MR STEAD IN PRISON.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1517, 29 January 1886, Page 4

MR STEAD IN PRISON.

The Fall Mall Gazette says the Rev. j Benjamin Waugh was permitted by the | courtesy of the Home Office (who were not, by the way, aware that Mr Stead had been incarcerated) to hold half an ; hour's con venation with the prisoner j on matter* of business. Mr Waugh was shown into the waiting-room, bare, j barren, and forbidding, with a long' deal table in the middle of the room,' with birch-like seats round it There the visitor waited for a quarter of an boor when he was taken upstairs to the visiting room, where the prisoner was already seated. The visiting-room, it is sufficient to say, is similar to the | first, but with a better light. A warder j sat in the room, and Mr Waugh sat at! the other end of the table, for he was not allowed either to shake hands with 1 or otherwise welcome his friend. Mr j Stead wore a yellow glenary shaped cap, of which he observed that it " was like the cap he wore when a boy, but: that it was without ribbons." He j wore a loose-fitting short jacket of rough light yellow material, buttoned at the throat—of course, without a j collar —showing all the tope of the! shirt and waistcoat in regular line. | He appeared to have been " cropped," | bat, of course, the visitor was allowed to aak no questions. His beard and moustache, of course, remained. His trousers were loose, baggy, yellow linen of the duck type, with a Govern-1 ment arrow stamped in ink in four different places. His boots were large, and must have been uncomfortable. One was patched upon the toe, and the other had a thick new yellow leather sole upon it lie wore a round cloth label on his left breast. Mr Stead looked very cold, and put his hands inaide his baggy sleeves as if for warmth. He was in good spirits, and seemed able to say many things, but the interview was business. Mr Stead arrived at Coldbathfields last night, when he received the regulation t upper of akilly and brown bread, alter which ho saw the doctor. His dinner is suet pudding and brown bread, and| supper at 5.30 of skilly and browu bread. He sees no one again till breakfast the next morning. It may be said that a prisoner sentenced to hard labour has to pick 3lb. of oakum as his daily task. Mr Stead, not having been so sentenced, will have to pick lib. Mr Stead told his friendi (says a London correspondent) that he did not desire that any steps should be taken to obtain a remission of this sentence, but there is no doubt that a movement will at once be commenced. Several gentlemen of influence have already taken action in the matter. It is probable that a memorial will be presented to the Home Secretary praying that, in the peculiar circumstances of the case, and having regard to the motives under which Mr Stead violated the lav, he may be released from prison. This memorial will receive

many influential signatures, and Sir Biehard Cross will probably be disposed 10 consider it favourably. If, however, this memorial does not produce the result desired, there is no doubt that a popular agitation will be set on foot with the view of securing Mr Stead's release. It is always undesirable to make the proceedings in a Court of Justice the subject of agitation, and it would be well if the Executive rendered any such course unnecessary.