THE MAUNGATAPU MURDERS.

Grey River Argus, Issue 79, 14 July 1866, Page 3

THE MAUNGATAPU MURDERS.

FURTHER CONFESSIONS': BY SULLIVAN. UPWARDS OF TWENTY MURDERS COMMITTED BY THE GANG ON THE WEST COAST. LEVY, THE STRANGLER QF THE VICTIMS, From tjho ffelsan Cylonist, July 10.) We have learned that fro.m information imparted by Sullivan, the police authori- ' ties on Sunday last, sent a messenger up the Maungatapau, to the camping place at the stone-chimney, about half-way up the mountain, an 4 fully two miles from its base. At this chimney the murderers halted on the evening af the fatal Wednesday, after they had. killed and robbed the men ; here ' they divided the gold and notes they had stolen, and here they made tea and refreshed themselves after their murderous labors and their mountainous journey. By precise directions' from Sullivan, Mr Shallcrass, near tins place, and about fifteen or eighteen yards on the right side of the road, found buried in the ground, a. brass^bpunj], leather courierbag, thpee jjurses, and twq chamois leather gold-bags. The courier-hag .,-. has been identified by Mrs Mathieu, as the property of Mr Kempthorne, and one of the goldbags she has recognised as having belonged tp her husband?, jmd as being, in his possession. But the most shocking part of Sullivan's confession, which we only learned late last night, is the- number of murder which have been committed by this infernal sret. Sullivan has acknowledged that more than twenty men have been murdered on the West Coast, and robbed and buried by the crew tp which he belong?. He can certify to more than twenty, but how many more it appears he cannot say ; for he cannot remember the. exact number ! The blood runs cold at this confession of sanguinary dee%. A number Qf living souls, men bearing the image of their Maker, considerably over twenty, of which number the approver is. certain, were s.ent to their long homes by the greed qf practised murderers, and yet, their lives are of so small amount in the eyes of these wretches, that they cannot reckon lip the dreadful tptftl. An Indian keeps tally by counting the scalps ; but this gi' f ng pf atrocious demons cannot remember the number of ujiqffending men they have, killed in cold blood t !j?h"p fagt fills one with awe and horror, a.nd it is. with difficulty we can believe that is possible. But' such is the^ confession qf Sullivan. The same prisoner has also stated that Levy, who had (God help us !) conscientious scruples against shedding blood (so had the. Thugs) was the man who. used, the rope, and strangled the men whom it was his business' to kill. Burgess and Kelly, says the same authority, hs\d no such scruples. They employed the pistol or any other means that killed their man. Levy, we understand, has requested' another interview with the -.Hebrew minister, _but that gentleman has left town for the North.