A DISTRESSING CASE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 502, 8 May 1909, Page 10

A DISTRESSING CASE.

Sir—ton -deserve tho deep thanks of/the immunity 'for., allowing : attention; to •• bi >alled to tho-treatment accorded to'tb6.l&t« 3harleß' Hood at Patalerston : North. ' 'Gripped, friendless, penniless, and a martyr ;tc tsthina; Hood, after sleeping, out twe lights, ga'v6 ; himself up to the police as c ragrant. Next morning he was-.' broughi leforo Mr. F.'.Mowleni.vJ.P., and-'sentenced io three' months in the ; \\ anganui Gaol Words absolutely fail me when I try to ex tffcss iriy abhorrenoo of this outrage on a dp cripple. Then _ comes along Oaptair tfowlom, and, after an; inquiry, certifies thai 'death was duo to natural oauses./J "In lidn'tthey have a coroner's jury P Then the loctor (Dr. Martin) says,-"There was nothing nVtke" man'S condition to indicate to', tht solico that .there was any. immediate ..danger >r that the man was seriously ill." Why ;hen, did, the sub-irtsjiector and th'e.sergeanl ;ive. "special instructions to'watch deceased' md warn him to "keep his head' elevated jtc." After the ;"best possible under , tht siroumstances". (threo. months 'in., gaol) .was nctcd out to Hood, tho, police officer oarnet lim (Hood weighed oilly a little over. 4 stone it 25 years of age); to the .cab to; take him t< ;ho railway station, on rout-o for Wanganui 3aol. , Still "nothing to indicate" that lit vas seriously ill. But Christ's tender pityrig hand Wfts beckoning to one who also hac jorno the sins of humanity in His Body, ant: He sternly forbade that last indignity tt this suffering child. As "Humanitarian' lias .ably pointed out that although the pul (lit ■ and" the pross havo been silent on tht matter—especially tho preachers—yet al thoughtful people havo been grieved ant shocked, and' scores of private people ir Palmerston. North would have been only tot glad to havo rendered assistance. ' The whole thing is a disgrace, mid sliotilc bo brought under, tho notice of the Minister; for-Justice and Health,l am, etc.,' "HUMAN." May 6. \ '

capablo of stopping any modern armoured cruiser, as our long 6-inch' is not heavy enough, and under the fire of our present armament such a vessel could take -up an easy position to shell the city without much chance of damage. If "L. 0." is a student of naval history, ho must know that guns alono can seldom bo relied on to stop a vessel from running past a battery. A fort which can only oppose a passive defence to the enemy is no protection whatever, ana although to the uninitiated it is pleasant to read of our men shooting well, sleeping at the guns, etc.,-this will not stop an enemy from bombarding tbo city.' In aword, so far as the armament of our forts is concerned, wo aro at the mercy of any foreign armoured cruiser, such a vosscl having all her guns up to 6-inch all qui'ekfirors, and lior armour being a sufficient protection. Lot "L. 0. answer this question without evasion: Is our fort armament up to dato?" I defy hi® to truthfully reply in the affirmative. —I am, 6to ". F. WHITLEY; May 7.