Untitled

Grey River Argus, Issue 88, 4 August 1866, Page 3

(From. the "Examiner.") 'tv .It is now satisfactorily settled beyond •alhdoubt that the Sullivan wfioni we havo in Nelson Jail, is not the same man who took an active part with Burgess's gang in the Province of Otago in 1862. -Corresponding strangely with the general description which, has been given of the man of the' sanie name'.here^— so .far as relates tq. height, complexion, hair, &c, Burgess's mate had indelible marks upon his person - which are not apparent on the one now in custody.. Strange to say, this Sullivan has some marks similar to those on his namesake. : For instance, on the left arm of the Otago Sullivan there is a wreath and heart tattooed, whilst a similar mark exists on the 'same arm of the prisoner here. There are, however, 'other marks on the arm of the hian who was arrested in Otago, which it would be impossible to get rid of, and which, as we said before, are not to" be found on-the body of the body of -the man now in Nelson. This is so far satisfactory, in that it strengthens belief in Sullivan's statement that he has only been mixed up with this gang for a short time, and that he was living in Koorong before coming to New Zealand. The matter was an important one, for, ' could any part of 'his confession have been proved, to be false, the assertion that he had never actually taken the life; of any of these murdered men w,ould have been doubted. Levy is said to. have been well known in Otago as a "putter-up," but he was never kown to take any other part in robbery until' he came here. Amongst other cases of his planning wasHhat .of Skinner, ,the New Zealand Bank agent, at "the Dunstan. Levy was kept under the very strictest surveillance in Dunedin, where he was iln business lately, and formerly, on the, Bunstari". From subsequentstatements of Sullivan, Birrell's life was in great danger whilst* on the-road, after leaving Kempthorne's party. From their plaxse'of concealment, the gang saw him pass, -and one pf them covered him with a gun, with the intention of drawing the ' trigger should they be seen by him. He fortunately saw nothing, and his life was saved. . Jervis, of Canvas i Town, it is also "said,- narrowly escaped with his life j. for the scoundrels, knowing that he would' be 1 a' formidable witness against ; them, = debated, after they had murdered Jtempthorn and'-party, as to returning; o to Canvas Town aiid putting an end to Jervis. .They decided,, however, on going to Nelson. -- . .: '\ . We.hear that on the night of the Sunday previous to the arrest of the murderers, an attempt was made to break into ,thp Tollhouie oh the ; Waimea road. . The inmates of the house conwated ; of_ the toll-keeper

. and his father and mother. Mrs Hopgood, on hearing the noise as of some one trying to. burst th« door, in by throwing his shoulder against it, called out to her son to Tiring out the gun, when , the scoundrel decamped. Whether this wiis one of the doings of Burgess and Go. we~ cannot say. It savors, however -, of less daring men than/ he". ' On thfc day <3f "his arrest, Mrs Hopgood had a conversation with Sullivan on the road between Nelson and' Richmond, and remarked to him how strange it was that the bodies of the. lost men had not been found. Sullivan said, " Yes, but perhaps they will turn up yet." He was arrested shortly afterwards by Mr Siiallcrass and Sergeant Edwards. According- to the statement of Sullivan, a store on the Arnold was pntered by the gang, the storekeeper murdered and robbed,-., and Jiis body thrown' into the river. This victim was strangled after his gold had been taken. . , 1 The prisoners were again brought up on Thursday, before the Resident Magistrate, when a large number of persons attended, iii the hope of hearing the confession of Sullivan. In this they were disappointed. We hear, however, that next Thursday his statement will- be taken... „ ._ The trial of these men will' take place, it is expected, about the 12th of Sept.