ECHO OF MAUNGATAPU.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1372, 24 February 1912, Page 14

ECHO OF MAUNGATAPU.

MR. SHARP'S REMINISCENCES

NOTOIUOrSGAXG Of DESl'KK.\!>oi;.s. In-Nob-on town resides one of the few living men who were present at Ihe Matiligalapu titurdtr trial, and one who, as ]•■'«"»;l-ir or the Court and Sheriff,' took a prominent part in meting out justice io three of the most enmehardened rascals New /calami has known. Mr. .I«im Sharp, for such is the name of the honoured colonist, is now SI vears of age, but his eyesight and lienr"ili" are excellent, while his resonant voice is "almost the s.'.me as it was forty years •i"o Mr Sharp is getting old very slowi" indeed fork to .Mr. (afterwards Sir) Francis Dillon li'-dl. surveyor, ltegi-lrar of (he Supreme Court, a memlxr of the Urovincial Council, Provincial Treasurer, Kc-idenl Magistrate, Ucgi-trar of Deeds, and Deputv Commissioner of Stamps, member of Parliament, Mayor of Nekonthese are some of tho offices held by Gns sturdv colonist, who came to New Zealand'after he had -eon an insurrection nipped in the bud in the West Indies. The slow of the llaiingatapu murders i« one of the most sensational ot its kind ever chronicled in New Zealand, and even now its recital, full of gruesome dcails, ex-ites horror and indignation. The perpetrators, liurgess, Levy, Kelly, and Sullivan were a gang of convicts, who. had evidently lived on wholesale robbery and murder'in Australia, and also in New Zealand. Five- of the murders were committed in the Nelson district, and another

down the West Coast. The victims were Uobson, a surveyor, who was done to death down the coast, in' mistake for' a banker; Ksnipihoriie, Mathiou, Pontius, and Dudley, who were in one way or another shot,' stabbed, and strangled on tho Maungatapu Mountain, some fifteen or so miles out of Nelson, on the old'road to. Blenheim; and Battle, a swagger, who was strangled for a few pounds. In the end Sullivan turned Queen's evidence, and Burgess. Levy, and Kelly were found guilty, and haiiged. Sullivan was later found guilty of the murder of Dobson, and was sentenced to death, but the death sentence was afterwards commuted to a term of imprisonment. "Do I remember much of that, dreadful occurrences and its ghastly details!'" said Mr. Sharp to a Domi.vioN representative. "I do, because tho whole thing is simply burnt into my brain, and I had a _ lot to do in bringing the rascals to justice."

OURGESS;S NERVE. "Burgess was a 'wonderful man," 'con--tinued Mr. Dobson, "but very vainglorious. Ho ran up tho steps of the gallows, while tho other two men had to bo helped up. Kelly lost his nerve .and cried and moaned for us not to hang him. "It will bo murder,'' ho whined, 'and I am going to marry a nice. Nelson girl.' lie was well primed witli brandy, but made a dreadful exhibition. When lie was crving Burgess said: 'Shut up, Kelly, die" lileo a man.' Then Burgess added: '\'ou hang hove. Kelly, you here Levy, and I'll hang in tho middle.' And he did.

STORY OF SULLIVAN. "What became of Sullivan? He was' given a term of imprisonment, and owing to the feeling in Nelson against him, it was deemed advisable to remove. liiw to Duncdin. None of (he steamers would take him, so I will tell you how I fixed (he matter up. T dressed him up as a constable and put him in charge of a countable name:! Peter Leary who was handcuffed. As scon as the vessel got out near Stephens Island Leary changed his clothes, and Mr. Wheeler, captain of Clio ship, knew that I had been '100 sharp' for him. Sullivan was suffering from cancer, and it was known that he would not live long. Ho received a free pardon from the Governor, Sir James Ferguson, was shipped to England, and later returned to Australia where, I believe, lie died. He was als-o a remarkable man with an extraordinary memory, lie wrote, one confession and then another

which he amplified and from which we were enabled to (race some crimes which had been committed in New Zealand and also in Australia. "Burgess was a fine looking man. When he was arrested I had him brought in ami ret|ue-ted him lo strip, lie kept on an under-shirt, but .1 made him take that off, because 1 wanted to see if his shoulder bore the bullet, marks supposed to have been received when he escaped from the prison hulk in Melbourne. Sure enough the marks were there, and Burgess swore as lie was being taken back to his cell. "We had 1.10 men mil searching lor die bodies, and we should have Inuud them (he next dav even if Sullivan had not COl-,fc.-sc<:. ■ The- -woe ;;.«(; ..,:.mloi-e» DoU-voii, thiukiiii; ho wan lox, a gold buyer.

INCIDENTS OP THE TRIAL. "What abmt lliu (rial? Well, the trial lasted six cltiv-i and ciisl tin- Crown between A-:lGIW or J;-li)lln. 1 «'iui <eil you u curious thin? uhmil Ihi'gold sl.il.'H. )(: wasaitorwanis sold l>v our ol' tin.' miscreants to tin- Hank of New Zealand, and there was SUDIIOSPII in b- ■•' Pi''"' 11 . ,k0 ll parrot'-, beak taken I'rom kemplbouie. J went lo Uii' bank, and asked Iho toller if he had nulkvil this particular piece of gold. He had not done so, and staled thai all the gold taken over the counter was mixed to-ctlicr. I ashed luni how much il was worth. He answered .£2OOO or .KiOlin, so I bought tin.- lot", and sure enough the liarrot's beak l'looo "} {fold owned by poor KemrUiornu was in tlio heap. "Tlio murderers were several (lays in Nelson alter committing tlio crime, lhey intended to rob the Hank of New South Wii[«s and murder the manager and stall, and lind slored police uuifornis lor the purpose. 1 don't know where they received the uniforms from. The manager of (lie bank was in an awful fright when he heard about the proposition.

FATE OF THE HANGMAN. "A curious fate befell tlio hangman, Clarke. Ho was on the road some tunc later with a mate who had been _ imprisoned for highway rubbery. A iricnd of mine, who was picnicking m Hie viemitv, was asked the time by them. Tic put his hand down to get his watch, but Clarke and his chum thought he was reaching for his revolver, anil _ boHed. Clarke was never seen again m -H'W Zealand. He was afterwards hanged at Hobart. "Shallcrnss, who was chief constable, and I did the most of the work in sheeting home the evidence. Kelly swure to have my life, and I always slept with a loaded revolver in my hand. The logirons of tlio murderers wore afterwards' wld when tlio gnol was pulled down. "The jury? They are all dead. The last one died about a year ago."