PRISONER V. “CHIEF JUSTICE.”

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4081, 20 June 1900, Page 2

PRISONER V. “CHIEF JUSTICE.”

.;> L 1 -J, X,’ X. . , A eppti-ibutor; supplies particulars, of an interest Trig series of events that happened in Wellingtoii'some little while back. The 'chief'adtdrs In the;occurrence.'wore a local ■Justlfeo of the 1 Peace,' wild is known among the habitues of the Stipendiax-y Magistrate's -'Goul’t'.bs thfe- J.ristjcfe,''” ,ahd- a man whoi had of late years spent most of his thne in prison, but v ho. previous to-his first iheatceration., Vas known throughout the colony as a very knavt "Commercial,-” who, had .a, large repertoire of fuiiny anecdo--5 Th 6 latter-individual; during one of his occasional short, terms ,of-liberty, .called "bn - t'Bfe*”t3ueO'niHoe,” -and informed him that he bad some important information to disclose about the gaol. The “Chief Justice” , being qf a. rvery kindly nature, at once agreed to'hear .the story; and then 1 diTThird.labour” a tale unfold that would horrify.the Jstrongest of mortals, "even if it-.did not "make each hair stand on end like-quills, upon the fretful porcupine.” In shopl be explained that there was a' ■‘deep -laid 'plot hi'.course, of, hatching—that the c ( ohvicts in ; the prison workshop were busily-engagedpnaking a number of skele'ton keys; that these would be .sent out of prisoh*to confederate's at largebn, the city;' "uiid That,-on a' certain evening,, a con-certed-plan would -be made-for robbing all the j banks and large offices in the city. TheiTCliief Justice” listened‘ with rapt attention to the story, and having thanked and-dismisßcd his - informant,'fesunfed his chair to ponder what was best to be done. At last ho decided. He would communicate With ‘the;,’Commissioner of Police, a gentleman who is generally supposed to bo able to. intuitively detect crime, and with the -Governor of the Gaol," another keen olficeri who is supposed, to sco wrong-doers in the dark. -Whether a conference was held between-dhe parties has not been made known,, but, a course of action .was decided hpqnl tTlje.workshop was not to be opened for the. ; coiiyictß,.pn the following morning, and.,a. minu,te search wa‘s; to bo made by the-wjarders. ( Whilst - those convicts who usually worked in the shop-could not understand ,the reason,for their,half-holiday, ' bpt mevf,rtheless enjoyed, it, the warders were turning upside-down tho workshop and everything in it. After a lengthened and careful search and nothing in the shape of keys or of anything else out of the common being discovered, it gradually dawned on the searchers that someone had, in forcible if not elegant language, been "pulling the leg” of the "Chief-Justice,” and •thatithe gaol authorities had in a lesser degree also "fallen in.” When the result of the .search was communicated to the "Chief .Justice,”, "he took his gruelling like a man;” but be has inwardly vowed that for the future he will accept with a very! largo anioimt of sa)t . any reports brought to him by discharged prisoners.