PRISON MYSTERY SOLVED

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 46, 18 November 1925, Page 10

PRISON MYSTERY SOLVED

HOW HAYDEN DIED STRAP REMOVED FROM FEET AND USED AS RUNNING NOOSE The veil of mystery which surrounded the tragic death at the Terrace Gaol on Saturday of an elderly prisoner named William Hayden was lifted yesterday afternoon, when, in the presence of the Coroner, Dr. P. F. McEvedy, the acting prison doctor, conducted a demonstration in the cell which removed all doubt as to how deceased had met his z end. It ' revealed a case of suicide in which ingenuity and perseverance were the predominant features.

The hour fixed for the was 3 nm. yesterday, but before taking the depositions the Coroner (Mr. E. Page, S.M.), adjourned to the cell which had been occupied by the deceased. dno first objects to attract the eye in the small compartment were- two rings ce. mented into one of the walls a foot ot so from the ground. A scene was then enacted which threw considerable light upon what must have happened when Hayden was alone between 12.30 and 1.10 p.m. on Saturday. Dr. McEjedy permitted himself to ; b» "trussed up in the manner in which Hayden had been secured. The “refractory belt was placed around his waist, his hands were pinioned to it, and the handcuffs placed on the wrists. Finally a stout strap was tied around his legs near the ankles, and ho was placed on his back on the floor of the cell. It , was no effort for him to regain a sitting position, but there were some surprised looks on the faces of the onlookers when he was seen to cross one ankle over the other and draw his heels almost under him, at the same time opening his legs with a scissor-like action. The result was that the strap securing the ankles cam? within easy reach of liis manacled hands, and it was but the work of a few seconds to unloosen the knots. The next act was to pass the point of the styap through the buckle and form a running noose of generous dimensions. Held in a certain position, it required only a toss of the head Tor the noose to slip over the head and encircle the neck. Dr. McEvedy then wriggled his way nearer to one of the rungs in the wall, and by exerting some effort ho succeeded in tving the end of the strap to tho iron circlet. From that position a sudden drop backwards would probably effect strangulation. ' Warder C. Gibson then illustrated the manner in which deceased was found by him. Ono end of the belt was attached to the rung of tho noose and was around the man’s neck. The body was slightly off the ground.

The Cause of Death. Giving evidence afterwards, Dr. McEvedy said that he had been summoned to the gaol at 1.30 p.m. on Saturday, and had examined the dead body of Hayden. . Deceased had not been long dead, as the body was quite warm. The whole circumstances pointed to tho conclusion that the man had died from, suffocation. The. Post Mortem.

Dr. P. P. Lynch, pathologist at the Wellington Hospital, said that as the result of the post-mortem examination he conducted at tho morgue lie located seyeral superficial abrasions on deceased’s elbow and forearm, and numerous bruises beneath the skull, and the back of the head. There was no fracture of the skull. His opinion was that death was due to sudden heart failure, following concussion. Any injury of the head such as those in evidence, would be sufficient to cause concussion. The injuries could have been self-inflicted, and had the prisoner been lying on his back could have caused them by bumping his head on the floor. Witness could not say whether the injuries iwero present before deceased tied himself to the staple on the wall. They could have been caused while he was in that position if he had bumped himself against the brick wall. Deceased’s organs appeared healthy for a man of his age. In reply to a question, witness stated that, in his view, concussion was the greatest contributing factor towards the cause of death. The injuries to the head were not necessarily fatal injuries. The Coroner: Do you definitely _ say. that death Was not due to suffocation?

Witness: No, I would not say that. The indications are that there was some obstruction to the air passages, but I could find no evidence of strangulation. If you could find no evidence of strangulation why are you unable to say that death was not due to suffocation?—“l think that a man with the injuries he had, if subjected to any interference with his respiratory organs, might die.” Is it then your considered opinion that the combination of the injuries and the obstruction to the air passages would cause heart failure? —"Yes.” Answering further questions _ witness said that deceased might or might not have been rendered insensible as the result of the injury on the head. Ills reference to concussion meant a slight haemorrhage in the brain substance. It was more likely that deceased had received the head injury after he had strapped himself to the wall.

Deceased’s Insanity. The evidence of Jeremiah Charles Scanlon, superintendent of The Terraco Prison, was that on July 28 last, William Hayden was sentenced by the Supremo Court at Wellington to three years’ reformative detention for a sexual offence. On September 11 he was transferred from The Terrace to thy prison camp at Trentham, and on November 10 was brought back to Wellington for committal to a mental hospital. Ho was examined bv two medical officers and a Magistrate the following day, and his insanity was certified to. On Saturday last witness received tho authority from the Acting-Minister to convey tlft man to Porirua. Since Hayden’s return to the gaol he had given no trouble. but at 2.30 a.m. on the day of his death ho created a disturbance in his cell, and gave expression to the belief that l)is life was in danger; that someone wanted to kill him.

