LIFE IN PRISON

Southland Times, Issue 20538, 14 July 1928, Page 8

LIFE IN PRISON

TOO MUCH TO BEAR ESCAPEE WRITES TO NEWSPAPER RAN AWAY TO SAVE HIS EYESIGHT (Per United Press Association., Auckland, July 13. A prisoner who escaped from the Mount Eden gaol, John Lislie Buckley, has written a letter to the Sun which arrived this morning. The letter was posted at Christchurch and bears the date July 11. The handwriting when referred to the police was identified as that of Buckley. At the conclusion of the letter Buckley states that he has provided for the possibility of his whereabouts being discovered from the postoffice stamp mark. Buckley says he has defective eyesight and while working in the prison quarry his glasses were broken, fragments of the glass entering his eye. Continuing, Buckley says:—l immediately ceased work and complained to the warder in charge of having something in my eye. At my request I was taken to the gaol dispensary and had my eye examined by the warder in charge who failed to locate anything in it. Next day the prison doctor, Dr. Twesley, examined my eye, but he too failed to locate anything in it. I complained of intense pain and he prescribed a lotion which was administered by a warder three hours later. A few days later after I had made repeated complaints daily, different doctors examined my eye and immediately ordered that I be sent up to the public hospital. I was taken to that institution next day and had three minute pieces of glass removed from my eye by an eye specialist. This was exactly one week later. The eye specialist told the warder who accompanied me to the hospital that I was to be taken back to the hospital for further treatment if the pain in my eye persisted. I complained next day to the Superintendent of Prisons that my eye still pained me and reminded him that the eye specialist said I was to go back for treatment. He did not answer me but the principal warder who was present said that I was not to go back to the hospital for further treatment. That was enough for me. I could see by that that the prison officials did not care a damn if I lost my eyesight or not. I escaped that night. My intention was to go and see an eye specialist on my own account, have my ex. ' attended to and then stroll back to the prison but owing to an accident to my ankle which occurred while negotiating the prison wall my plans miscarried. My eye still pains me in the daytime. Thoughts of having an extra two years term of imprisonment to do pains me too so I deem it advisable to bear with the pain in my eyes until such time as I can visit an eye specialist without having to fear very much the possibility of being arrested and having that two years term of unpleasantness inflicted on me. That sir, is my version. You may publish this letter if you wish to. At a later date when I have a more generous supply of paper on hand I shall pen you the account of my movements.