THE WALKER CASE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 888, 1 October 1881, Page 3

THE WALKER CASE.

T/ao N.Z. Times publishes the, following atory. Those who like, ourselves have.examined the premises from which, the prisoner; escaped, and,have teen the chitel marks, by. which'the window vtab opined- from.the puttidi ;at«.very ua-. likely it, " The sue o.f »h» man Walker who e«oaped jroi'legal custody at .Masterton list week, and who wai re«»ptaiod.lait , 'Friday,*';i» : \likeiy ( -to/lead'' to * a most serious or ieries. ! of charges,-being preforrad 'against the , -. ■ Sergeant .of Police in charge of the local station, Walker—rrho receiyed aientenia of feurmontha' imprisonment, com current with''hii original sentence of 28 days, incarceration, following a conviction for larceny-arrived in town »n Tues< day. lait, having been escorted to the Hutt by' Serjeant 'McArdle. from. tl)e Waitir'apa. < "'At.'the,.Hutt the sergeant was met by Inspector Shearman and : a , epnstablefrom Wellington, the last-named officer relieving Sergeant McArdle of hii charge uf the escort duty and bringing Walker on to Wellington; Police Super-. intenfcnt Shearman' accompanied the sergeant to Maaterton for the purpose of. ' investigating the circumstances attending the escape of the pristfrier, Walker, on kit arrival, stated before witnesses that hi experienced not the slightest difficulty in leaving hii cell at the Masterton lockup, ' He asserts that on Thursday night night the 22ridinst., the door of his cell w*e left utilooked by the officer in charge, '' aijd thaUll'he had to do was to put his hand through the trap of the door and draw back'the bolt, He utterly-denies that.hi* wife rendered him the slightest assistance in effecting hit escape from the lock-up, and He further states that, so far \ as he is .aware, Mrs Walker never was ) near the'police station on the.night in question. 'Furthermore he affirms that after leaving his cell'at 9. o'clock on Thursday 'night, he walked about the iownship, where he was seen by several endeavoring to find his wiie, in which attempt he was unsuccessful, He positively deolares that the story with

respect t» his having been found by the polite ;oa the following day in bed with t Walker and another woman is a i of lies from beginning to end. er complaius bitterly that he was nted by the local police from engaging gentleman to conduit his defence, and was. hurried before a Majrjst'raVe', by whom he was tried and convicted, without being permitted tosay a word in his defence. The narrative of the prisoner appears to be ciroumstautiul, and updn its face his story bears the impress of truth/ Of course, his tale may or may'not be correct. It is but an ex parte statement, and in all fairness to the sergeant, whoso character and reputation is'at stake, the charges should be thoroughly investigated, aa doubtless they will U •"..'..•., Since'the'New Zealand Times published the abore" cock'arid'bull story," luspec-: tor Shearman has reported that Walker's statement was entirely withoutfeundation.