CAPTURE OF CHAMBERLAIN AND LEVY.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 215, 11 April 1873, Page 8

CAPTURE OF CHAMBERLAIN AND LEVY.

. , (From the Hokitika ' Leader,') " ./Chamberlain, and Levy have at length ■ < been captured. They were brought to " Hokitika on March 19, in' the Chrisfcehurch cnach, in the custody of Mr. Commissioner- James and M r. Gleary, the Go- ; vernor of the Gaol. t were, -' taken in a store hut.on Mr\. jlussell's run, "at the head of' Like Sumner, on. the Kuranui Plains. The particulars of the arrest, as furnished to us, are these H-On March 16, information was brought down to Mr. James, at the Otira, Gorge, l3y>a*"stockrider, that Chamberlain and had breakfasted at 8 o'clock that morning,; at a hut fivo miles on the Westland side of the Saddle, and that they intended to make for a hut some twenty miles away, where stores of all kinds ;were kept. The police immediately commenced a pursuit and arrived at 7 o'clock in the evening of that, day at the place where the two men they were after had had breakfast at eight 1 o'clock in the morning. Thence they were guided over the saddle, journeying through the- night, and reaching " the store hut at 4 o'clock in. the morning. This they rushed, but found no one there. , Thinking, however, that they had parhaps anticipated the fugitives, they remained in the hut, waiting the approach of Chamberlain aud Levy. At about seven o'clock 'in the morning, the correctness of the ;<■-surmise of the. polico was proved by the i..J, i approach, of the. ;two meia : to. the" ambush. They came along, eacli wearing a sack

over his shoulders, with a hole cut in the middle for his head to go through,: and |'carrying their shoes in their hands. They came up to the back door of.the hut. and, , when within a yard of .it, M r, James flung theidooi' open. and he and those wiLh him rushed, out upon the two men. Mr. James , seized Levy, and threatened to blow liis'brairis out if he resisted. But Levy had riot the least notion of making any resistances' ! He flung* up hisi arms, declaring with'loud' Voice t hat' he was unarmed and that lie; surrendered himself a prisoner,, Chamberlaip \yas equally, submissive, and admitted afterwards that «ven .had he .been armed lie could have offered ; n.o resistance, so sudden was the surprise, ajid sq completely was he covered. Besides Mi*. Commissioner James, those who assisted in the capture'were toi 4 O Donnell; Constable Douglas, Mr. Cleai-y, and Warden Fergusson. the account.given by the prisoners confirms the .accounts already .published. They slept the, first night of their escape at the back of L irk's. Thence they proceeded to the Blue Sprir; and afterwards crossed the Arahura and got to the Christchurch. road. Chamberlain admitsat was he that was at Wilson's/ and was followed- from there by three men. When lie faced them he had a stone in his .hand, and he meant to make the first, one who approached him ,suffer, for his temerity. On the following night they took potatoes, cabbages, &f., from Wilson's garden and cooked them in the'bush. Both' Chamberlain ind Levy declare that/if they could.have: got from the store hufc without being captured they would have remained at 'large for a very long time,, and probauly .would not, have been in custody .again.

; The Magistrate's' Court was crowded on March 2 )lh,'in every ' corner, by persons curious to behold the escaped convicts,' and to! f liea;r what they had to s.iy. 'The two men showed h r ery : . plainly ;, that they bad undergone considerable privation; -buf\ - nevertheltfssi.thoy: bore themselves wi th much defiance of mariner." Chamberlain evidently enj vye.l' very highly the conspicuous, position hie occupied for the moment. He looked round furtively now .and then at the crowd, when called to the front of tlie dock; and seemed to lose all se.rise of pain and fatigu *,, and even of anticipation of hard punishment, in the, gratification of being the observed of all who could manage to squeeze themselves in to observe. With an air that was amusing to behold, he asked to be supplied with paper to take down notes This he folded up neatly, and having obtained a pencil, he politely requested one of the reporters of the Press sitting beneath the dock "to put a fine point upon it." When the evidence of the Warder who had ; him in cliarge when ho escaped was being , given, .-,M-". Chamberlain became very busy with his pencil, looking round as if to say, " I've got him now." Mo was somewhat insolent at first, :but at the end he 'iriade a half sort of an appeal for mercy on the ground of the great temptation which the, prospect of obtaining his liberty presented. 1 ievy demeaned hi nself differently. He had eviderillv been primed by his associate, but he • delivered his lesson in his own manner. With an utterance which' was remarkable-for rapid-' ity and for.iusiiltin-giins )lerice of ton \ he kept; up ! a fire •of insults and accusations against' the Magistrate which seemed to bid fair :to be interminable. Mr. FitzGerald, at last, finding that he could not get an opportunity of passing sentence vvithoufc interruption, ordered the man to be removed aind to be brought up next morning. ! •