor-cars theft of one - I car and general goods, clothing and money. ' j Allan Roy Duff, a prisoner who did ! not escape, was also charged with. > ! attempted murder, assault, attempt to ; I break prison, mid using violence to break prison. Warder Scholium, probationary war-1 der. described being attacked and; locked in the cell with Warder Burgess : I He could not say who hit him. He had] I several injuries to the head and a fin-' . I ger was broken. ■ Joseph Graydon Crawford, warder.' i said he could only remember going to] . the north wing to unlock some of the; ] prisoners for the drill class. He was; in hospital til! December 6. His capture of the prisoner Dull was; i described by Warder James Carson, who said he saw the prisoner about to drop off the prison wall into his ; garden and two others just appearing > above the wall. He grabbed his baton land whistle and tried to intercept : them. Ho saw Duff with a baton in his ; hand closing on him from behind and i turned and fought him. Duff used the : baton on him several limes but witness : over-powered him and returned him ; to prison. Detective-Sergeant Kearney put in statements that Detective Gordon and I he had taken from each of the accused. In his statement, Silva said he had 1 been in jail for only about one month, i . He went there with the intention of, 1 i escaping. He and a mate, whom he] I did not name, got in touch with those) likely to go with them. Five, includ-; ing himself, talked over plans and the. part each man was to carry out. "The arrangements were that my mate was to get Burgess and one of the j other men to get Scholium in the; dome," Silva's statement continued. "I; was to get Crawford. Then we were] to take the keys and leave the prison the best way we could." g Describing his part in the escape, { Silva said before lunch that day he got; a hammer from the boot shop where he‘was working. "I had it stuck in front i of my bolt, and I went through a; search with it there." his statement! continued. "I took it to my cell and] put it in my mattress. 1 was unlocked] for drill at about six o’clock that nighti by Crawford. I knew my part. I had to get my man. I waited till he turned; away and I followed him toward the! steps. I struck him with, the hammer and he went down. He got up again* and I hit him again on the head. Then s he stood up again, and I didn’t want t<H " kill him so I used my fists and struck! him on the chin and knocked him; down again. He got up again, so 1 again ■ struck him on the chin with my fist. I and he went down and stayed down.”] Silva went down to the dome, accord- ] ing to his statement, and he saw two] of his mates holding Burgess, who hadj blood, on his face. In the dome he saw i one of his mates tussling with Scholium. A little later Silva saw Crawford* walking toward the top of the stairs - "He was singing out so I went up."* Silva’s statement read. "He struck me with his baton on the side of the head and opened me tip a bit. I took the baton off him and 1 used u on his head He went down to a sitting position and I loft him there." Silva stated '.hat he and his matemade their way to the basemen: tamed the i;ri!l’.' nates and reached .. par! of the yard where some ladder-; w< re ehaim-d together The hammer ’.as i. cd t<> -.n-'i!: the ;..idl-m: - >IT and .i laddi r was placed mpiu'.st th< ■..al! /'.tier sealing the ladder and; m.mmg he '.'.a.'- across fence-: and g.ir d--ie •“ a nearby street Silva staled he ’■ !.<*.' bav<; anti <tw three <-:hei> fi l- ! him They entered a parked* , ar. but ab.mmmed it at the bm.’.c.i:, the 'tie! and we!!t ml ■ a tip beb.,:.d 'he r.iay .-'atam and staved ;!:< V til! ab.tf. !0 pin, when they . : -ward Parnell The remainder “f Silva's stat, na-n: a . : .lied ’.i'.e:!' m* A ten t s U|> the : me '.hi y ■.*.ere raptured Af’.e:' licorum further evidence thcs ..a. .’.ra' said tb.at in respect m the i- •: i tl’.rd :m-l fear'll charge;., he •: . he-.tata-n m '.lying that a - , .in;- fa,-.c c. e had b<‘-ri made ent ae j;:*-*! them all So far as the al- ■ ' mm'der char :>■ ' C* ::cet i;i-<l S:le], uni the actmil mjurivs and *: ■in- f : the • .: '• win-! li(-i -: ' I’.ad ’ r.-v-.- I lb- v. - M,. th. 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Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 January 1941, Page 8
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993ATTACKS ON WARDERS Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 January 1941, Page 8
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