LIONEL TERRY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 96, 16 January 1908, Page 8

LIONEL TERRY.

A REMARKABLE LETTER. : AN' INTERESTING' CONVERSATION. , • (HT rn,EGB.ITH— SPBCU.Ii ;COI!I?ESPO!fDItNT.> ■' ' 'Dunedln,. January 1(5. ' ; Immediately after? the: recaptui-o of .Terry on the occasion ,of his latest' escape, Mr. S. S; Myers (Deputy Inspector of' Mentnl Hospitals), had a" talk with him, and he handed w. Mycra'the following ! ' . " The "following'is "a copy o'f a lett.or . which, I . wrote on Dccembor.il, and ad-' dftiscd; to Jihreo, .Wellington newspapers. I .hjd intended,,.to. post them at, Wai-. *" kouaiti' on December 15,"' and afterwards to surrender ' myself' to the; police' au.,thorrt(iea ..therpr but. tbo, .arriv'Ql.,of. the . ~ pplipe »t,.Mou^t;Mj?.?TX.) on ..,P c .^. ra^. c F - 'ciu'sbd mc. to' alter my plans in this rcr spect, and to'accompany them to Wai-' "" kouaiti; - On. that'dato, two of the let-' ters'.were, takon i-frorn..,iny :pocket. after ••• m:f'surrender..,,,,Th<; other I. managed to leaye;.,where I ■ hoped it, would be', found,. by a ,: friend and' posted.'' .The",'letter' 1 reads '.'.. . ' ' - ,; Sir,—ls ,the ,)#, raco • into this cquiitry;;wrong or right? , - If j't' is right',' why can: it} not. be vindi--1 catbd when it is challenged? If it is riglit'; 1, j • a''head tax', ; , l bV 'otherwise seek; to' dis-' criminat?VagainstV f, Asiati"c immigrants ? v Theso are questions'jvhibh must' bo an- \ ' sw.er.ed.-if the honourable traditions of • •'British justice are: to Vjserupheld, and if" ■ the whole 'legal- system;,of this country is not to be exposed to public scorn and ridicule.. I\ camp fpnvard openly and : honestly t , 1,/ demonstrated my conscion- . v tious ' inability to riiicogniso this law in ""thofcmost practical and uninjstakeablo manner, and surrendered myself for tijal'f with alj the necessary.; evidence. I have ..beenvmot with arrogant ignorance, con-' "temptuous scorn, and transparent trick-'- -• ery-r'Aro' the legislators and members of the Government-rnaiiL that tliey r'qsort , i to,.such, contemptible methods of evading : their; duty ? Can realise what the-condition of must bo . when the; laws are 'no*longer respected, • ,an.d when tho , adminislirators of . those • .laws, aro'rpgardedrby" the'people as,mere.' y''shuiflers- and tricksters fi .Or is it pos- ■ ;'sible. J ;tha{ thoir'morals have become so' ; jCprrupte.d by a criminal, commercialism that:tliey are utterly 'indifferent/to hoi)-; ' " esy ...and, truth? In. the...interests -of " ;-le^»l' morality, and on behalf of the peo'*ple v 'oif; this . country, I want to know ; . whether the law which'l have challenged . '■'is right or'; wrong., This is'my 'I'will not- bo'put off wi,th abuse and ,sul> tcrfugp. It .is .. my, intention to surren- -. ' ' der,''myself- once jV mbre- 'tb' the responsible • -authorities in t-hp hope that they may . ■ avail-themselves, rof another opportunity •- to deal honestly-by themselves and the people '■ of ? the'. country, generally. Tho I--'law caimot'bb both right-and wrong, ' 1 and'unless it be founded on equity; tho man who breaks' it -is- not necessarily either a criminal or a lunatic. ; , ,yI remain,-_sir, • ( ... . '"'.Yours faithfully, ''- u '; "Lionel terry.";; \ Mr; ,Myers, .in- talking.to T day to a ,"'Star J "- • reporter,. gave, as far as : .he could ;rein'en)ber,' the:.'conversation which took place. b'etwebn •him and Terry on January 2.;. ..... V-t, ' ,Mr. Myers:" I >.hope'; you ..will not', give' ■us another; chase.". ,v...-,. .-'.V V. • »Terry. replied- that.'it'entirely -, depended upon -his 1 health. ■He 'could 'make: no promises. ..Mr.. Myers" asked- him-'was'' he wbll-treated." ■' •"He replied':" Yes;" -but' added that that •was . beside'the point. . . , ] ' Later he-stated that it , had .caused him a great deal of mental worry before he.'determincd .to' take' the step he had' taken, as'a protest. He had considered 'it - seriously for a, whole - fortnight,...- If one .such ■ protest ' had not brought tne."Government to a sense' of their, rcsponsibflity, one; hundred similar tests, could do no more. - ' By Terry meant*'the. shooting of "the Chinaman. • ! . « Wi.Mr:'. Myers concluded by -expressing -.the ' opinion' that unless Terry would' give a reasonable assurance to abide strictly, by, tho laws of the institution in which ho was now_ 'confined, he would ho secured in another' land'safer place. .'.v. ■■■' " I shall strongly/advise, that," saidV Mr. .Myers",':!v.-.:,