PRISONER’S LETTER TO PRESS

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 243, 14 July 1928, Page 9

PRISONER’S LETTER TO PRESS

ESCAPEE FROM AUCKLAND ; ' / : GAOL • ■ WHY DASH FOR LIBERTY WAS MADE By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, July 13. The prisoner who escaped from Mount Eden Gaol, John Leslie, Buckley, has written a letter to the Auckland "Sun." which arrived this morning. The letter was posted at Christchurch, and bears the date of July 11. The hand-writing, when referred to the police, was identified as that of Buckley. At the conclusion of the letter, Buckley intimates that he has provided for the possibility of his whereabouts, befog discovered from the post office stamp-mark. Buckley says that he has defective eyesight, and while working in the prison quarrv his glasses were broken, fragments of the glass entering his eye. . Continuing. Buckley says,: ‘‘l ipimediately ceased work and complained to the ■warder in charge of , having something in my eye. At my request J was taken to the gaol dispensary and had my eye examined by the warder in charge, who failed to locate anything in it. Next day the prison doctor, Dr. Tewsley, examined my eye, but he, too, failed to locate anything in it. I complained of intense pain, and he prescribed a lotion which was administered, by a warder three hours later. A few days later, after I had made repeated complaints daily, a different doctor’ examined my eye and immediately ordered that'l be sent up'to the public-hospital. I was taken to that institution next day. and had three minute pieces of glass removed from ,my eye by an eye specialist. This was exactly one week later.

“The eye specialist told the’ warder who accompanied me to the hospital that I was to be taken back to the hospital for further treatment if the pain in my eye persisted. I complained next day Io the superintendent of the prison that my eye still pained ■ me. and reminded him that the eye specialist said I was td go back for’ treatment. He did not answer me, but the principal warder, who was present, said that I was not to go back to the hospital for further treatment. That was enough for me. I could see by that that the prison officials did not care a damn if I lost my eyesight or not. I escaped that night. My intention was to go and see an eye specialist on my own account, have my eyes attended to, and then stroll back to prison; but owing to an accident to. my ankle, which occurred while negotiating the prison walls, my plans miscarried.

“My eye still pains me in the daytime, and the thoughts of having an extra two years' term of imprisonment to do pains me too: so I deem it advisable to bear with the pain in my eye until such time as l ean visit an .eye specialist without having to fear very much possibility of being arrested, and having that two years’ term of unpleasantness inflicted on me. That, sir, is my version. You may publish this letter if you wish to. At a later date, when I have a more generous supply of paper on hand, I shall pen you that account of my movements.”