CASE OF LIEUT. CRAMPTON.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16397, 17 December 1918, Page 6

CASE OF LIEUT. CRAMPTON.

DEFENCE DEPARTMENT S

STATEMENT,

COURT-MARTIAL TO BE HELD

(SPECIAL TO "TUE PRESS.")

WELLINGTON, December 16

The case of Lieuteuant Crampton is dealt with at some length iu the following statement prepared by the Defence Department and issued with the authority of the Minister of Defence. Reference is made also to the onquirj into the Wanganui Detention Barracus administration conducted by M r Hewitt, S.M.

It has been suggested that in view of his conduct in Samoa, Lieutenant Cranipton was not a suitable person to be appointed as odicer in ciia of tiie W'uii&iinui detention barracKS. Lieutenant Lranipton originally served m the lloyal Navy, and at tne outortak ot war was a sergeant-major in tne -New Zealand Permanent i<on.v. He served oversea in \ne pie&ent war, departing witn tne Main i>ody in and returning from abroad iu June, I'jlG, invalided tor wounds. his servicu abroad he was nromoted ill the iieid to commissioned rank, and became a second-iieutenant. On bis return to New Zealand iio was selected to till the combined offices of Provost ilarshal and Judge of the Native Court at tfamoa, where his duties brought him into conflict with Germans and natives. On December /tli, 1916, Lieutenant Crampton had occasion to call upon a certain half-caste Samoan woman of bad reputation, to conduct some investigation which he had been instructed to make by the Administrator. In tho course of his duty he had occasipn to again can upon her on Docembcr Bth, Dtli, lltli. On December 31st he received information that the woman_ had illtreated a, slave girl by cutting her shoulders with a knife, and in the course of his duty he called to see lior about that. The woman resented the interference, and complained to the American ConsuL with the result that Lieutenant Cranipton was court-mar-tiallod upon two charges, one practically amounting to attempted rape, upon her between December 7th and 11th, and the other to assaulting her with a walking stick on December 31st. The first charge was disproved on the evidence, and the Court acquitted him. On the second charge the Court found him guilty, but the evidence was so trivial that they sentenced him only to a reprimand. The woman appears to have made no complaint whatever until she found that Lieutenant Crampton, as Provost Marsna/, was determined to protect her slave girl from injury. . Tho Administrator dulv reprimanded him and returned him to New Zealand with the proceedings of the court-mar-tial. Perusal of these proceedings convinced Headquarters, Wellington, that not only should Lieutenant Crampton have been acnuitted of the first charge, but that lie should also have been acquitted of the second chargo, as the verdict was against the w'eight of evidence. Lieutenant Crampton was employed in one of the Wellington Defence offices until he was selected as the officer in. charge of the Wanganui detention barracks. The court-martial in Samoa was considered in connexion with the appointment, and was not regarded as a bar before he took charge of the barracks. He went to the Terrace Gaol for a month's training in modern prison methods, and ivas considered to be as suitable a man for the position as was likely to bo found. TJie Samoan court-martial proceedings. iwere placed before Mr .Hewitt, S.M., on his investigation, and the fact that ho has not; in any way referred to the matter in his report makes it evident that he considered it as of little importance. When Mr Hewitt commenced his enquiry into the allegations concerning tho 'Wanganui detention barracks, be decided that he would question each witness separately, and he desired that 'the staff at Wanganui should be dispersed, so as to avoid any opportunity of collusion. The staff were accordingly dispersed and employed in different parts of the Dominion, with tho exception of Lieutenant Crampton, whom Mr Hewitt thought wns better left in charge. When Mr Hewitt made his report he recommended that the personnel of the staff should be changed by the dispersal of the staff and tho employment of other persons. This had already been done, except in the case of Lieutenant Crampton. Consideration was being given to entirely new arrangements for the custody of detention prisoners, and would have boen given effect to before this, but that the influenza epidemic intervened. The intention underlying tho new arrangements was to discontinue the use of Wanganui prison for detention prisoners and to accommodate them at Trentham, and this intention is in process of being carried out.

The original staff at Wanganui is now disposed as follows: Lieutenant Crampton is at Wanganui for tho purpose of handing over to his successor; fifteen h.ivo been discharged, and two, who •were not directly concerned in t*io matters reported on, are still in the cmplovmant of t» r io Defence "Department nil Wellington. Mr Hewitt's report and his findings 'wore not communicated to Lieutenant Crampton and the staff, and the first intimation that they received as to tho nature of the findings was when they wore published in the Press, after being laid "upon the table of the House of Representatives. Immediately ho saw tho nature of the report, Lieutenant Crampton demanded n courtmartial for himself and his etaff. A court-martial will be assembled without delay for the trial of Lieutenant Crampton and his staff on charges based on Mr Hewitt's report, and Lieutenant Crarrrnton is being relieved of duty pending tho result of the courtmartial.