ESCAPE FROM CAMP

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 113, 6 February 1937, Page 10

ESCAPE FROM CAMP

Prisoners Seek Change of Food STORY TOLD TO COURT Dominion Special Service. Wanganui, February 5. A change of food from the ordinary prison camp fare was the excuse offered by~two Waikune Prison Camp prisoners, Lindsay Edist Edward Garner, 27, aud Albert Harris, 36, who appeared before Messrs. J. Morrison and J. McMillan, J .P.’s, in the Magistrate s Court, Wanganui, to-day. They were charged with breaking aud entering the shop of Thomas James McKee, at Owhango, by night, on December t, 1936, and stealing £l2, a cash register, two cases of butter, and a quantity of tobacco and stores valued at £lO4/10/3. They were also charged with converting a motor-car at the Chateau longariro to their own use, valued at £398, the property of L. J. D. Bayfield. Both accused pleaded guilty and were committed for sentence at the next sitting of the Supreme Court at Wanganui. Lionel J. D. Bayfield, manager of the Chateau, said his car was in the basement the night it was taken out. Another car had also been wheeled out and left a short distance away. He found his car about six miles from the Chateau, off the road and on the edge of a swamp. Answering Garner, witness said prisoners were sometimes in the vicinity of the Chateau,. and they could get to the basement without his knowledge. Witness was also asked what was his opinion regarding laxity with the prisoners at the camp, but the bench ordered him not to reply. Thomas James McKee, storekeeper, described what had been stolen from his shop and said that with the exception or £lO in money, the greater portion of it had been recovered. . Arthur Bissett, temporary officer in the employ of the Prisons Department at Waikune Camp, said that in December, 1936, he was in charge of a gang of prisoners at Whakapapanui sub-camp, and described locking-up hours. Ou December 16, his attention was drawn to four doors on the huts which he noticed had been interfered with from the inside, and a piece of wood removed Irom the door jambs in such a manner that the prisoners could liberate themselves. Questioned by Garner, witness said lie could not say whether the wood had been taken from the doors before accused came to the camp. Driven to Commit Crime.

“The condition of the rood at this camp particularly drove us to go out and commit this crime,” remarked Garner, and the Bench replied that it had nothing to do with the court at the present time, but prisoner would later have the opportunity of placing the complaint before the proper authorities. D.etective A. J. White, of Hamilton, said that with Detective J. Murray, of Wanganui, he investigated several robberies from shops in the Tokaanu district. They visited the Whakapapanui camp on December 16, examined the huts and found the door jambs on four huts interefered with. Together with three constables, a search was made around the camp, where various “plants’’ were found. He produced pieces of wood from the doors which, when fitted in, could not be readily detected. They were not the actual pieces cut originally from the doors. In reply to Harris, witness considered the cuts were made by a hacksaw blade. He found several about the camp.

Detective Murray gave corroborative evidence, and said that Harris frankly admitted he was one of four prisoners who left their huts, took the car from the' Chateau and broke into the store. Garner, when told his finger-prints were found on a mustard tin later also frankly’ admitted his part. He then read accused’s statements, adding that each of the prisoners told him they had other stolen property hidden near the camp. He took them back, and Harris unearthed a quantity of tobacco and £l/4/6, and Garner unearthed a tin containing £4. Six other tins of tobacco had also been, handed to witness by the officer in charge* at the camp, which he said were handed to him by other prisoners. Had it not been for the two accused the property referred to would not have been found. They volunteered the information. Answering Garner, Detective Murray said ,he thought his door had been cut previously by another prisoner. Hungry at Camp. Garner remarked to witness that he was hungry at the camp at times, and witness said that Garner had desired a change of food. Garner added that he had complained on various occasions about the condition of food at the camp. Harris, who was serving a two-year sentence, and who is a married man with his. home at Christchurch, said in his statement that there were about 10 to 12 prisoners at the Whakapapanui camp. He agreed with three other prisoners whose names he did not wish to disclose, to go to the Chateau and take a ear and break into the store at Owhango. "We four had discussed the matter, and we could see by cutting a small piece of wood out of the door jamb that we could liberate ourselves.” Another prisoner agreed to cut his door while he kept the warder occupied in the garden. “With the other prisoners I was locked up at about 7 o’clock that night. The four of us had agreed to get out of our huts at about 10 o’clock, after the warder had put out his light.” They walked from the prison to the Chateau and arrived there at about 11.30 p.m. Prisoner Ao. 1 had gone forward and was met pushing a small car which, however, would not start. A little later the same prisoner returned driving a big new car. This prisoner was the only one of the party who could drive, and they all went to the store. After describing the articles stolen, the statement went on to say that the first stop was made at the prison crusher on the bank of the Whakapapaiti Stream, about two miles on the Chateau side of the prison. At the crusher, the till stolen from the store was forced and parcels of butter and tobacco were “planted.” They found the sum of £6 in notes in the register, about £4 in silver, and eight or nine shillines in copper. Prisoner No. 1 bad taken an envelope marked “£4” off (he top of the register -while the party was at Owhango. The register was later dumped in some bush along the road to the prison camp. Spoils Shared. “We next stopped at the Whakapapanui prison and unloaded the rest of tiie stolen property,” continued the statement. “I got out of the car at the camp and prisoner No. 1 took the car further along the Tokaanu Road to abandon it. . . . The three of us were back in our huts and had securely locked ourselves in before No. 1 got back. . . . He did not get into his hut until 6 a.m.—about half an hour before unlocking-time. “After we were unlocked we divided all the money in the register, also the money that No. 1 bad found in the envelope. Although this envelope was marked ‘£4’ No. 1 told as that it contained only £2, and that is all he produced for us to share. . . . We four went to work at the crusher as usual with the rest of the prisoners that morning. When we knocked off we loaded on to the prison lorry a case of butter and another sack of tobacco, fruit, jams, and so forth. This we brought to the prison camp and divided between us, and we ‘planted’ our share in the scrub, tussocks and under the boulders some distance out from the prison. Change of Diet. “After I got back into my hut on the morning of December 8, I puttied up the crevice where the piece of wood had been taken out of my door and smeared it over with paint afterward, so that it could not be noticed. . . . For my part I was prompted into committing the offence by the thought that Christmas was ape

proaching, and I had a desire to have some little variation in my food. The stuff we took from this store was that which we are not supplied with in the prison. Blitter is never issued, neither is jam nor any of the other tinned fruit we took. The tobacco that is issued is jail tobaeco. We are never given ordinary tobacco to smoke.” Garner, whose home is in Wellington, and who has served three years and a half of a five-year sentence, made a similar statement, lie said that while serv ing sentence at Whakapapanui the ration of tobacco was cut down by half. He secured the car at the Chateau and, as the door was locked, smashed the glass window. The switch key was missing, so he bridged the wires. He gave as his liouest reason lor the offences that he wanted a change of diet from what they were getting at tao orison.