LIFE IN PRISON.
'I'Hl OFFICER IN TH! TOWER. THATRY BROKEN IN HEALTH. (’l‘imes' Air Mail Service). ‘ LONDON, April 30. The life In Meidstone Prison oi Norman Baillie-Stewart, the “Officer in the Tower"; Leopold Harris, con—victed in the fire conspiracy case. and Clarence liatry, the financier whose downfall Involved millions of the publi-o's money, is described in an anonymous book, ”Five Years for Freud": published to-dsy. says the Daily Telegraph. , , The work ls e serious and moderately worded plea for prison re'omi. The unknown author, a solicitor who served s sentence of live years' penal servitude for conversion, declares that Baillie-Stewart sits all clay in a cell poring over the “dog-esred pages of massive volumes of military strategy." "Ever since he was senttenced he has studied these books in ‘ preparation for the next war. in which ihe hopes to take part. t The writer says that the ex—lieutenent “is living for that event." lie adds: “Physically he is in perfect condition. Voluntarily he Joined the prison drill squad, and night and day he does ‘physlcal jerks' in his cell." Censored Letters. The War Office censors the letters he writes, and letters addressed to him at the prison are sent to the War Ofilee unopened before he is allowed to have them. Sometimes he writes critically of the War Chloe, and is “called before the governor and told he must rewrite parts of his letters and delete improper remarks COTIL‘CI‘D'I ing the \Var Dam: and his Majesty's Forces." Harris is described in the book as “broken in health and spirit" by hist long sentence of 1!: days and by hist failure to secure any ported of extra remission for his epr‘sure of Capt. Miles. The writer 513‘s. he saw many of the interview.) fn the prison hospi—tal between llarrls and Mr Crorker. soliCltnr for the prosmml: u, and Supt. Yamirll. of buoildnd Yard; “All day lonz Harris sat comfortably in bed in a special cell while he was questioned about the ramifications of his tire-raising gang. . . . By the side of the bed would sit .\ir Crocker nnd Supt. Yanrlrl]. taking down, hour after hour. on hundreds or ottlcinl—looktnl: foolsrap, the amazing revoluiinns which Harris~ made to tin-m." Durini: this investigation Harris was Rivrn “steaks 11nd rhnps and all sorts of things which to a prisoner are the] heikht. of luxury." \V'hnn ht" was lrrttor and left the hospital ho was] put. to work weeding minions. | “Beau Brummell" Hetry. E The nuthor declares that Harris is unpopular with wardr-rs and prisoners. “Ho has not :1 Sin/:10 frivnti, and at t‘xm'n'ise no one I‘wr offers in walk or talk with him. Mr \\ulks “long alone—head hcnt. l in striking i-untrnst with this brukvn: figure is the picture the author gives' of Henry, described as “the Beau!
Brummell or “Maldstone Prlaon." he write:- continues: 4 "i never once saw him otherwlu than immaculate. Often I wondered how he managed to keep his grey prlson trousers so beautifully creased. One day I asked hlm. ‘You‘ve never been poor. my friend." he replied. ‘or I you‘d know that a mattress Is an ex- , cellent trousers press.” The author says that Hatry told him lihat when his sentence ts served, some ten years hence, he intends to make another fortune. so that every- _ one who suffered through him may be 1 repaid.
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Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19893, 23 May 1936, Page 12
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554LIFE IN PRISON. Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19893, 23 May 1936, Page 12
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