HOLT, THE EX-BANK MANAGER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7844, 13 January 1887, Page 6

HOLT, THE EX-BANK MANAGER.

Public opinion in Sydney has been somewhat excited by various rumours regarding the treatment in goal of the prisoner Holt. Uzder the plea that hia health was bad it was stated that he was being kept in the prison hospital, and that in hia case the stringency of gaol discipline had been materially relaxed. In order to get at the correct state of affairs, a representative of the Evening .News was directed to visit the Parramatta gaol, and to ascertain, so far .I* he could, what actually was the condition «if Hoit health. in bis report he says :— 1 found that the rumours as to Holt being in good health were traceable in the first in« stance to released prisoners who had been in ihe gaol hospital, and who, on coming out or priacn, talked pretty • freely on the fciibjcct. 'ihen one or two of the gaol fitlicials themselves, when questioned by Incnds during their unofficial hours r»u tbe subject, admitted that in their opinion Holt was not so bad in health as people thought The next thing was to see dolt and judge for oneself. Bat just here She difficulty came in, that access to Bolt (vaa rendered as difficult as it was to that twin brother of the French King, who, according to Alexander Dumas, was got out of the Bastile by an ex-musketeer. Under the prison rules in each cases. Holt is supposed to put in a certain time without any kind of communication with the outer world. No visitor is to see him; he is to receive or send no letter. This, though a gaod regulation, admirably calculated to ensure none but official reports of Holt's state of health becoming public, was Dot insuperable. A friend had occasion to go so Parramatta Gaol to see an inmate of the hospital there whose name was not Holt, and I accompanied him. That anyone coming tj see Holt would have been refused was shown by a surmise expresaed in our presence by an official that we wanted to see, Holt, My friend, however, answered truthfully that he did not desire this.. Another objection offered was that the gaol doctor did not like outsiders to visit the hospital because it disturbed hia patients. This shows that in some respects gaol patients receive greater consideration than do those in charitable asylums. However, my friend and myself were admitted to the hospital; and there I got a good look at Holt. Without at all impugning the medical statements as to his health, mentally and physically, I am bound to say that to a uoero lay observer like myself, whose examination of him was brief, ho seemed about as well in mind and body . as conceived. ,He was clad in prison hospital garb, whitish trousers, checked shirt, aud a kind of bine jean coat. I had a good look at him on first entering the hospital, and at this time he had received no warning from anyone that; probably I was there to look at him. Ho has a slight beard, and is pale faced, but by no means unhealthy looking. He wis standing near a small table,;, but moved presently towards the centre of the room. Ilia eyes were clear and bright, and bis expression by no means unanimated. His attitude and gait gave no idea of feebleness. He said something to a fellow prisoner, and his tone and manner were certainly not those ,of a man utterly broken down by his crimes.nd its consequences. When I had got thus far in my observation, Holt, 1 could see, got what is technically called the 'office.' A . warder came in, and Holt and other prisoners not lying down in bed, were ordered out. In addition, I could see that the 'tip ' was given to Holt that there were strangers about. For this reason, perhaps, he put on a lackadaisaical air as be left the toom, at the same time putting .on his coat, which he had been pieviouily carrying in his hand, but when he had got outside the door and free, possibly, as he thought, from observation, he gave his trousers a hitch, tried a skip with his legs, and went off with a gait by no means tbat of an invalid. I need scarcely say I saw no more of him, but without implicating anyone, 1 may say that from certain short conversations I had during the next ten minutes I feel pretty certain that Holt, though the gaol officials themselves obey the regulations most strictly, does send to and receive communications from 'friends outside." ' - -