ARREST-OF ROSENWAK.-DEPREDATIONS TO THE AMOUNT OF £30,000. —STRANGE DISCLOSURES.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 577, 15 November 1871, Page 2

ARREST-OF ROSENWAK.-DEPREDA-TIONS TO THE AMOUNT OF £30,000. —STRANGE DISCLOSURES.

At the Police Court, on the 23rd ulfc., before Mr. Brougham, P.M., the übseunder Rosenwax ■ '. was arraigned for baring committed depreda- ' s tions in Melbourne to the extent of : 1 £30,000. Captain J. VVakra, of tlio i brigantine Eliza Firlh (owrnjd by Captain '• Firth, of Victoria), was called the j first. He deposed :. 1 romeaiber lying at j Melbourne wharf between the 17th und 19;h I September.. Know, a ship carpenter named! Laurii', who came to me, and asked if I would i do him a favour. A friend of his had got into , trouble, and wished to go to l r'iji. In conse- j quunce of that conversation I saw prisoner in a friend's house, at .Waxiniin's, 118, Russellstreet, Melbourne. Waxnuin, prisoner, and I were together. Waxnian asked me if I was I goiug to Fiji, and I said "Yes." He i , said his friend wanted to go to Fiji, and , • that EiOsenwiiX was willing to pay the price of two or three passages if we sailed soon. I i asked prisoner if he had committed any depre- i ■ dations. lie said no, he was a decent respect- j able man. Ue said that he was in trouble I with some young woman, and wished to avoid j an alliiiation case. I said, "Oil! is that all ? j Are you sure that is the only thing ?" lie said " Yes," and Waxman said the same. I said wo could not go for a day or two, as we had to put some goods into the ship. It was raining, and he asked me if I would take a present of a topcoat, which I did. (A. letter from witness was here produced to the Court, ; stating that he would give up all the presents he had received, either to the detective or to . the creditors in Melbourne). When shaking hands on pariiug, he made the Freemason's ' sign. He said he would pay extra money if wo could go soon. I said, "If you are so anxious to go, you had better pay towage, and both of them agreed to (\o so. Waxman said he wotdd make ma a present if I would be kind to Rosen war, and next day he - gave mo £5. The same evening they paid me me £18 12s. for towage. Left port on the Saturday. Opera glasses (worth 15s) were given me the same night as a coat was. ' Saw a large quantity of sofl goods on the i floor of the room iv which we met. .Received < £5, coat, gold pin, and opera glasses. Pri> soner shipped as J. Bangure. He paid me ' £3 on board for river towage. The passage - was £10 additional to what other monies he ' had paid inc. I heard him called Ro^giifraOT J seen him in Melbourne. He was called ' Rooenwax by a passenger named Moore or J Fletcher. Arrived in Suva on the loth of '' October. Prisoner was in some row there • and asked me for my protection, and gave me a gold ring worth 15s. Reached Levuka on the 20th iustant. Outside -■ r ■;^' mid Moore, a police sergeant, boai.>. ■ . ■ .1 .^re asked if I haJ a passenger on board named Rosenwax. 1 said nOj and showed him my passenger list. Moore did not tell me who lie ' was. He said that Rosenwax had committed depredations to the amount of £30,000. I Moore did not produce warrant, or tell me ( that he had one. We went on dock. Soon' ) after Moore came and told me the man was ' on board. A boat passed us, when Moore i seized prisoner, who said; " I 1 am a free man, ' you have no claim upon mo." I rau off the '• poop and said, " How d>.v yoii meddle with I this man? I am magistrate her 6, show me ' your authority." He said, "I have it," but • would not produce it, and I told him if he did \ not desist I would shoot him. Prisoner said : that Mooro had no charge against him ; I ■ advised prisoner to go on shore, as he could | ' not stay on the ship. He gave me a watch and chain, and a revolver. No one else was ' present. I was to go on shore and he with ' me. He was coming over the ship's side and : stepped into another boat, when he was arrested. J Ho told mo that ho had dropped some sove- 1 : reigns overboard, as ho was noryous.—Sergeant \ ' Moore deposed to apprehending the prisoner.— j Mr. Wai burton calJe '. lam charterer of the j ! Eliza Firth. Jvnr-iv ll'isonwax in Melbourne. 1 He wai a pawnbroker, formerly of Little Bourke-street, and afterwards of Elizabeth- | > street. Prisoner was a passenger as far as j ! Suva, where I left t/ie vessel. Saw him again i ' on Friday, when ho told me his name was j1 Green. I told him I had several letters from j ' Melbourne, which stated that some friends of j ' mine had been "let 'in" by him—one to the ■ ' amount of about £500, and another to about j • £1000. — Police-constable Reach deposed to j ' entering the prisoner's name in tho book at j the police station as Elias . Rosenwax. —Mr. I Brougham thmi remanded prisoner to Melbourne, in charge of Mr. Belina. UNLAWFULLY RESCUING- THE PRISONER, Aaron Pinkins was then charged with unlawfully rescuing the prisoner, and pleaded guilty.—J". C. MaeCullum sworn: Captain Martin handed prisoner over to me on board tho Balelutha. Ho aaid, "I leave you in charge till Igo ashore and send relief." I was on tho quarter-deck, the prisoner sitting on the skylight. About 730, Scolty pulled off to tho ship wiih four passengers—Messrs. Ireland, B. S. Smith, R. 'Graham, and Pinkins, ' the prisoner. They came on board, and went aft to speak to the captain. Captain Moore ' then came and asked me to leave the ship. I • declined to do so. I did not tull him-who I \ was, or what was my,business. The captain turned to them and said, " STou hoar what he sAys, and I am not in a position to force I him." Ireland or Smith asked me if I would allow ttoseuwax to go ashore, an I I said, ! "No, not if I could prevent it," They cadi j asked me again, and I gave tho same reply. ; Scotty was standing at the head of the gangway, and called out, " Why the h—l don't jou j get into tho boat, and then told Roseuwax to j go down. I attempted to stop him at the j top of the gangway, prisoner shouting get ; into the boat in spite of him," and seizing me ; ,by the neck from belaud. Seotty shuffled '■ between me and Rosenwax, and I lost hold of him. Shook myself free of prisoner, and tried to get Rosenwax again, when prisoner caught me by the coat. I turned and threw him off, and . went after Rosenwax, whom I overtook at foot of gangway, and we both fell into the ;bi*iit. . I heard prisoner's: voice, "There's a pistol iii the boat, use it." I asked Scotty to shove off, but he wouldn't, and ordered mo out .of the boat. S'nno one then entered ! the boat. I was holding Rosenwax down, j Some one said, " Leave go, or I'll shoot

