A STRANGE STORY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 86, 13 April 1877, Page 4

A STRANGE STORY.

(Wellington Argus April 6 ) A man named Roderick Manion, who is now in Wellington, makes the following statement :— About three years ago I went on a visit to New South Wales 1 to ace that colony. While travelling through the interior, and having reached the West Bogan No 6 Cattle Station, in the occupation of a family named Neill, together'with their brother-in-law, Hugh Monobon, I was robbed of what I possessed in money aod wearing apparel. Thia occurred on January 19, 1876, about 9 p.m. The names of those who robbed me were John Neill, Robert Neill, Hugh Monohoo, and a person who had arrived (wo days before with a : buggy. , My murder was doubtless intended on that night, and a fire lit to receive my remains. However, I fortunately escaped to Mr Richardson's, at Quck Greek,, at. JDuck Creek, about 2^ miles* di&taat. My four aseassias followed me through the. bush. I was promised aaaiatance by a person residing at Mr KichardaQn'a, and protection by the aarae, in which he failed, and joined my pursuers as an accomplice. On\ tne morning of ihe 20th my ill-usage again commenced. I was hunted up and d/JWc in front of the house. I eluded my: purauera by., dodging round a box trae,fQr I knew if I once left the sight df men who were, working at a eawmilil about 200 yards distant; and took to the bush, my death would be certain, The night.of the 20th I passed in two outhouses, about 400 yards from the house. None of the men engaged on t^e sawmill gave me assistance. On We morning of the 21st Mr BiohardsonV Overseer, by name Rogers, and his storeman, brought two buckets of Witter and a rope, with an iron ring in U,'r- The overaeer took the water fr/jm the storemao, and threw it in my face mi then placing the rope about my ne,ck (haying beaten me on the . head whh, the iron' ring, marks of, which remain to the present day)^ lad me into the; St&ble eaying he should hang me. t^as detained there all the '2'istj without jfoad of water. During, the night a chain was put about my arms, and my pursuers' treachery getting abroad amongst the men employed on the sawmill, a policeman was procured to bring aifictitfous charge against me, by which means I should be obliged to quit the place. January 22 I was taken in charge and brought down a back creek inj a spring cart to Cantubar lockup aatif January 29tb. On Saturday, January, 29, the same policeman took me to a small township named Warren, but the gaoler refused to admit me without a warrant. In the afternoon then, I was driven to a public-house on the road to Dubbo, which place I reached about 9.30 p.m. There I was chained by the leg to an iron bedstead, and told by the policeman that such treatment was too good for a dog like. me. On the morning of Sunday, January 30 we started in a coach for Dubbo, about 5 o'clock a.m., reaching Dubbo at mid-day. The gaoler admitted me, smiled in my face, and entered me on his books. Being kept there a prisoner till Saturday, March 4, I was led out to an adjoining court-house. by the gaoler. He accused me of breaking the peace, and wanted me to find sureties—myself in £20 aod two others in £10. I told him that I had never '■ broken the peace. He gave me no answer, and led me back into the gaol, i For the next three hours, at intervale, I wbb deprived by the gaoler and a dootor of my senses, under the,processes, of. chloroform and mesmerism — at the expiration of which I found myself back in the courthouse with an apple in the right hand and a piece of j bread in the other. The doctor affirmed i opeinly that he believed me to be under i the effects of a sunstroke. After ask- < inp the reason of my being thus uojustly treated, I was told that they -were obliged to play some trick to get rid of me. I waa then led back to the , gaol. On the next day, Sunday, March 5, between the hours of 6 and 7 p m., I was taken strapped into the public streets, knocked down, and publicly ill-used. I had preaence of mind enough to keep my temper and not ■ raise my voice, telling them at the same '■ time tbot I should bring their injustice to ligbt at the first favorable opportunity. Before leaving the gaol I demanded my clothes and £3 10s which a sister of the Nbil'b bad brought to the gaoler for my necessities, and out of which be bad appropriated £i 10a. My clothes were refueed, and out of the £3 10a thirty one shillings only were entrusted to a person who was commissioned to take me to Iron Barks. After a number of days I was forwarded to Wellington, detained there for some days, until, in the dead of a certain night, a conveyance drove up to the gaol. I was hurried out of the gaol, beaten with the driver's whip, and i finally driven along a fence from the right angle of the entrance to the gaol. The. next afternoon I found myself between two hills, and ou enquiry found that my Piual destination was to be Armadule, iv New England. Tha gaol -.was siluale at the opposite end of the town to which we entered; and I muat here state that before entering the town they endeavored, without success, . to deprive me again of my senses. Armadala is a flourishing town with broad streets and a thriving trade. I was kept in Armadale gaol in a state of insensibility, carried from thence to Hill End, where I was placed in the yard of a public house as a spectacle to : a crowd. My boots had been taken from me rendering my feet blistered

jand my soles peeling off under the heat of the bud; my body was in a filthy state from bead to foot. I declined here accepting food from the person who had me in charge, being in a n atate unfit to be seen at table, although I had not tasted decent food for a long ■ period; The same; day I was taken to Orange gaol, ■ where -I was detained about four days. On the fifth I was forwarded to Bathurst. At Orange a cell was allotted to myself with three others in size about 12ft by 6ft, the stench of it and the beat were unbearable. During my imprisonment at I Batburst I met with a warder who had | formerly been a color-sergeant in my ;own company of the 14th regiment, by name John Doyke, he took an interest, \in my state, spoke to a chaplain con- ; corning me, and on Tueeday, April 11, I a statement was to be taken on my behalf. The Governor of the gaol, how- ; ever, 'ordered that I Bhould proceed tj I Sydney, and thare obtain redress. Accordingly, on Tuesday, April 11, 1876, I started in company with a Mr Keredon and an officer in charge, by rajl, for Sydney ; nevertheless I was detained at Paramatta and not allowed, to proceed. : That night I passed in Paramatta Tock- ' up, and on the next morning was seat to Gladeavilie to visit aDr Manning. On receiving me he ordered me to No. 2 yard. On April 19th and 20th I : applied to Dr Joseph for a statement of my detention and release. He replied that I should have, to, remain, and that there was nothiog wrong with me whatever. The- reason why I made the application was that I was denied Divine Service, 1 on. Easter Day 1 , April 16. List of Sundays on which I was allowed Divine Service: — April 23, 30, June 4, July 23, August 6, September 24, October, B^ls, ; 27, November,©'; 42, 1 9, 26, December 3, 10, 17, 24/ 31 , Christmas Day ; 25, January 7, 14, 21, 28,, February 4. Oo all the other Sundays (of which the dates can be given):! was not allowed . to ; attend Divine Service. April 29th I met with Keredon, who bad returned from Syd* ney; asked whether .he had seen. the chaplain who was to sea to my welfare at Sydney. He,,r.eplied that the chaplain did not wish to have any communicationwitU him. Oo the ,10th of February X was shipped on the Hero to Auckland and put out of the jurisdiction of the New South Wales Government, f - ' -'■ ■ --' > ■'■ ' • ■ •' ..;..