THE ESCAPF OF MARTIN WFIBERG.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 11, 13 January 1879, Page 4

THE ESCAPF OF MARTIN WFIBERG.

[Melbourne Argus, December 20]. The Avoca gold robber, Martin Weiber*.*-, has not not yet been recaptured, bu' it i? confidently expected tbat be WiU yet b© cfiui'bt. Inspector Secrptan th<* officer in charge oi tbe de'ective depuTtroent, returned to town yesterday, and lad an interview with Mr Nicholson on ihp sulject, »nd wosubsf quenlly obtflinid from him the following narrative of .'be sfF ir : On Tnee-fay !apt Detectives Duoct.rbnd Mabotif-y, Weiberg aud myself wen: to Gi (filth's P.dnt. Th- o'ji-c.) of oui journey wus to find ±'1700 or Jt'lSOO it. soverfiyu;-, irbieh the prisoner said In bad planted in tbe Tar win riwr. He said lie bad placed t lie sovereigns iv an iron kettle, tbat tbey were covered over with lead, that a wrxden lid waa place;! on the kettlp, and that be hsil Bunk the kettle in the river near his selection. On arriving at Griffiths Point we rode to Lnyccck's selection, on Anderson's Inlet. Layeutk being a gcod boatman, I engaged bim to pilot us up tbe inler to ihe TarwiD, a '.'istance of about 16 or 17 mike Wes erted at 4 o'clock on Wednesday morning, and arrived at our destina<ion at about 4 o'clock in tbe afternoon. We had prepared a long pole with a hook at tbe end with which to fish upt he k tne. On arriving nt the place, Weib*-rg ebowed us the spot where he eaid the money was hiddeo, and explained to us that to recover it we would have to stretch a rope from a blhckwood tree on tbe one aide of tbe mer, io a te»-tree on the other, and .hen eii-.k the pole *U a certain distance from (be bank under that line. He iiaii mentioned the two trees to U8 when in th*- M Iborme Gaol, and we found them *b be bad described (hem. We g • n-e i ope stretched across, aod dropped a piumo line at a point which he iiMiiuiivi-d By this time, however it w 8 yelling dtrk, aud we had to knock oil work. We then weni down to Jack Wetilalfe place, a bush hut, where we found lodgings for the night. Aa there was iittie use searching the river when the tide wus jd, we waited next dny uotil it was out, which waa between 12 and 1 o'clock. Jn the meantime we prepared a grapnel), with three iron hookB, so aa to have a better instrument for liftiug tbe kettle from the bed of the liver. When the tide was low we rowed up tbe river in a boat, and searched from about 1 p.m. to balf-pnßt 5 p m., without success. The bed of the river is formed of a deep layer o{ bluish mud, and when tbe grapnel waa put dowD, it took a considerable time to gel up again. I took n spell at it myself for half no boor, and found it hard work. Weiberg worked like a nigger. By 5 o'clock the stiffness of the mud twißted the iron grapnel, and threw it out of order. We felt something hard at the bottom of the river, but whether it was the kettle or merely a stone I cannot say. It might have been the kettle, but Ido not now think so. At about balf-p<Bt 5 p.m. I intimated that we would return to the but, and get a much longer piece of iron, which would reach through the mud, and prevent tho wooden pole from getting stuck. We then left, and it was arranged tbat we should return next (Friday) morning ai 4 o'clock, when it would be low water again. All this time Weiberg was kept strictly under guard, although I had no expectation that he would endeavour to escape. He was also watched all night carefully. On tbe following morning, at about 3 o'clock, we sorted again for the search, Laycock being always with us to manage the boat. It was always the custom for one of us to get in to the boat first before the prisoner, so that he might have no chance of decamping with the bout by himself. Belore we went on board a piece of iron bad to be tied upon tbe searching pole. Detective Mahony held the pole whilst Weiberg tied the iron on. They were quite close to each other, and Detective Duncan was standing a couple of yards off. Thinking the pole was properly fixed, I remarked, " Well, now, all is ready." Weiberg said " Yes." I then on this occasion went into the boat first. I bad to descend a steep slippery bank, and only reached the boat after some trouble. I had not been in tbe boat more than a minute and a half, and had callt-d on the others to come on board, when su'Uenly I heurd Mahony exclaim ■" He's off." I scrambled up the -ank as quickly as I could, but that occu**i i. wwiosi to th- 1 slippery nature ot U.e «. round, about a couple of minutes. Oo getiing up I saw Weiberg ruDning about 200 yarlß away in an open space, parallel with thn river. This open space was about 250 yards iv extent, aud beyond waa dense bush coumry. Mahoney was then within 10 yards of the fugitive, and Duncan was following closely. Weiberg and Mahony tripped and fell six times each. Duncan attempted to shoot at tbe fugitive, but his revolver, it appeared, would not fire. Laycock and I also followed in pursuit, but before we got to the end of the open ground, the others had disappeared in the bush. We attempted to continue the chase, but tbe bush became so thick that we were unable to tell what direction tbe others had taken. After scouring about for en hour Laycock and I went back to the hut, and about an hour afterwards (6 o'clock) Mr.hony and Dnncan returned, Mahony reporting tbat be bad lost Waiberg in tbe busb. Tbe scrub there is so thick tbat a man might lie within two yards of you without being discovered. I asked bow on earth the fellow bad got away. Mahony replied,

