LEAP TO DEATH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20520, 22 March 1930, Page 2 (Supplement)

LEAP TO DEATH.

CONVICT JUMPS 30 FEET,

SUDDEN DASH iFROM WARDERS

PENDING STROKES WITH " CAT. "

[ The suicide occurred in Wandsworth' Prison recently of a convict who had been sentenced to receive the " cat," and who was believed' by some people ;[t the time to have been' worrying ' over the fact. The nran was James Edward Spiers, alias Roberts, a London carpenter - aged 37, who at the Old Bailey, was sen-' t!«nced to 10 years', penal servitude and V, stroke.; of the " cat" for. attacking!! a city cashier and attempting to rob himj Spiers was cleaning out his cell in the morning, and was on the balcony,' outside the cell door, when he suddenly diishcd forward from the two warders:' who were escorting him, and threw himself 30ft. to the stone-paved hall below. Xl l6 prison doctor, who happened to be near a|;. hand, rushed to the unconscious, man I but was unable to do anything to savo his life. Spiers died shortly afterward in the prison hospital. News Taken to Wife. News of her husband's death was taken tc Mrs. Spiers, at her home in Camden Town, by a policeman, who asked her to call at the prison.

" This is the last tiling I should have expected my husband to do," she%id.When I saw him in Brixton Prison. 1 said to him: 'My dear, there is only one thing I am worried about, and that is the "cat."' His answer was: "'"Don't you worry, kid; if I havo to go through ifc I am quite prepared.' He was not the type of man to fear physical pain, but I cannot help feebng that the. strain of the last few weeks has been too much for ' liltn." Mrs. Spiers was married three years r ' ago at St. Pancras Register Office. She was Spiers' second wife . Spiers was indicted with another man, George Brown, a labourer who was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude. It was stated at the trial that the two msn attacked Edward Hutchinson, a cashier in the emplay of the Union Lighterage Company, and attempted to steal from him a bag containing £2900. Hutchinson was struck on the head with a lifepreserver. Whip of One Thong, The flogging which : Spiers escaped is dreaded even by hardened criminals. It is not the " cat" of former years, when a whip of nine thongs was used. (The "cat" of to-day consists of only 'one thong, one inch in diameter. V

A warder stands by with brandy in case the prisoner faints, and as soon as tlie prisoner shows' sign of exhaustion he is removed to hospital. In addition to the doctor, there are alwaj-s present three members of, the visiting committee, the governor of the prison, the chief warder and a hospital warder. Few men can endure more than a few strokes, but they are taken back to the "stocks" as soon as the doctor pronounces them'fit. to suffer another portion of the punishment. The process is continued until the' full punishment has been inflicted. most cases,.this . involves four administrations. "This tragic incident cannot,fail to have its bearing on the appeal to the Government for the abolition of flogging," said Miss Cicely Craven, hon. secretary of the Howard League for Penal Reform, to a newspaper . representative. " It appears as if the British Isles will shortly be the only country to uphold flogging, for Frafice, Italy, the United States (with the exception of two States) and Switzerland have entirely given up the use of the lash." Evidence at Inquest. An inquest concerning the death of | Spiers was held subsequently before Mr. Inglebv Oddie. The first witness was V Elsie Spiers, wife of deceased, who said ; there was no history of insanity in her hus-,. band's family'. Coroner: What sort of health was lie in before his sentence?—So far as I know lie was in good health. Coroner: Did not you tell my officer that lately lie had been very -depressed and unable to sleep?—He had for some time when he came out of prison. He was all right afterwards. Coroner: When did bo come out?— About nine months ago. Since then h 5 has bucked up—quite for two months. Coroner: Did you see him after his sentence at the Cent.ral Criminal Court ? Yes. ... Coroner: Did he say anything about it?— When I saw him he said: " Never mind, I can't possibly get that-time 1 ." I ' said, "What about the flogging?" and. ; he replied, " I don't mind the flogging; it fs the ten years I object to." Coroner: did he also know the flogging would not be administered until ten days : had expired ?—He knew that, too. Addressing the jury the coroner said lie gathered that what Spiers objected to was not so much the flogging, but the " ten years' penal servitude. It was rather a dismal prospect to serve ten years. If they knew what was passing through his ■ mind it would probably bo that he;.would rather have had more lashes arid less penal servitude.

"It is open to you to take the view that lie was so miserable and depressed owing to the long years ahead to spend in prison that he was not really in full possession of his faculties. Brooding over his position, thinking perhaps that • his future was hopeless, his misery and depression may have upset his mind so much that ho was not fully responsible for what he did.

" I cannot on that. All I can say is that there is no history of insanity in his family, and although we have heard' that he was depressed and suffering from nerves, his wife says that ho recovered and was in good health. The post-mortem examination shows 110 diseaso of tho body. " Nothing Like it Before." " I have been coroner here." added Mr. Oddie, " for 18 years, and I have never had anything like it before. There was no reason to anticipate it was likely to happen, especially as tho man had spoken to the governor, pointing out that ho had objected to (he lonj; term of imprisonment, and did not refer to tlio ' cat.' "

In reply to a juror, Dr. Walker said that there was nothing to indicate that Spiers should have been placed under observation. 110 appeared very cool and composed. The jury, after a short retirement, returned a verdict that Spiers met his death, through jumping from .1 height, and that ho killed hmiself during temporary insanity, brought 011 by thought of his long term of imprisonment. "We consider.added the foreman, " that it was_ no.fault of the officials of this prison that ,he. mefc. his death." - • - The jury added a recommendation that tlijc opening shoulJ. bc 'covered with wire-; netting to prevent similar occurrences m future. The coroner said that lie was assured by the Prison Commissioners that •• the recommendation would be attended 10, and the netting fixed as soon as possible.