Under Mechanical Restraint. Between 11 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. witness visited Ilavdcn in his coll, at which stage stho man was under mechanical restraint. What was known as tho refractory belt had been placed on him, and his hands were strapped in tho usual way. ’Previously, such use of tho belt had not been followed by any fatal occurrences. Warder Bellamy was in charge of (he prisoner until 12 a.m., when Warder Condliffe rook charge. Witness was out during tne afternoon and did not learn of the death, until fi p.rn. When Warder Bellamy finished duty, at 12 o’clock, tho key which locked ITayden in his coll would fie placed in tho armoury and checked by the chief warder. The coll door conld not be unlocked until tho key was again handed out. s A Matter For Surprise. Chief-Det active Kemp: You have seen how Dr. McEvedy freed his legs and put th? strap round his neck. Did that occasion you any surprise? Witness: Yes-, it did. Tho method tmed never entered into my calculation.

Witness said he wished to draw the attention of the authorities to the cumbersome method provided for in the Mental Defectives’ Act for the committal of a person who was a prisoner, and he considered that some more direct method of obhfiliing a committal order should be provided for in the statute “The proceedings were expedited in this cnse, but it took from Tuesday morning to Saturday at mid-day to get the older,” added the witness. Absence of Padded Cell. Tho Coroner: Have you any ordinary strait jackets in the prison equipment!? Witness: No. I have never seen them here. The straps have always been sufficient. Have you a padded cell? —Not now. The padded cell we had was in the part of the prison that has been removed. The whole place is being demolished. Was Hayden kept under special observation? —He was placed on the special observation list, which meant that he would be visited every halthour. In answer to further questions, witness said that the committal warrant had arrived at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and he had contemplated sending Hayden to Porirua at 1 p.m. The strap was not part of the regular equipment, but had been placed on Haydon’s, legs to prevent him from kicking the officers.

“Alarmist Reports.” At the conclusion of his evidence Mr. Scanlon protested against what he described as tho alarmist reports relating to the case which had been published in the Wellington Press. “So far as I know.” he said, “the information on which they were based was not obtained from my staff, and the statements in many respects are quite inaccurate. A Warder’s Testimony. Arthur Bellamy, one of the prison warders, said that on November 12 he received instructions concerning Hayden from the chief warder. Witness visited deceased’s cell at 10 a.m. on Saturday and noticed that the man was' becoming violent. He was adopting pugilistic attitudes and was' hitting the walls with his open hands. Witness removed the articles from the cell, locked the door, 'and placed a man on guard outside. The prisoner was visited at frequent intervals, and at 10.30 a.m. he was found to be worse. He was placed in the straps, witness being assisted In the operation by Warder Watters and a prisoner flamed Newell. Hayden was still very violent and the guard was kept outside the door. During some of his inspections through the peep-hole witness observed deceased attempting to free himself, and at 11.35 the belt he was wearing was strained to such an extent that some of the stitches were commencing to give way. As an additional safeguard it was decided to put the handcuffs on him. Witness last saw Hayden alive two or three minutes after twelve. He was then lying on the floor of his cell with his head on the mattress, and still straining at the jacket. The Coroner: You have no regular implements hero such as handcuffs for securing A man’s legs? Witness: Not that I know of.

Warder'P. S. Watters informed the Coroner that every care and attention had been shown deceased while he was being strapped up. The Tragedy Discovered. The discovery of tho tragedy was related by Warder C. Gibson, who visited the coll at 1.10 p.m. Deceased was lying on tho floor dead, still in his belt, with the leg strap round his neck, and attached to the staple in the , wall. Witness had come on duty five minutes earlier. Alfred Bell Condliffe, another warder, said he saw the prisoner at about 12.25 p.m., lying on the mattress and, exhibiting no signs of violence. Witness was in charge of the prison at the time. The next' inspection of the cell was not made until 1.10 p.m., when Warder Gibson visited it. Tho Coroner: Did you get any orders to keep a man constantly watching Hayden ? Witness: No. It was really my dinner hour at the time.

A Prisoner’s Evidence. The final witness was a prisoner named Thomas Newell, who said he had assisted the warders to-place the jacket on Hayden, who previously had been punching his head with his hands and screaming out. Witness was placed on guard outside the cell door and kept Hayden under observation through the peep hole until 12 o’clock. _ Deceased had received every consideration during that period. He was. lying quietly on the mattress when witness last saw him. Hitherto he had been less quiet. The Verdict. Briefly reviewing the evidence the Coroner said, that in the man s own interest’ the refractory belt had been placed on him, together with the feet strap and handcuffs. After that operation deceased received three visits, the last of which was between 1J.20 and 12.80. At 1.10 p.fa. he was found dead. It was clear from the evidence that deceased had committed suicide, but it seemed strange on the face of it that a man, secured as Hayden was, should have tho facilities for executing that act. Looking at the method adopted and the way in which tho prisoner had been left, it seemed that he had been tied up and secured in a way which at the time appeared reasonable; but the man had discovered a method of getting the leg strap free, placing it around his neok, tying it to a bolt in tho wall and killing him; self by that means. "I do not think,” added tho Coroner, "that tho officers of the prison have been shown to have acted otherwise than reasonably tinder tho circumstances. A number of matters combined were responsible for the occurrence. Owing to the demolition of the gaol there was no padded cell. Had there been one, tho tragedy possibly would not have occurred. "Another.feature is the delay occasioned in securing a warrant of committal. The procedure at present provided is somewhat cumbersome and roundabout’ ... If means ean be found for the adoption of a sinipler process they will be given effect to." Mr. Page mentioned that’ he would refer to the matter in his report to tho Minister with a view to simplifying the present process. Tho verdict was that deceased met his death by committing suicide in his cell.