you," when a shot was fi redi tT?^l^ on my hip, and Rosenwax q, Ur J \ Hi a sl '* out "Oh, my God." ThinW^4 I let go, and turned round, and , *a> 8l with a levolver in his h an( j J*. w Priso sented at my head. Threw it c P hand, and with the othtjr srasnaj 1?. 'it]> ( throat, and threw him oh S ■* b JI boat Heard Captain Ore of, O-od s cake come out of m e boat I °. Ut" enough, and more than enough °" V dff stepped on the gangway and V {V.pushed off. Captain Moore called oi^ 1 1 to hand Rosenwax to the em* • M of the Eliza flrtli; which Hi JS op 4 believe I was hurl, by a bullet.Lu''1 to 1 was called for t!w defence and If [ lin' have fcnown prisoner in Melbourne »s not belong to the criminal c] m TT; e(1 him fo be ;m honest man l[ e ' °ec ger by the Balelutha to Fiji. H e aP«e Rosenwax in eicaping. J{ o told r**^ a ofßcers anel those on bevrd tlnM ' resist me.-M, M. H. HorwJ^ called on in prisoner's defence w J known the man for over hveive T could testify to his honesty all iW?' a'^ Mr. Berliner and Mr. Murray Jt^TJ Court, both urging that His Worship l take a lenient view of the 1 l\ Brougham then sentenced the nriso^i a fine of eighty dollars and be imprilSf two hours. aw