GAOL OR HOSPITAL?

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 71, 23 March 1906, Page 3

GAOL OR HOSPITAL?

A DEPARTiIEXTAL QUESTION. (By Telegraph.—Press Association- 4 WELLINGTON, Thursday. b< There has been a stir in Blenheim concerning- a prisoner "who was sent {j from the tree-planting prison camp at It Dimijrree for treatment at the Wairau ai Hospital. It seems that a man named *' Allan, who \v.as serving at Dumgree a bi sentence for forgery, became ill with si typhoid -and -was sent to Be treated at F"j Blenheim, where, under the care of Dr. ! Bennett, he recovered and was diseharg- jot ed from the hospital. According to the oi Marlborongh " Herald" the doctor then ™ notified the authorities, and a.sked them to take the prisoner back. They re- : plied that they had nothing to do "with him, as he was under the supervision of I tI the Wellington authorities. The lat-L m ter. when appealed to. seemed doubtful jtl ! as to their position in the matter, and j gave no indication of the proper place toLjj apply. Meanwhile the convict took bi full advantage of the (to him) delight- jtl ful uncertainty of the authorities on ™ his case, and gallivanted round the o - town. The doctor, being unable to treat ci him otherwise than as a patient, is un- j sl able to put any check on the trouble- :gj some inmate, whom he considers to be Ile the victim of delusions. In the course v of the article it was alleged that the " : prisoner had bepn in communication jfi 1 with the Minister of Justice (Hon. Mr. p I Me(fowan). who, contrary to precedent *f ! and policy, replied to him instead of „ directing him to apply to the prison ii authorities. " " sl [« When this extraordinary charge was ? j brought under the notiep of Mr. Mc- n Gowan by a "Post" reporter, the lat- | ter learned that Allan had bepn petition- I I ing for a remission of sentence, and that fi • recently a, telegram nmc from Blen- a : hpira on the matter, the Minister think-!?. I in? it had come by permission of Dr. i n I Bennett, who was tcchniciilly Allan's i ■ gaoler while he was in the hospital. t: I nn answer to the doc-tor. There jf, was no truth in the assertion that the ■* Minister had replied direct to Allan. t: j The telegram* were ns foll-nvs • —"To ' the AUnntir for Justin, Wellington. |" fit for discharge from hospital. If c petition of no offpet. cmh] you .shift '' Ime at oncp. Signed. Allan."" A reply I F Iby the Minister was sent in th- follow- ll ing terms to Dr. Bennett: -Wairau U ■Hospital. Pteawe inform prisoner VI- j b [lan that his petition will rp-eive con- !i; : eideration when the Dppnrtment re- '[ ;reivps otficial notitii-Btion that hp is fit ;to leave the linsuiial. also that lxis I „ removal from rhr ho-pilul must depend c upon the same thing. FTT-s cmnmnni- , cations should be sent to the Inspector jot" Prisoners. I-Signed i James Mc- d Uowan." P The Minister explained thnt vrhen a ( prisoner >enr to the hospital he c was in charge of the hospital people ' i until better, and when he was better it I a . i wai< the duty of thp hospital authori- j , i ties to !et the Prisons Department is I know, and to retain their patient until j - he could be tnken over. When a pris- r loner was in tho hospital he was ont [ lof i-xistence for the time being so far las serving a sentence was concerned. tho-tigh afterwards the Crown might ] reconimend that the time spent in bos- j i i pital should be coJinf.ed ;i.s time served, j 1 lilt was this nile that was responsible • ! for the petition mentioned in Allan's Ji ! telegram quoted above.) The >rini~ter \v:\<; not preparoci to ' I rlisni.e.-i the ~tate of aff'a-irs that led to ( Allans beinji at lar-rp in Blenheim, .' . 'when he sboulu have been still in cUS- ' tody, but from remarks made by an loffic'ial connei ted with thp Department , j tile reporter gathered that there bad , been no remission so far as Wellington • i was concerned. ! To clear thp matter up application , I was made to Col. Hume. Inspector of, - 'Prisons. Col. Hume said that the notii 11.-ation from tho hospital doctor to the gaoler at. Dumgree that Allan was b<Utcr and lit for removal was dated j 17th March (Saturday last). the gaoler g<>t in on the 18th. and on the 20th it reached Col. Hump. The same day a warder went, over from •Welling- - tun to Blenheim for Allan, and he is expected to return to Wellington with. his prisoner by to-day's steamer. It is reported that. Allan's sentence wonM hays been fully served ere now but for his illness, anil it is possible that the misunderstanding at Blenheim has been : due to dubiousness on the parr of some--5 body as to whether the sentence still - ran oil, not at the time of Allan's discharge from the hospital. r ——— ——