" Directly yi i> got into the boat WaiHerg asked I more erring lo fasten the iron on the po c. Whilst Duncan was procuring the string, fbe prisoner dealt me & blow in (he stomach and bolteJ. the blow staggered roe for a minute. I started, however, in pursuit immediiitely, but could not overtbko biro." Duncan told me that Wei berg lost his hie hat just after he boiled, Bnd on searching I found it five yards from where he started, »nd at a spot where he fell. From the time we left, M 1Viourne until his eecaj>e the pr Boner was n^ver left one m\\ ute by him- I One or >ha whole of us were «!»?!■ *a;cbin« him, am! be utvei e!i,,.<the slightest imlicition of v desire to get away. In fact 1 can scarcely imagine how hfi ilid in^ka hia ote*pe. Laycoek's stleolion is about J8 miles down the river, and Mra Waiberg has heen living there ever sincfl her has- ' band had been arrested. The first thiDg I did was to send Bman lo Stockyard Creek, some 35 miieß distant, the Dearest telegraph station, with a message for Melbourne, and for Mounterconstable Cleary, wl o ia statioced at Stockyard Creek. I ihen got another bußhmen logo with Duocan and Mahony, first of all to Black's stat : on, about three miles distant, to inform the persons there of the escape, and to ask them to look out for the fugitive. The constable from Griffith's Point had come with us to Laycock's place, and was left there in charge of the horses, and I went there to give him information of what had occurred. I returned to the Tarwin that afternoon, and arranged that the man I had sent to Stockyard Creek should, on his return with an extra horse 1 had ordered, act as a guide for jtfahony to a but known as Brown's Hotel, on Waratah Bay, where I knew there were two men wallabyshooting who would be able to supply Weiberg with provisions, were he to call on them. The only other place in the district where he could obtain food was at Black's station . I took Duncan with me to Laycock's and left him there with a horse, so that be might be at hand should Weiberg attempt to seize a boat belonging to him which was lying there. As for myself, I went down the Pilot River, and visited Kilcunda, Griffith's Point, the Bass, Corinella Creek, and Grantville, to leave information as to the prisoner's escape. These places skirt "Waratah Bay, and an outlook will be kept for "Weiberg ab each of these places should he attempt to make for the sea. At none of these places are there any police at present, but Weiberg is well known throughout the district, I then returned to town. To-day (Monday) a telegram has been received from Detective Ma-iony, stating that Weiberg slept at Brown's but on Waratah Bay on Saturday night, that he left again on Sunday morning, •> nd that he (Mabony) and constable Cleary bad gone in pursuit. He changed some of his clothes at Brown's and now wears a white felt bat and black monkey jacket. He baa also now got his whiskers cut. Brown's hut is some 17 miles from where the prisoner escaped. Every effort is being made for his recapture.