A TRAGEDY RECALLED.

Waipa Post, Volume XXI, Issue 1339, 9 January 1923, Page 2

A TRAGEDY RECALLED.

RETURNED SOLDIER'S LIFE SENTENCE. An echo of the unhappiness of a soldier of Australia who returned to his native land from Egypt under sentence of imprisonment for life has been heard in the Melbourne courts. The charge on which he was convicted while on active service related to the death of a Bedouin, and, when the unhappy man returned, he had nothing to look forward to except a life of monotonous drudgery behind grey walls.

In his plight he turned to a Melbourne solicitor and gave him £2BO, to be utilised, he says, in an effeort o secure a commutation of his sentence The solicitor sa'id the money was handed to him ny an agreement (which he had not been able to locate) whereunder he was to retain the money for services, professional and ordinary, in connection with the effort to secure the soldier's release. The sentence was ultimately commuted to ten years, and recently, it apepars, he was liberated (after four years and a half'in gaol), and is now working h'is way back to good citizenship. It was at this stage that the matter came before the Supreme Gourt, the •soldier alleging that the solicitor had nothing to do with his release and claiming the return of £2OO. The court set aside the solicitor's counterclaim, and ordered him to submit a bill of costs, which the Registrar taxed down to nothing. At the hearing the Chief Justice said he was not satisfied that any reasons had been advanced for leave to defend. He made order that, if defendant paid into court the full amount claimed, he would be given leave to defend, otherwise final judgment woul I be entered, with costs.