LIONEL TERRY CAPTURED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 38

LIONEL TERRY CAPTURED.

For the first few days after Lionel Terry* 3 sudden departure from Seacliff ther^ were frequent reports which showed that he was apparently making his way inland. Then suddenly information * was cut off. There were 6ome who surmised that he had found shelter with a sympathising "hatter^' in some lonely gully. Others, again, hazarded the opinion that he had made his way to the West Coast, in the fastnesses of which he might baffle pursuit and await a chance to escape from the country. There were still others, who professed to have been let into the secret, willing to assert that Terry had already left the country.. Meanwhile, the subject of all this conjecture has not , been so very far away after aIL The police have been quietly but energetically continuing their search for the escapee, and on the 11th Detective Hunt and Constable Kidd, the latter of Waikouaiti, came across Terry. Riding round a curve in a hill track on the 11th near Ben Dor an, which is a station some miles inland from Waikouaiti,' they suddenly saw some distance ahead a tall, bare-headed figure in a grey Norfolk suit. It needed no second glance to assure them it was Lionel Terry, for whom they had been searching so long. They hailed him, careful, however, not to increase their horses' pace; Terry meanwhile waiting , politely. As they approached, his suspicions became aroused, and he placed a barbedwire fence between himself and the police. To inquiries, he said he was Lionel Terry, and he could see they were police officers, and as such they had their dnty to do. As for accompanying them as suggested, he begged to state that he was I not yet tired of his free life. With that |he walked away. Being unable to take their mounts across the fence, the detective and policeman dismounted and pursued on | foot, whereupon Terry ran down the hill like a deer. The course he chose was an unfortunate one for his would-be captors, being strewn thickly with, boulders. Here Detective Hunt fell heavily, sustaining a nasty gash in the forehead, end injuring j a hand. Terry disappeared into a belt of dense bush, and though hunted for high and low, and was not seen again. j Next day, however, Terry was recaptured. The — capturing party conj Bieted of Constable Kidd (Waikou- ' aiti) and Constables Pont and Bfien (Dunedin). This party went out on Wednesday morning, reaching Ben Doran Station that night and camping in a shepherd's hut. In tire morning Constable Brien. on going outside, saw Terry sauntering along towards the hut without either boots or hat on. Brien went back into the hut, and Kidd came out and called on Terry, who had stopped, to surrender. With a "No fear" the fugitive turned and made a dash for cover. Terry's running powers had, however, been anticipated, for Brien had been, specially in. eluded in the party by reason of being the champion runner at the Dunedin Station. Brien followed Terry in a twinkling, clearing a fence in hie stride, and, although Terry had a fairly good start, he quickly overhauled him. When the constable was close on hie man, Terry turned round and let out a blow. He, however, missed his mark, and Brien, ruehing in. closed with the prisoner. A sharp struggle ensued, but Terry had met his match and was brought to the ground, where he was held until the other two of the party came up. The handcuffs were put on, and the fugitive was onoe more made secure. Terry expressed a desire to go to his hiding-place, as he had some belongings he would like to take away. He accordingly led the constables to a whare, which he had constructed in the bush underneath a large rock, thatched over on top. That Terry had not lacked friends was at once made manifest, for in this place of hiding were discovered a panama hat, a new pair of boots, a wool pack, some- blankets, a few articles of food, and a pound note. The whare wa» capitally concealed, and the constables are very doubtful as to their having been able, unaided, to find it. In addition to the things above-mentioned, there were also the pair of leather eandais which Terry <rore when he left Seacliff, and a flax pair which he had evidently made during his period of freedom. During the forenoon the party made a start for Waikouaiti, Terry and his captor taking turns riding and walking for distances of about three miles. The constables took no chances with their prisoner, notwithstanding that he gave his word of honour that he would not try to escape. Waikouaiti was reached in due time, and here the express train was caught. At Seacliff Terry was once more handed over to the authorities, and thus ended his third unsuccessful attempt to regain his liberty. Sub-inspector Norwood, who Is in charge of the Dunedin district at present, had made very complete arrangements for a thorough search of the district where Terry was known to be. In addition to the party which succeeded in bringing off the capture, and which went by way of Waikouaiti, the Waitati constable and an asylum warder went from Waitati over the ranges, and Co^-table Graham (of Outram) went out from "that place towards Lamb's Hill, which Terry was known, to have visited on one or two occasions. The work entailed on the police force by the search and numerous chzses, often on a false scent, has been very severe, but the vigilance of the force has never on<x> flagged. They are to be congratulated on the manner in whioh they have stuck to the work, and on the successful conclusion to which it has been brought. An eye-witnesa of Terry's arrival at Seacliff makes the following statement: — At Seacliff Station a crowd awaited the arrival of the train that brought Lionel Xerrj, afid inclination found v.enj in jmur-

murs when it was seen that Terry, beside* beintr closely guarded by two policemen-, was "handcuffed. Dr Truby King met the prisoner on the platform, and Terry held! out his manacled wrists to shake hands. A few words passed between the doctor and Terry, and then the former. ts*aing to» the constables, said : " You had better take those handcuffs off at once. Xam surprised) at your having put them on." The handcuffs having been removed, Terry accom* panied Dr Truby King to the hospitaJ 4 . Terry on arrival appeared to have been shaved quite recently.