D. C. McINTYRE'S TROUBLES.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12903, 7 September 1907, Page 10

D. C. McINTYRE'S TROUBLES.

HIS SIGNED STATEMENT. LIFE IX MONTE VIDEO GAOL. The statement made by D. C. McIntyre to Chief Detective Mcllveney on board the Turakina, was produced by the Chief Detective in hie evidence ot the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, but was not read. The statement is contained in ten pages of foolscap, and has attached to it several documents, to which reference is made in Mclntyre'o confession. The following is the text of the statement :—

•S.S. Turakina," 26th, August, 1907. To Chief Detective Mcllveney, Sir,— . x Ro the charges preferred mc in Christchurch and u P° n * 1 vS* been extradited from Mont ©Video, viz.. the embezzlement of L3o paid mc by Mr Nicholls, £12 paid mc by Mr firoderick, £21 & paid mo b> Lucas Bros., and £19 10* paid mc by Mrs Jackson, which monies I warred as an official at the .New Zealand International Exhibition, Christchurch; and also my obtaining the sum of £o from F A. Cook and £7 Irom Aitken and Roberts by false pretences: "I hereby make the following voluntary statement in connection therewith and I request you to communicate 'the contents of this statement to the Bench when I am charged at the Court at Christchurch. "About two years ago I gave up the manufacturing business that I had conducted at Christchurch for a number or voars. I was then financially embarrassed to the extent of several hundred pounds. To save myself Irom bankruptcy I borrowed money from moneylenders in Christchurch with a view to defraying my business liwbilities. I was then paying interest on borrowed monoy at the rate of 40 per cent, per annum. Later on I was en.ployod in. connection with the Exhibition, my duties there commencing on the loth February, 1906. My first duties took mc to different parts of the colony. During my absence from Christchurch many of my creditors sued mc in the Magistrate's Court. Rather than risk losing my position I again sought the assistance of the monoy-lonclors. Owing to the exorbitant rates of interest charged by thorn, and being unable to extricate myself from their grasp, matters became worse and worse. As an infctance. I had borrowed £150 from one moneylender. I paid the firet quarter's interest when due, but on the second falling due, I was unable to meet it, and no then added £37 10s (interest for one quarter) to the principal, making my indebtedness to him £18A 10s. Ho then compelled mc to pay him interest on that amount at the rate of £lo per month, which I kept up until I nnellv paid off the amount of my liability to him on the 28th , March, 1907. You ere already in possession of his receipt for that amount, and I ask you to produce it to the Court to prove my words. I had paid him considerably more money in interest alone than I had originally received from him as principal. Meantime, my othor creditors continued to press mc, and I felt myself hopelessly involved. I was worried to death by the pressure of creditors, serious illness in my family, and the persistent demands of usurers. I had reason to believe that if I could tide over my affairs until the close of the Exhibition, I would receive by way of bonus, v sufficient amount to materially help mc in my difficulties; and. further, 1 had also reason for believing that a sum of £50 (over end above' £50 I had already received) would bo handed mc by the Mclntyro Presentation Committoe—the gentlemen who made tho said presentation stated publicly that the amount to be, presented to mc was £100, «s reference to the newspaper report, which, you have among my effects, will show.

"I unfortunately used the Exhibition moneys referred to in the charges, not with 'the intention of depriving the Exhibition authorities of their moneys, but with tho intention of paying in the respective sums to the director of Finance before tho Exhibition closed.

"On the Bth of April I was suspended by Mr Munro, tho general manager, who informed mo that no ,oublicity would be given to the fact until the Minister in charge of the Exhibition had enquired into my position. No reason for my suspension was given mo. I 3t once decided to go to Wellington, with tho object of raising sufficient money to defray my defalcations beiore tho said enquiry could take place. "Being short of money I cashed the cheques tho subject of the charges of false pretences. I was at the time aware that 1 had not sufficient sums to meet the cheques, but I hoped, aud intended to have enough moiney in the bank to meet them on presentation. In, fact, I intended telegraphing the amount from Wellington. I reached Wellington on the 9th, and to my sorrow I found that my suspension was a matter of public knowledge. It appeared in the Wellington newspapers. I telegraphed to Mesers Cook and Aitkem and Roberts to hold over my cheques until I returned, which I then fully intended doing by that evening's steamer. Later I found that my suspension had thwarted my pcceibilities of raising money, andinaheer desperation I decided to leave the colony. I joined the steamship Turakina, intending to go to London, taking out tny ticket in the nemo of Mack, a name I invariably used when travelling by steamer. Tho fact of my departure was well known to the police, for I had a conversation with a detective on board tho steamer immediately before she left on the morning of the 12th April. I had gone on board quite openly tho night previous, and had my tea and slept on the ship. "On arrival nt Monte Vidpo on the Ist of May, I vj>k placed under arrest by the British Consul, and handed over to the Uruguayan police. I was detained in the "Caroel Central do Polk-ia" (tho central police station at Monte Video). "I beg to point out the great suffering I experienced while there, owing to the exceedingly unsatisfactory arrangements for the detention of British subjects. Although the Consul did his utmost for mc, 6till tho prison regulations did not permit of outside interference, and consequently tny enforced detention was almost beyond endurance, and heart-breaking in the very extreme. During the diiy I wis confined in a stone-paved yard, about 30ft square, and vyith the juvenile prisoners. The said yard was surrounded by wel's about 30ft high. Consequently there was never a glimpse of the sun. and at thit time of the year it was dreadfully cold. Invariably the yard was wet, and in a disgusting state from the almost constant expectoration of the attendants and prisoners, who were continually sucking herbs, etc., a custom of tho Spanish. In this place I had to remain twelve hours daily, and among people who could not speak a word of English. At night I had to sleep in a room 10ft square. This room wai known as the w»rder'» room. At night it wm occupied as sleeping quarters by at least two others. AH prisoners arrested during the night and there were always several—were brought into this room to be searched. They were usually in a filthy condition, and always very troublesome. The room was simply riddled with rat holee, and was almost alive- with rats and vermin. Tho place was damp and mildewed, and unfit to be u<s*>d by any man. Immediately outside was the men's

