BORN IN GAOL

NZ Truth, Issue 91, 16 March 1907, Page 4

BORN IN GAOL

HOOD, THE HIDEOUS HUNCH-

BACK.

Sentenced to Twelve Months'

Gaol.

Always "Chivvied" and "Moved

On."

The human being, male or female, born of a convict mother confined m gaol, Beta out on bis or her journey through life damned from the start. Suoh,. indeed, iswhat can be said of one Charles Hood, who last Monday morning -was sentenced to 12. months' imprisonment by Dr. McArthur on a charge of theft, while sentences, of three months and one month's gaol on other charges of theft were ordered to run concurrently. Hood has been seldom out of gaol of recent years, and though only 23 years of age, it is safe to say that the poor devil will not taste the sweets of liberty; again, as nothing is more certain than that the next time will be his last, as he is'aure; to be prpqlaitried an . i , INGOBREGIBLE HABITUAL ' 'I CRIMINAL, ' ••,•'.■ • Hood is a hunchback, and his hideous deformity excites the pity of everybody. Born in' Wellington gaol, it is no wonder that £h* poor, debased (fqr he is a drunkard), and deforced wretch Bhouldlove to wander back home osjje.egain.^-He jsa cunning orimi^aU and perverse nature has endowed him with talent •which, of couT3e, the born orimfnai that' he is, diverts to wrong channels, He is a hopeless wretch\ and Co one has a kind word for ; .and'probably no one ever took the trouble to try and save the hunchback from himself. He, for the past year or two, has been drifting m and out of gaol, and if ever he got honest employment he drank himself out of it. He was charged/ m conjunction with an individual named Thomas Martin Smyth, with the theft of tools from various city establishments. In addition, Hood was on his own on charges of stealing a case of whisky valued, at £Js, and a bicycle valued at; £10. 'The first victim was Councillor " Windy " Winder, and Hood went to him with a note purporting to come from tragic Tommy Carmichael, another City Councillor and contractor. On the strength of tl^-Mota Hood got the tools, and the same ferk was successfully worked on other establishments. The goods were promptly popped, and the proceeds sunk m liquor. For his share m the transaction Smyth got a. month, as it was his first appearance before a Court of Justice.

Hood, according to Detective Casseil?, had pounced on the bicycle, the property of one Keep ; Wilson, and had gone straight away and sold it for £1, which also was spent m liquor. But that was..

' ■ NOTHING TO THE FTOT; Hood had with the case" of whisky. He rang up McParland,- of the Cecil, m the name of a customer, and requested a case- of whisky to be sent along; a bottle was urgently needed, and the telephone message said that a boy would be sent around for it, The boy was Hood. He got the bottle, and next got the case. His 'friends were soon summoned j and beforo the rescuers got. 'to work the whisky had all gone. " 4

Hood was asked to givo an account of: his conduct, and stated that a couple of nights after he came out of gaol he was threatened with arrest by some constable,. . Ho. had no money iand no friends, and he attributed the policeman's threat' to a Mr. Halliburton, presumably one of the gaol authorities who, because Hood was born. in gaol, -would not give him a helping hand becauso his church-going friends would not like it. So, like "Jo" of Bleak House, he was "chivvied" and "movecl bii." lie had' wi-jiicn ,to his step-brothel' m ihe ; country to got him work and to assist him to load an honest life. He hud' nob got any reply, and was forced to "doss out," "and so he went back to his old game. ..•':,•■ *

Dr. McArfchur : 3?roin bicycles to whisky. You're the same individual' who gam the bogus order for the tools some fciine ago ?i

Hood : Yes, I'm the samb chap

Dr. McArthur: Your last sentence /vyas , three mbriths. You ai'e no'Booiiei: out ,th,an you are up to voul\ Old .games witjli these , orders. You eeein to have talent : but I am afraid it is diverted m; the wrong. direo-

tion. ; . . ■ . .-■ v .. '' Hood was then sentenced as 'stated,