"OFFICIALLY AIDED TO ESCAPE"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 271, 10 August 1920, Page 6

"OFFICIALLY AIDED TO ESCAPE"

A PRISONER'S STORY

SAYS ILL-TREATMENT DROVE

HIM FROM GAOL

SCENE IN.SUPREME COURT AT

AUCKLAND

lßr_T«l«graDh-Pre!i Aiaociation.!. ■.;.■■.'.•; ~; Auckland, August 9. ~; ; *An allegation that he 'had been "offici\rMy assisted" to escape from Mount Eden made, in the Supreme Court i>.J>J'i- .PA n ' e l". Murray, when he was tried \v~befofe Mr. Justice Stringer on charges of escaping from prison on January 16 and stealing from a house clothing valued \ at. .£l6. Prisoner, who was not represented by counsel, adopted an attitude of defiant bravado,,and frequently had to be rebuked by the Judge. The charges were heard separately, and on each, occasion Murray exhausted his right to challenge jurymen. Ho objected when the Crown ordered more than six jurymen to stand aside. His Honour informed him that tho Crown could order ....SUiy.'nuraber to stand aside. i An adjournment was asked by the prisoner on the ground that he wanted to subpoena the Controller-General of Prisons. His Honour: What do you want him for? . .

Murray: I wish to know if he is in' l > .Court.. ' • His Honour: I do not know, and if •■ I did know I should not tell you. I ■'.;.,'-Murray: I wish him to givo evidence that I was officially assisted to escapefrom gaol. • t ,: , His Honour: What nonsense! 1 will ■ ..not grant you an adjournment ou that : ■'■'.■ plea. I J Murray: It is no nonsens». ! - His Honour: Well, it appears to b» !.. an absurdity, and it is I who decide thn *' matter. Evidence was then given that accusal '■•...-•made his escape by means of a Topo | ■:■ of blankets weighted with an iron stoneI breaking chisel. It was staled that the i.' prisoner must have climbed up the ropu ; from the courtyard in a corner where S the sentry could not see.him, and must . have swung over outside the wall. When (: he was arrested three months lator ho ! was wearing a suit of clothes missed r .from a home in the vicinity of the- ! ' gaol. '■- ■ Murray did not give evidonce, but ob- .' : '' tained leave to call a prisoner narae<l !. William Brewer. ■ ■ ■■ ■ , Murray: What sentence are you doi" 'ing?— Brewer: "I am not doing a sentence. I was arrested 12 months ago - and put in gaol without a trial. A '""'civilian who was an ex-warder arrested! me without warrant." His Honour: What has this got to do. with the case? Murray: I want to show I was driven from Mount Eden by the treatment I got- , ; ~. His.Honour refused to near any more , '" "evidence from Brewer, who was led away ~shouting that he was entitled to o trial i, '''-under the Habeas Corpus Act. ':■: ; Murray joined in, and said: I am going to exposo things in this court if I have to murder someone to do it. ' 'When asked if. he had any more evidence, Murray said apparently it was no good calling a witness. '-,-•"'■. His Honour: Yes, if it is relevant to ."'"ttio question whether you escaped or not.. '-. ~j••Murray: No, I will turn it up. ;. Prisoner then made a long address, ""'in which ho complained bitterly of the law relating to habitual criminals. He contended that he had been wrongfully declared an habitual criminal in 1912, when'he was; 18 years old. This had "murdered" him. : , His Honour: For a murdered man you ~ .have been pretty lively since 1912. : :„;',,.The Judge then read out the prisoner's ' , " convictions since that time. He imposed ...a.' sentence of two years' imprisonment, '• ■'. to bo concurrent with the sentence of ■"ifVtwo years' hard labour the prisoner is '<■ " "at. (serving lior theft from a

dwelling. . . .•y,i Prisoner .was again .declared an halntKjr.ual criminal. ■■;. . ,