THE KANIERI POLICE CAMP BURGLARY OF DEC. 1865.

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 595, 9 November 1869, Page 4

THE KANIERI POLICE CAMP BURGLARY OF DEC. 1865.

(To the Editor of the Grey River Argus.) Sir — Will you be good enoqgh to give the following facts pubtfpity in your jcolumns :— On the 18th December, 1865, I was a constable in the Westland Police yorce, stationed at the Kanieri. Qn the night of the 16th or 17th December in that year, there was a robbery or burglary pf between thirty or forty pounds sterling, committed at the hotel of one Mrs. M'Gpy of the Kanieri. The matter having been reported to the police, ex-ser.gea.nt Clements, who was then in pharge of that station, about 9 p.m. on the 18th of said month and year as hereinbefore mentioned, s,ent me out in plain clothes, to see if I couhl find any clue to the perpetrators of said robbery. A man of the name of Gleeson, who was then a constable, and stationed at the Kanieri, was also sent out pn his ordinary duty at the same hour that 1 was, leaving Sergeant Clements in charge of the station, Gleeson and I met jn the totynship during pur sojourn there, and returned to the station about 11 p.m. immediately on our arrival I found the Camp robbed of Gleeson's and my boxes. Jmrngdiately reported the matter to ex? Sergeant Olements, "yyha wa§ then lying on .his bed, and who affected to have no knowledge of the burglary, I reported that my box contained inqnies tq the amount of sixty-onp pounds ten shillings, together with sundry valuable papera, the greater pqrtion pf which j enumerated and made an inventory of. Gleeson and jnysejf returned tp the township, and gpt §even pr eight pf the business people to assist us in searching fpr the boxes, which ■we found broken open jri the bush, about eighty pr one hundred yards, from the Camp. Qn searching my box 1 found that the above-mentioned amount of money was abstracted therefrom, together with s,ome bank deposit receipts. - After taking the boxes, to the Camp, the party, which were by th>t time consider? ably augmented, went in search of the Offenders, but made no arrests that night. During Jhe whole of this time Clements displayed the greatest snpineness, which was remarked by the whole party' as he did not moye from,, the Camp the whole time. On the following mqrning I went to Hokitika to make a report relative to the burglary. Clements sent Gleeson to make search or inquiries relative to same, Gleeson recognising some of my property convenient to the tents of four men, whom we suspected for some time previously as, not being of the best characters, he wept into one of the tents which were occupied by them. After entering the tent he recognised some papers which •were in his. box pa.FtiaJ]y burnt, He then apprehended the two men, and took them to the Camp. Clements and Gleeson returned to the tents of the prisoner's mates and apprehended them also. On searching the prisoners some of my money was found on them, and more of it was found concealed underneath the ; slabs in their tent. . Eleven pounds ten shillings was found in all, some of which I identified, as well as Mr FitzGerald, R.M., and several pther persons, as one pound of it was stolen property, which I had in my keeping, awaiting trial a.t the Supreme Court, The four prisoners, were Examined and comr mittfid for tfial b> Mr FitaGerald, R.M. After the prisoners were committed on the first charge I asked Inspector Broham if I; would be compensated for my loss, and that officer replied that I would hot. I then told him that I wanted the matter investigated, as I could prove that it was through the negligence of Sergeant Clements the Camp was robbed, after which time. I then made a statement of the whole facts of the case, and applied that it may be investigated by M 7 FitzGerald or Mr |3ale. I also consulted Mr South, barrister, and that gentleman wrote a, letter on the subject and s.ta.tpd thiajt a m enquiry was absolutely necessary, a 9 there was nothing jnore elicited at the hearing of the case before the Bench: than would bring the charge of burglary home to tlje prisoners. About a week after the prisoners were committed for trial for the robbery of my property^ they were brought up again on the charge of steaUng Gleeson's box, &c., put of the Camn, J heing the first witness that was examined on this occasion, I had -foe privilege qf remaining in, Qourt during the hearing of the case. Qn hearing Clements giving his evidence, I knew of him committing wilful and corrupt perjury, evidently with a view to conceal his pwn negligence. In a day or two afterWArds.4 got a copy of Clements'depositions and reported him for committing perjury, and requested, as in my former Jester, that the matter would be investigated by Mr FitzQerald or Mr Sale, as I was aware^ %it Inspector Broham was biassed against me, owing to the! steps I had taken, relat^a to. o>men& in connection with the burglary, In.t^p, or. three days after I sent in the. report of perjury referred to^ Clements reported me on a charge of insubordination. I was placed under arrest by the order of Inspector, Broham for 48 hours pending the inquiry without being told what I was put under sar&afi for yntil I was taken into, the office tohave the matter investigated, after which investigation the charge turned out to be utterly unfounded. I was then allowed to go on jn the us,na,l iria.nher in the disch/irge .of my duties for. about six , yeeks, during which time! got no reply tinyo _ my application or report: After the trial of the : prisoners at the Supreme Court;, twp, of, them were, agquittsd, i.nd two sentenced tfttvifo years in the Lyttelton Qaol t After Vifhich I was. returned the eleven pounds ten," winch was fo,und ?t the time of the arrest of the .prisoners. After the sentence of the jprisonersj I was ! sent oh escort of "them to the Lyttelton Gaol, from thence to Cliristchurch. When. 1 had been in "the. latter place ab^ut a week, I was called upon by. the Commi^sioper of Police to give any ejcplan^tioii which I deemed prope? relative to the trumped, tip charge which I preferred against Sergeant Qlemefltg. \ lp,ere% replied that I wajj, prepared to sustain : the so-called trumped up charge by the testimony of seven, or. eight of the moat respectable; inhabitants of the Kanieri, and at the same time ; referred the .Commissioner to a similar charge preferred by Constable G.l^estojn agajtn^t Sergeant Clements ere I left the W?st <?oa*t, which was withheld, ajid I believe altogether suppressed 'by Inspector , Broham. The, Provincial Coitncil only having beea prorogued at that time, I met Mr Barff, who was then a member of that body in, Christchurch, to whom I explained the nature of ihy be^ng there and its consequences. Mr Barff took me before Mr Bealey, who was then Superinten.<kn> of Canterbury, and explained the

