It happened that seven new prisoners were admitted on Christmas day. The Tailors shop had to be opened to issue and stitch on their clothing, and numbers. There is little doubt therefore that had I postponed the search another day, I might have caught the incendiaries in the act. But I was anxious to bring the matter to a speedy conclusion: on the 26th I began an enquiry into the matter which I have carried on till now. I separately examined each prisoner employed in the tailor shop. Every one at first denied all knowledge of the matter. I removed almost every one from the tailors shop and put them to crank, to chain gang, shot and stone drill, or oakum, according as I consider them more or less implicated. After this, one or two of them appeared willing to speak out and from evidence I have received I am disposed to think that the ringleaders were N. 91, 134, and N.126. I append statement of evidence taken. I hope to be able to convict the ringleaders before a criminal Court.
8. if A. Gordon, Superintend...
has been rewritten toIt happened that seven new prisoners were admitted on Christmas day. The Tailors shop had to be opened to issue and stitch on their clothing, and numbers. There is little doubt therefore that had I postponed the search another day, I might have caught the incendiaries in the act. But I was anxious to bring the matter to a speedy conclusion: on the 26th I began an enquiry into the matter which I have carried on till now. I separately examined each prisoner employed in the tailor shop. Every one at first denied all knowledge of the matter. I removed almost every one from the tailors shop and put them to crank, to chain gang, shot and stone drill, or oakum, according as I consider them more or less implicated. After this, one or two of them appeared willing to speak out and from evidence I have received I am disposed to think that the ringleaders were N. 91, 134, and N.126. I append statement of evidence taken. I hope to be able to convict the ringleaders before a criminal Court.
8. A. Gordon, Superintendent.
Here is the corrected version in HTML format as requested:It happened that seven new prisoners were admitted on Christmas day. The Tailors shop had to be opened to issue and stitch on their clothing, and numbers. There is little doubt therefore that had I postponed the search another day, I might have caught the incendiaries in the act. But I was anxious to bring the matter to a speedy conclusion: on the 26th I began an enquiry into the matter which I have carried on till now. I separately examined each prisoner employed in the tailor shop. Every one at first denied all knowledge of the matter. I removed almost every one from the tailors shop and put them to crank, to chain gang, shot and stone drill, or oakum, according as I consider them more or less implicated. After this, one or two of them appeared willing to speak out and from evidence I have received I am disposed to think that the ringleaders were N. 91, 134, and N.126. I append statement of evidence taken. I hope to be able to convict the ringleaders before a criminal Court.
8. A. Gordon, Superintendent.