WAS HE MAD?

NZ Truth, Issue 172, 3 October 1908, Page 6

WAS HE MAD?

The Tribulations of "True Blue;"

jOne hears of some" strange happenings In* this fair. Dominion. An individual signing himself "True Blue" )ias dropped a letter into '"Truth's" Ch!.—Cchurch office m- which 'he speaßs of seven srears5 r ears spent Iji Mount yiew Lunatic Asylum, although a perfectly sane man. He is a carpenter by trade, and, states that he was arrested on a charge of threatening to shoot a person; was kept m: the lock-up for forty hours, had a. bgd on the hard floor, had his, pockets -.robbed by the police, wasn't allowed out "of his cell to have a j' wash,, was , not permitted to see a Justice<of the Peace, when iie asked for that, privilege,' wasn't charged before a magistrate • with threatening ,to shoot anybody although that was the charge on which he \vas arrested, but was taken straight to the asylum, where he remained for sevenvpears. Apparently it was a weird life amongst ifie looneys for this unfortunate person. Upon arrival at the institution the questions asked by the warder were : (1) Have you any property, jewellery, or friends:? (2) Can you Tight?" "True Blue" thought he must, "be, * ■. _ ' .' '■

GETTING INTO A ROUGH SHOP, but placated the staff to the best of hisability. ' Arriving on Saturday at one o'clock, he was taken oh the following Tuesday to work at the carpenter !s shop. During four years he helped to build .a new cottage near the asylum, a new back yard, additions of three or four rooms to the females' wing, other . work about the yards and superintendent's hodse*,. and he also had to look after the • boilers m the engineer's absence on his holidays - and at other, times. These matters are mentioned to show the amount of graft that . \is done for nothing' by the inmates. Subsequently "True Blue" was looking after the poultry hbuses and yards. He super-, intended the ' hatching and rearing of over fifteen hundred chickens, with incubators during the last part of his term, and was entrusted with the keys of' the wards, which he went m and out of from' 6 a.m. tilf bed-time. "He was even permitted d<swn town on Sundays and holidays and m the evenings. Things appear to . have been' very haphazard when he went as long as six at a stretch, without seeing the superintendent, and ""True Blue" was never asked by that officer how he was progressing or how he felt. "True Blue" asked for ,his freedom and was treated with discourtesy. "Do you. think 1 am a 'lunatic ?" he asked the superintendent, who replied, '-'Nby 'we /do' not think you are that; you are better where you are. The boys- might knock you about. I .' i'True Blue" finally 'obtained, his discharge through the services of a ifriend, but he had been very useful and was offered a room m the asylum and. a cash consideration if he stopped there. Fancy working there for preference after spendiing seven years m the institution ! The superintendent attempted to prejudice the person who took "True Blue" out by assuring him that he was the. most dangerous man m the place, whereas the victim swears solemnly that he never at any time. ■■ ' THREATENED: TO SHOOT ANYBODY I He got away, subsequently under six months' probation, -which he served and got his discharge, although the superin-tendent-held the man's friend responsible for anything that might happen. "True Blue," who is now working at his trade, .wants to know why he shouldn't be recompensed'for his seven years' work, and it, 'looks like a fair proposition if. his stfbry is. true. At ariyrate he's going to sue the person who ordered his arrest, arid points out pertinently that on the charge of ; threatening to shoot he "was entitled to-be tried before a judge and jury. He says it is a serious thing for him to be going about and working among people and have the old- bad business cbfucked up m his face. He calls it illegal imprisonment, •'•, only it is' worse m an asyluAn and more dangerous. Perhaps if | the man's ease is ventilated many of the abuses, to ■which this . payer has often taken ' exception will see the light of day arid, be eradicated. » ~- ':