KNYVETT CASE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 139, 13 June 1911, Page 9

KNYVETT CASE.

THE LAST PHASE. r,FFER TO PROVE THE CHARGES/ (By Telegraph.— Press Association.) CHRISTCHI'RCH, Monday. Vvhat is probably the last stage of the •rnvvett ease was entered into on Saturday when ex-Captain Knyvett received frtim the Adjutant-General ( Colonel Lbin) extracts from tho -'New Zealand Odette" of June 1. containing notice of Ms dismissal, and stating that the Goverwould, on the recommendation of the general officer commanding the New Zeahnd Forces, favourably consider a n appli- , ..tion by ex-Captain Knyvett to be posted to the reserve of officer*, provided such | l7) plication was accompanied by an amp'e tpoJogy. In reply. ex-Captain Knyvett, 3 n Saturday, sent the following letter to He Commandant of the Forces: — sir—l have tho honour to acknowledge tie receipt of y*>ur tetter of June 8, enclosE_ extracts from the -.New _.a_ind __ette" of Jam- 1, 10U, wherein it states Sat the sentence previously passed upon £Jii_ had been upheld by the Military •Sort assembled on May 10, dismls-lng rue tarn the New Zealand defence forces for •oudact to the prejudice of good order and Military discipline; also, the extracts of the !^ e date from the "-New- Zealand gazette" notifying mc that. In view of my s-cellent previous record In th- defence forces I should be appointed to the reserve'of officers, provided I retracted the letter written by mc and made an ample mwlogy for the same. I have never at any time desired __yt_!ng»rurt_er than the hud_sr of a fair and Impartial military court. I consider that the charge I accepted on M_y 10. 1011. was a fair charge that should have been laid in the first instance of my kn-ins the Ifcnter. aSthoaci fK-fi-vio-sly seven other char.es have been laid and refuted. If. as I understand, the couTt-mar-tial presided over by l_e_te_nnt-Colonel Heard considered that the crime (If any) I committed was sufficient to warrant my dismissal from the New Zealand defence forces. I am quite prepared to accept that as a decision (although I think that some day the question of privilege -will "be upset). I know quite well that the gentlemen constituting the Knyvett Defence Committee in Auckland have never desired or asked for invt-ing more than the finding of a pro-perly-constituted court and I am quite sure that they, equally with myself, are prepared to accept a bona-fide sentence givein good faith. I may say that I extremely regret having written the letter, inasmuch as It has caused my friends a good deal of unnecessary expense and worry, but, as the letter was -written in good faith, and there ,was no tribunal at the time to -which I could go for advice as to whether it would te prejudicial to military discipline or not, and as the facts stated therein are absolutely trne and can be substantiated. I unfortunately have to decline to withdraw the letter or any ot the statements therein made. Although, unfortunately, I personally am the sufferer by the letter, yet I feel it has been productive of a great deal of good. The status of an officer In New Zealand has been established in a way it never lad previously been, and no officer can again suffer the ignominy to -which. I have been put wtth-oat a trial. I should have very much desired to have served on the reserve of officers, but I feel that the demands of the "Gazette* would necessitate my sacrificing my manhood to secure such a purpose, and I cannot do that. As I cannot live ln a country in whose service I am debarred from wearing His Majesty's uniform, I feel that the best course for myself and my friends -would be for mc to leave New Zealand, and this I intend doing at an early date. As Ido not desire it to be said after I have left here that I cannot support or substantiate the statements made in my letter, I beg most respectf ally to notify you that I am prepared now, or at any time in the future, to substantiate "tolly the statements and facts in my letter. Should at any further time the officer complained of desire to -have his p_n?on_.l honour cleared, I am prepared, if then away frnm New Zealand, to coni_ back here and « , ost__-_,te -my statements. I desire to thank you -p_cso___y lor the courteous manner in which yon have treated my correspondence, and also to state that I couFider the Military Court set up by yourself to hear nry case impartially and fairly conducted the trial in accordance with the Tery careful terms of the charge laid.

The Imperial Merchant Service Guild of London has received from its honorary representative at Island ot Reunion a report, describing the manner in wh icb Captain Pavfllet, of the fishing schooner Reve, rendered timely- aid to the shipwrecked crew of the steamer Parisiana, an erstwhile nisitor to Auckland, who, after their ship had been destroyed by fire in the Southern Ocean, landed ou St. Paul Island. The Keve arrived at the lonely island on December 16, and Capt. •Pavillet then found 17 of the Parisiana's crew on the shore. These men had landed on the previous day in one of the steamer's lifeboats. The Parisiana's second boat had not arrived. On the following morning -the second boat was signalled about three miles from the island. 'The current, were very strong at the time of the full moon, but Captain Pavillet manned-the first lifeboat with 12 men !(_s_ermen) and went to meet the boat, • Which he -towed ba.k to port, reaching there a couple of hours later. During the 27 days that the casta-ways were on the island, the captain of the schooner, with _he help of hi. crew, gave them all the assistance he could afford with the little resources he bad. Finally, on January 11, a British steamer came in Bight, and took off the castaways. A well-dressed stranger paid a visit to one of the auctioneers in Goulburn (New South Wales), and informed him that he ■was desirous of buying a country property for his sons, who were doing no good in Sydney. He stated that he wanted his boys to settle down to a respectable career as farmers. In company with the auctioneer he inspected a property, and said it was in every way suitable, in fact, '-just the place ■for my hoys." The matter was decided at once, without any haggling as regards terms. The stranger drew a cheque for a hundred pounds. For the cheque he received a receipt for the amount, and wibh this in his possession he then proceeded to work a confidence dodge. The auctioneer's receipt he showed to two or three business firms in Goulburn, and they cashed cheques for several pounds on the strength of it. The 'land buyer' then left the town, richer by several pounds than when he entered it, also better off in the way of clothing, which he had acquired on the strength of tte auctioneer's receipt.