DUNEDIN GAOL INQUIRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1652, 21 July 1883, Page 19

DUNEDIN GAOL INQUIRY.

Wellington, July 18. The Gaol inquiry was resumed to - day, when

Henry Garrett was examined. He stated that he was in Dunedin for 13 years — from 1868 to 14th January 1881.

_ To Captain Hume : He was ill on one occasion from dysentery, and Dr Burns ordered him wine daily. It was stopped by the gaoler, and some time after he found that wine was drawn for him, although he did not get it. Dr Burns told him that ho had not stopped the wine. Mr Caldwell said the reason he did not give wine to witness was that it was bad. Witness told Mr Caldwell that it was good, and he would like a bottle a day of it. Dr Burns, at Mr Caldwell's request, then stopped the issue of the wine, and he could not get it. Witness was then removed from the surgery and Rent back to his cell, where Mr Caldwell visited him, and said, " You dog, you have been complaining about the stoppage of your wine. I'll stop more than that." On the next visit of the doctor, Mr Caldwell said that witness had had more than the proper quantity. Witness was after this kept in a separate cell, and was subjected to much ill-treatment. Witness complained to Mr Brown, one of the visiting Justices, about the stoppage of the wine, hut he refused to entertain the complaint. He again complained, and Mr Brown said he would punish him. He complained a third time to Mr Brown when Mr Caldwell was in the office. In the presence of the Justice and of Warders Duncan and Macnamara, Mr Caldwell seized witness by the throat, and on witness trying to release himself, Macnatuara struck him on the head with his baton. Witness fell, and Mr Caldwell "booted" him. He was dragged to his cell, not being permitted to walk. He did not see the doctor for three weeks after this, although he was receiving medicine. Witness still complained of the stoppage of the wine to Mr Brown in his cell, whereupon witness was ordered to the office, where Mr Oaldwell oharged him with disobeyance of orders in making these repeated complaints. For this witness was sentenced to seven days' solitary confinement on April 25, 1880. Witness then asked to write to the Minister of Justice, but Mr Oaldwell got Mr Brown to refuse to transmit his petition. Witness was deprived of a portion of his rations when in solitary confinement. Eight ounces of his bread used to be taken from his cell when he was at exercise, and he had to fast the remainder of the day. Warder Duncan, to whom he complained, said that the man who cleaned out the cell must have taken the bread. Witness then took his bread into the exercise-yard, but a warder came to take it from him, and witness stopped him. On ono occasion, after returning troni exercise, he found his bread in a tub, and witness was admonished not to do it again. Again witness was brought to the office, where he was choked in the presence of Mr Brown and knocked down with bludgeons, Waiders Duncan and Macnamara being present. Witness saw the doctor 40 hours afterwards. This was before Mr Caldwell, when Warder Gray seized witness by the throat and dragged him to the cell. Thii was also done in the presence of the dootor. After this he was never allowed for two years to ace tbedoctor. He did not ask the Justices to be permitted to ace the doctor,

because it would have been of no good. He saw Mr Logan twice, and complained about the wine, but said nothing about not being allowed to see the doctor. He never saw Mr Thomson, a visiting Justice, in the Dunedin Gaol. He recollected the first time he saw Captain Hume. That was after he bad been two and a-half years in his cell. Witness then asked him for his removal, which was granted 10 days afterwards. Mr Caldwell used to look m when he was confined and say, " What, you dog, alive yet? You've got a handkerchief, and you shall have another, and no interruption shall be offered you." Mr Caldwell on another occasion said that witness should never leave the Gaol alive. When confined in the cells he was allowed a quarter of an hour every other day. He was never permitted to work in the shops during that period. His tea and milk were stopped on April 24, 1880, and never renewed, ihere was a mutual improvement society in the Lraol and witness was allowed writing materials, but after the wine affair he was never permitted to have paper. When he complained of the regulations being broken Mr Caldwell and Mr Brown said that they were the regulations. He had seen Mr Caldwell and the warders repeatedly drunk. He was working in the shops when the Government storekeeper came round, and he received orders from Pnctor or Strange to "plant" tools After the storekeeper left the " plant " was sprung. Once prisoner wrote a Scriptural biography, and also an essay on crime, and the latter had been published in the newspapers. Witness once picked up 20s whilst working on the wharf, but Mr Caldwell only gave him 10a of it. He had not seen female prisoners on the male side of the prison, except to go to the office in charge of the matron. Prisoner James Hogan also gave evidence. He had written to Mr Vincent Pyke and also to Mr Stout re the treatment he received in the Gaol, but never received any reply. He had seen a prisoner named Hull ill-used. Prisoner John Moon had been three years in the Dunedin Gaol. Prisoners Moffatt and Reid were treated better than the others, the latter being permitted to see his wife every Sunday for an hour in the clerks' office. Letters witness had written at Dunedin Gaol never reached home Prisoner Moffatt used to treat males and females, and Moffatt and Mr Caldwell used to visit the female v.rrds together. The inquiry was adjourned until to-morrow.