cause of his doing so j the Superintendent desired me to send him a copy of the correspodence which took place .relative to the matter referred to, which I did, together with a copy of Gleeson's report of perjury against Clements. I was then a month in Christchurch awaiting the Superintendent's reply, but which I failed jn obtaining, the reason of which I attribute since to the majiner in whioh \ wag maligned by Inspector Broham, who was strenuously supported by Commissioner Shearman in a correspondence carried on between these officers and Clements, and forwq-rded to the Superintendent, and which I had no opportunity whatever of rebutting, At the next session of the Provincial Council in Christchurch the matter was brought on by Mr BarflP, but I was informed by good authority that it was brought on in an inf ormaj manner, consequently it got no hearing. 1 have kept lip a correspondence with Mr Barff on this subject, as well as with Mr Keary, ex inemberj The former gentleman advised me about two years ago to get up the case again, and that he would have it brought on in the County Council. I got a copy of the correspondence from Christchurch, the copying and postage of which cost me three pounds, and forwarded them to Mr Barff. That gentleman not bringing the tnattgr on as promised, 1 wrote to Mr Bees on the approach of the following session on the subject, and referred him to Mr Barff to see the correspondence relative to same. I heard nothing further of the case until I met Mr Barff at the Greymouth races in March last, who acgoste4 me » a »d stated that he saw my letter with Mr Rees, who wanted him (Mr- Barff) to put the Qase through then ; bnt it appeared to me Me.ss.rs Barff and Rees mutually agreed to have the matter brought on last session, as Mr Barff dis= tinotly told me' he would have the case brought on as already stated. On the close of the last session, I wrote to Messrs Barff and Rees, requesting them to Bee the matter through as previously arranged by them, at the same time requesting the former member to transmit the correspondence to me if he did not intend the matter to be carried through accordr ing to previous arr»Tigemgnt. Hp re= plied that he thought he had burned the papers, as he could not find them. It will very reasonably appear to the public and Government that there was some apathy in my part in allowing the matter to lapse for so long a time. I enclose letters from Messrs Barff and Kuary to show that it was not through any negligence of mine the matter wap kept hidden from the public and Government so long. But as every other means which I devised proved futile, I had no other alternative but to adopt this course of procedure. I beg to draw the especial attention of the public and Government to one fact, and which ia already referred to herein, that is the manner in which the police authorities referred to connived at two reports of perjury against Clements, aud placed me under arrest for forty-eight hours on the report of Clements on an unfounded charge of insubordination. That fact alone is enough to show the manner in which the administration of the force was conducted.' As can be seen by the original correspondence, which are now in the Government House, Christchurch, I want nothing more than an enquiry into the cause of the Kanieri Camp robbery, which was denied me in toto, after which enquiry, if I sustain my reports, I consider I will be entitled to compensation for my loss.-r-I am, &c, Patrick Sweeney, Constable and Clerk of Court. Camptown, Ist Nov., 1869. [We are unable to find space for the correspondence appended j but the letters fully bear out the statements made above. —Ed.] ■__