The prison years

While Hatry’s long sentence was an undoubted challenge for him personally, it was also a challenge for the prison authorities. They were afraid that Hatry would somehow continue his business activities from prison and were determined to stop him. Hatry was able to maintain contact with is previous associates. The collapse of his companies led to a wave of litigation for which his assistance was frequently sought, often requiring him to visit lawyers’ officers and courts which proved a welcome respite from prison life. His friends regularly passed stories about him to newspapers so that his name was not forgotten. For their part, the prison authorities tried to deter Hatry’s business contacts from discussing possible future transactions. In the event, they could not prevent Hatry giving investment advice to his wife, who made substantial profits, but prevented a continuation of his company flotation activities. In the end, a long campaign for Hatry’s early release was successful. The judge’s harsh words had led to some sympathy for Hatry as recognition grew that he alone was not responsible for the City’s ills. But his release was timed to coincide with legislation that in time would enable the Board of Trade to exclude him from share trading. Like Clarence Hatry, he was sentenced to serve 14 years in prison after a trial at the Old Bailey which had also involved Horace Avory, although as a junior member of the prosecution team rather than as the judge. As prisoners on remand, Hatry and his associates had tried to take advantage of every privilege that might be available to dilute the effect of the prison regime. As Jabez Balfour had realised 20 years earlier, Hatry soon recognised that his years in prison would be more bearable if he conformed to the prison’s regime and appeared to have accepted his fate. Hatry’s correspondence was voluminous and was often the cause of debates between the governor and the Home Office over whether Hatry should be allowed to receive particular letters or documents and the facilities he needed at the prison to review what he had been sent.