A DESERTER'S DESERTS.

NZ Truth, Issue 215, 7 August 1909, Page 4

A DESERTER'S DESERTS.

A PIONEER PUP PUNISHED.

First-Lieutenant Ford m the • Nick.

An Answer to the "Times."

One day (Friday) of last week, the Press Association agent m Sydney, having nothing better m the way of news on hand, cabled across the tiuly startling intelligence that a pup of a First-Lieu-tenant of H.M.S. Pioneer had. for desertion, been dismissed his ship, severely reprimanded, and ordered to lose two years' seniority. The officer m question is named Ford, and perhaps because he is an impudent Imperial pup, not of the bull-dog breed variety, we find that on Saturday last, that disreputable, Government-spoon fed and "Comic tins" sort of journal, the "New Zealand Times," practically took the degraded Lieutenant to its bosom and wept all sorts of tears over him. As 100 mr.ny people do not make it a habit to Tead the morning journalistic joke, and just as it were to give it a bit of a boom, "Truth" reprints the best part of the small article that the "Times" published. It was headed "LIEUTENANT FORD'S DISGRIAOE" and it went on to say : — It transpires from local inquiries that ; Lieutenant Ford is a young man of about twenty-three years of age. . When the Pioneer reached Wellington, the dissatisfaction which he felt with the service and disagreements which he had had with his superior officer determined him to take the rash step which terminated m his disgrace. He represented to his friends that he desired to leave the Pioneer and obtain a position m the mercantile marine, so he took the course of forwarding a written resignation to the captain and absenting himself from the ship. He seems to have beeii apprehensive that this would lead to trouble, because he. went to the' local police and asked if a warrant had been issued for his apprehension. He was informed that this course had notbeen taken, but two days later, hearing that his arrest was imminent, he gave himself up. He was taken to the Tor* race Gaol, and suffered the indignity of, being placed for some days m immediate contact with the other prisoners. Tills caused him a great <leal of misery, and he expressed deep regret at the impetuous action which had led rto his degradation, (and said he wished, that he had deferred his resignation until the Pioneer returned to England, Lieutenant Ford was taken, under arrest, to Sydney, and there .dealt with as the cable relates. The incident indicates the indiscriminating . manner m which the British Navy deals with deserters' oi all ranks. Ford is described as a sober, abstemious, and very likeable young nian, but inclined to he headstrong and impetuous. He had the impression that as he was persona non grata" with the captain of the Pioneer his resignation would be welcomea, and that he- would be allowed to follow: -unfettered a new line of life. Having given the "Times" slobber over the offending officer, ft is meet, naturally, that "Truth" should show the other side of the "sad" story. First of ali, it must be 1 mentioned that it does not neither know nor care* the reasons which "determined him to take' the rash step which terminated m his disgrace," albeit that m deserting he committed the most serious of naval offences, and a deserter at any' time, m any rank, under ordinary circumstances, can be, m fact, must be, classed as a rank Coward, and this Ford 1 undoubtedly was. He took the course of deserting, and then the brave British Bull-dog became so craven that he lived m fear of being jugged, and .actually (vide the reliable "Times") haunted the police office to place himself under arrest. Apparently, his courage failed him, • after having deserted. He wasn't man to go on with the game. He funked it, anS his arrest was inevitable. The fact that the young man was locked up m the Terrace Gaol seems to have caused the Moaning . "Times" some- concern. Anyhow, the freedom of the gaol yard (strange as the term may seem) Was ; no doubt eminently preferable ta a few' days m the police station cells. There was no indignity m him being locked up. It was just and inevitable, and a craiven. cur of a coward's fate. What however, ; tickles "Truth" almost to death,, is the sorrowful assertion that the dog of a deserter had, when m the Terrace Gaol', come m "immediate contact with the other prisoners," and that he suffered a ejreat deal of misery and expressed conUrition for his desertion. It no doubt' did cause him misery, and this is just where "Truth" is useful. It was only the other day that a young, seaman, a New Zealander, by the way, ! BUT JUST A C'OMMON\ SAILOR, icame to this office with the sact intelligence that he had, that very day, been 'discharged from the Terrace Gaol, where ihe had spent a fortnight or three j weeks for "desertion," 1 and the ship- he' I deserted was the Pioneer. This young : man's desertion earned' him gaol, where ihe was made miserable by coming m j "immediate contact 1 ' 1 ' with the scum' of I Mew Zealand, and his misery was made ' the moi'e intense Ivy tbe very fact Ilha,li he factually rubbed shoulders" with his own' first-lieutenant, who, by the way, was the officer responsible for the young sailor being m gaol. Gaol, like the grave, equalises human beings, and the young sailor found that on the Terrace he .was the equal of his officer, who also was m gaol for deserting. "Truth" doesn't know whether it is the fact that FirstLieutenant Ford came into contact m §aoi with a common sailor off the Pioneer that made him miserable, and this incident of the pair meeting m gaol, as The "Times" says, "indicates the indiscriminate manner m which the BritishNavy deals with deserters of all ranks.'' Now, it was Ford himself who committed desertion and found 1 himself m the' "Nick" that was responsible for the young common sailor serving a stretch, and the "crime" of the sailor has to' be told. This young, but common sailor,, has relatives m New Zealand, and was anxious, being m port m Wellington, to come ashore for a few hours, G. 30 to 9 p.m.. to seek a brother, who he had not seen for fifteen years, ' whom he and other members of the family had regarded as dead, and whom "Jack" from, the Pioneer had learned had on this particular day landed m , Wellington from England. The sailor badly wanted to see his long lout brother and asked Ford for permission to go ashore. He told the First Lieutenant of the circumstance, but that "stern disciplinarian," this under-sized rat, refused to give the necessary leave. The young man therefore, took French leave, and Ford, on hearing of the sailor's impudence, reported, or whatever they do on board warships, with the result that the sailor was arrested, tried, and gaoled. Judge, therefore, his great surprise when m gaol clothes, "A CRIMINAL" AND A DESERTER, he should come face to face with the First-Lieutenant who, m one way, was responsible foT his sufferings m gaol, was himself under lock and key for the same offence, but of a more despicable nature. "Truth" is pleased to learn that V'ord is, "a likeable young man, sober and abstemious." So is the young sailor it has mentioned. Anyhow, perhaps the "Times" might like to slobber over the young sailor, ' who suffered all sorts of indignities m the "x Nick," but who, as a man, is worth a ton of Ford's sort.