closet, and immediately overhead was the females' cloeet. The sanitation wai very bad, and the drainage very dt fective, consequently I need not describe tho result; the suffering occasioned was very great indeed. To get to the iren's closot I had to pass through the place- where the prisoners, many oi them criminals of the worst type, were confined. On each occasion I wae subjected to jeers, taunts, and othei ireults, owing to my being to then; * foreigner. the suffering due to the above was great, it was as nothing when oomrered with the dreadful loneliness and desolation, prac tically amounting to solitary confinement. I was compelled to wash myself in the trough in which many spitoons and other filthy utensils used in the official buildings were washed No soap or towel was provided mc, and being unable to speak Spanish, and there being no English-speaking persons there, the mental strain was increased almost to breaking point. This I endured for seventeen days, during which I had no bed or bedding. I had to lie on the bare boards, without covering of any sort, and no food was given mo excepting what I was able to got by bribing the attendants. 1 only had £3 12s on arrival at the Monte Video prison, and that amount was used in the way mentioned diiring the first twelve days. The remaining five days I subsisted on the chanty of the officials.

"After making several requests I was permitted at last to communicate'with the British Minister, and as a result I was provided with a stretcher and blanket, and arrangements were made to send my meals in at the expense of the New Zealand Government. Still I remained in the same room until your (Detective Mcllveney's) arrival on June Ist, whereupon I was provided with the share of another room on tho opposite side of the yard. In this I remained until I woe handed over to your charge on June 12th. I was just on seven weeks in Monte Video. To add to my sufferings, my box of clothes wont astray on the day of my detention. I had handed it to the authorities. When I next heard of it, seventeen days afterwards, I heard that a quantity of my clothing, principally what I was most in need of, had been stolon. I estimate the loss at about £13. In consequence of my loss I was seriously inconvenienced; indeed, for seventeen days I never had my clothes off. My belongings have not been recovered, and I have handed to the Consul c claim for their value, but hnve not received a reply from him. So bad were the sufferings and treatment extended to mc, that the British Minister has made a representation on the matter to the Imperial authorities, ond the Consul informed mc that he had also requested tho Imperial authorities to communicate the contents of his letter to the New Zealnnd Government. When leaving the Uruguay, the chief officer of police handed mc a voluntary certificate as to my conduct while detained there. This and its translation I have hnnded to you, and I ask you to b« good enough to produce it when at Court. Since June 12th I have been in your personal custody, and I feel satisfied that my conduct has given you no cause for dissatisfaction or complaint. I have now been several months in custody, and I trust that fart, with the miseries it has brought, will be taken into consideration.

"I most deeply regret the serious position in which lem placed. I have never denied my wrongdoing. I agreed to my extradition, and I can only ask for the clemency of the Court before which lam brought. My position ie not due to vice of any kind; I have not been a gambler, a drinker, or a dissipator. I hnve always been a hard worker, and while nt the Exhibition I invariably worked twelve hours per day, and when that was not onoueh to cope with the demands I worked even all nie;ht end on SundayeI think I can with confidence say' my general reputation is good. I am now in my 41st year; I, aja and in trouble and' cirenmstanoes and the tyranny of usurers account for my position... I em determined to do my utmost in tho future to restore mv pood hamo. These are the firet charges ever brought against mc, and I trust to be note to show by my future conduct that they will be the last.

"The facts I have above stated .we absolutely true. You had the advantago of seeing for yourself where I was imprisoned at Monte Video; and I think you at least know that I have told the simple truth. lam confident that you will corroborate what I have written in connection with my prison suffering. "Thanking you in anticipation, "I am, eir. "Your obedient servant, "D. C. McINTYRE." THE EXHIBITS. The exhibits attached to this statement were:—A stamped receipt signed by a money-lender, for the sum of £187 10s, in full settlement of all moneys owing to him by Mr and Mrs Mclntyre. A blank cheque on the Bank of New South Wales, endorsed:—"This is the cheque Mr Race handed mc at tho presentation to "represent the cheque I wae to receive later for on© hundred guineas.—D. C. Mclnty.ro." A newspaper* report of the presentation made to Mr and Mrs D. C. Mclntyre at the Exhibition on November 30th, 1906.

Translation of certificate: "Alcaldia, Jefatura P. de la Capital. By tho present document I certify that the English citizen, Mr Daniel Cunningham McJntyre, during his residence- in the Police Central House from the 2nd day of last May, 1907, until to-day (June Bth) has observed a good and correct conduct. And in request of interested part thus I give constancy. 0. Baeigaluz, Monte Video, June Bth."