THE MOTUIHI ESCAPE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16760, 29 January 1918, Page 4

THE MOTUIHI ESCAPE.

EX-COMMANDANT'S TRIAL. PROCEEDINGS OPEN TO-DAY. The trial by court-martial of LieutenantColonel C. Harcourt Turner, ex-com-mandant of the Motuihi internment camp, in connection with the escape of 10 German prisoners of war and one German civilian prisoner, will be opened at 10.3Q o'clock this morning at the City Council Chambers, which has been placed at the disposal of the Court. The Court will be open to the public.

The president of the Court is Colonel J. P. Adams, C.M.G., of the New Zeaand Field Artillery. The members are lieutenant-Colonels J. L. Sleeman, D. Pringle, E. W. Porritt, J. A. P. Frederick, J. Deans, and F. T. Bellringer. The waiting members will be LieutenantColonels J. Hislop, J. P. Stevenson, and G. J. Beattie. Captain P. E. Baldwin will act as prosecutor, and Major J. F. Pullen will appear on behalf of LieutenantColonel Turner. Colonel J. R. Reed, K.C., Judge-Advocate-General, will also be present. The specific charge against LieutenantColonel Turner is that, while acting as commandant, of Motuihi, he, without reasonable excuse, allowed to escape 11 persons committed to his care, and allowed certain of them to obtain possession of a launch and to make other preparations for escape without taking reasonable means to prevent it. There are two alternative charges.