THE CHRISTCHURCH MURDER. ROBERTS REPRIEVED.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 130, 29 November 1909, Page 2

THE CHRISTCHURCH MURDER. ROBERTS REPRIEVED.

HOW THE NEWS WAS RECEIVED. £BX TELEGBAPH — PKES3 ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, 28th Nov. "^■A telegram from tho Minister of Justice was received to-day by the Lyttolton Gaol authorities, stating that His Excellency the Governor had been pleased to commuto the death sentence passed last woek on Arthur Roberts, for the murder of Alice Newman, in tho Silver Grid Restaurant, to one of impriso/t ment foi life. Tho official documents are not yet to' hand, but when the glad news of his reprieve was communicated to Roberts by tho chief warder (in the absence of the governor of the gaol, Mr. Ironsides, who is still laid up, suffering from tho effects of his reoent aocident, caused by the capsizing of the police van) he received it with great calmness, and had nothing to gay. He had been looking forward with great confidence, as if he fully expected the reprieve, and had been in good spirits, while ho has slept well, and has had an excellent appetite. The Rev,. J. J. Bates and Mr. T. I. Smaill, lay ovangelist, havo been visiting Roberts regularly in his cell. There are now seven men in Gaol sorying life sontoncos, iJfree for murder. It is somewhat of \ coincidence that Mr. W. J. Hunter, who appeared for Roberts at ttie trial, to-day forwarded a largely-signed petition to the Minister - for Justice, for transmission to His Excellency, prajing that Koborti a sentence might bo commuted.