BULLY HAYES’S EARS

Hokitika Guardian, 19 July 1929, Page 2

BULLY HAYES’S EARS

A VARIETY OF STORIES. NEW TALE DISCREDITED. NOTORIOUS PIRATE’S DOINGS. All alleged incident in the lile ci Lilly Hayes, the notorious South Set ikipper, which was re. a Led by Air Alert Henser, now SI years of age, and esiding at Curl Curl, near Sydney, was ecently published in the Otago Daiiy imes. Air Ilenslei said that he knew laves intimately, and that Hayes in lis later life had 110 ears. His story vas that Hayes, when visiting one ol flic Pacific islands, fell in love with daughter of the native king, and arried her off, and married her. On 1 subsequent visit to the is.and. it was added, the king’s followers captured Hayes and the king cut off both his ears as a punishment for taking his daughter. Air H. Fildes, of Wellington in writing the Wellington Evening Post, says iiat Air Hensler’s story is quite a new me. Air Fild.es goes on to say:—“in 915 Air A. T. Saunders, of North Adelaide. published for private circulation. •1 little work, “Billy Hayes: An Authentic Life of William, Henery Hayes, if Ohio or New York. Born i. 829. killed 1877.” It is evident the writer •overed a wile field of research, em r •racing New Zealand, Australia, South Triands, United States, and the Parliamentary Papers of Groat Britain. “Bully Hayes roam'p>l the Pacific and its islands from 1853 to 1877, first as an unprincipled trader, and from 368 a M- k-birder. Air Saunders has accounted for him over that period o» 34 years, with hiatuses of a few •veeies only in 1861-62, 1863-6 and 1867-8. On the ushject of the buer>aneor’c a lot is given, not by vny of fact, but to- illustrate wiTat absurd stories were told of Bully Hayes. This one is extracted by me because of its New Zealand interest, and I prenise it with this.

STORY OF OTAGO GOLDFIELDS. “Hayes was certainly a picturesque .igure to look at. He stood six leiet .ngii, was broad and strongly built, weighing 15 stone, had an aquiline noes, fine features, a long dark brown •card, wore his liair unu.sua.ly long md carefully tended; afl'ected a Oaliornian digger’s dress, Yankee hat, and. .wore--his . trousers tucked into his high booat.s. It was said he could oe extremely plausible,- having a tonrue which • could tempt a bird off a tree. '

“In January, 1863, Bully Hayes was on the goldfields at Fox’s, near Arowtown, keeping the United States Hotel. There also was Air William Barr, late of Califonia. It was rumoured there was reason for Captain Hayes’s unusfially long hair, and that <ome years before, he had been detected cheating in a game of poker at Sacramnto. One of the lasers, delecting osmething suspicious in his play, whipped out his bowie knife, and pinned Hayes’ hard to the table. In the excitement that followed some cards slipped out of Hayes’ sleeve, and while one of the. party urged that lie should be strung up to the nearest tree, the majority decided a little ear-cropping would meet the case.

HOW THE BARBERS DID THE DEED. “This rumour impelled certain residents of Fo’s to- offer a five-pound note to the first mining camp barber who would cut Hayes’s hair short the next time he patronised them. It is said the secret was well kept, and that Hayes was unaware of it. In time Hayes went to have his hair attended to. It was heard he was at a certain barber’s, and in a short time the saloon was fully patronised by miners. With a few deft and apparently casual scissor snips the deed was done, and Hayes, surveying himself in the glass, saw it was obvious to .the world he had but one ear to his head.

“There is much more, but this is the story put briefly, and which Mr Saunders characterises all a fable, excepting the fact that Bully Hayes had only one ear, and may have been born so. In another part of his life of Bully Hayes he tells us there was no doubt one of Hayes’ ears was missing and that a printed account is extant stating he lost it over a game of cards. In part confirmation of this we have the published statement of Captain Hines, of Lyttelton, who stated in 1909. that lie had sailed with Hayes several tlmAs and that he wore his hair long so as to cover a badly-disfigured ear he had received in a fight in a Californian gambling saloon, wher he had been detected cheating at a game of cards. THREE MILES OFF RANCITOTO. “Bully Hayes was in Wellington more than once. He was a frequent visitor to Lyttelton from 1864 to 1866; was at Bluff, Otago, Akaroa, Ricton, Nelson, Hokitika, Wanganui and Auckland, where Mr Saunders said lie did not land. He bade farewell to New Zealand on January lotli. 1867, preferring to anchor three miles outside Rangitoto. “It is said that late in 1862 Hayes was one of the variety artists attached to the Glogski and Buckingham family of entertainers touring Southern New Zealand. By that time lie was notorious in Australia and in the South Seas, and afterwards made a name for himself in New Zealand.”