THE RECENT OUTRAGES AND INCENDIARISM AT AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 55, 10 February 1872, Page 2

THE RECENT OUTRAGES AND INCENDIARISM AT AUCKLAND.

[From tbe Daily Southern Cross, Jan. 29. J At one o'clock on Sunday morning a messenger galloped up to the Albert Barracks, and communicated to the police that a large haystack, the property of Mr Thomas Russell of the Pa Farm, ;had been fired by an incendiary. Immediately upon receipt of the information, Mr Broham, Sergeant Egan, Detectives Jeffery and Ternahan, with mounted-trooper Bullen, started for the scene, all taking different roads in the hope of being able to fall in with any suspicious character who it might be presumed had committed the act. Mr Broham had proceeded half a mile beyond the toll-gate at Newton, when he perceived some one coming along from the opposite direction at a smart pace. The instant the man saw some one was in front of him, he turned off the road, and commenced running at full speed. It was this that aroused Mr Broham's suspicions; for when he saw some person ahead of Idm, he had no other idea than that it would be one of the residents of the locality either going or returning from home. But

his suspicions once ' awakened, Mr Broham leaped from his horse, divested himself of his coat, and securing his riding whip gave chase The man finding himself pursued, increased his speed, and for a time was lost to sight. Fortunately Mr Broham is remarkably swift of foot, there being, with the exception of professional pedestrians, few to equal him in speed in this colony. In the pursuit Mr Broham had to leap a massive stone wall, cross through an orchard, and again over a hawthorn fence, following up the chase over some very rough ground, across ditches, and through thick scrub. The man was still considerably ahead, as he also proved a swift runner; yet the pace of Mr Broham told at last, and every minute the distance between the two lessened. Becoming quite exhausted, and finding that he must soon be run to earth, the pursued, who proved to be Mr Cyrus Haley, turned at bay, and aimed a revolver at the Inspector. Why it did not take effect will be told hereafter. The two men then closed in a deadly struggle. In height and weight neither possessed any superiority over the other, but Mr Broham is almost a trained athlete, and being a man of great activity and muscular power, he succeeded in releasing himself from Haley's grip and tried to seize him by the throat. Then in another instant both grappled, and another desperate struggle ensuee. There was noneathandto render assistance, and Haley was now making a powerful effort to release himself, ml make another run for his libertv.

Then Mr Broham. using the butt of his riding whip, struck Haley on the head and felled him to the ground. The man was now his prisoner, aud as soon as he was able to rise from his prostrate position, Mr Broham, with a firm hold of his man, walked him to the Albert Barracks, where he was placed under safe custody until brought down to the city watchhouse. It was then that Sergeant Egan and Mr Broham, with other constables, went to a house at Newton, where Haley lived. Here, upon making search, they found a Snider rifle, two revolvers, with their cases, an air-gun, and a third revolver case, but without containing the revolver. There was also discovered an enormous quantity of ammunition in the form of cartridges, bullets, gunpowder, wadding, and moulds. After the search had been effected, the police proceeded to the scene of the encounter. Here they found, lying on the ground, a revolver, but minus the chamber. A three-hours' search was made along the track of the chase and where the struggle had taken place, but nothing further was discovered. On examining the revolver it was found that the chamber had fallen off the spindle which holds it to its place. Yesterday morning, and before what we have related became generally known, a man went to a public-house and offered the chamber of a revolver for sale for a shilling. He informed the landlord that he had found it early in the morning in Symonds street. The man did not state his name, but as immediately afterwards a placard was posted over the city offering a reward of £5 for a pistol chamber, supposed to be loaded, there is little to fear but what the finder will be brought to the police station as soon as he reads or hears of the notification. The prisoner, Cyrus Haley, was formerly the lessee of the Exchange Restaurant and News Room in the New Zealand Insurance Company's building, and which, as is well known, was burned down on the night previous to the day on which the restaurant was to have been opened. The building was insured either for £IOOO or £2OOO, the whole of which was paid over to Haley. FURTHER PARTICULARS. It was a policeman, and a coachman in the employment of Mr Thomas Russell at the Pa Farm, who first discovered the stack to be on fire on Sunday morning. At first they thought it would be better to scour the places round about to see whether they could discover the incendiary, but it was after a short consultation deemed most advisable to acquaint Mr Russell, and. this being done, the coachman was despatched to the police barracks to give the information which we have already referred to. It was only a short time previous to the haystack being observed on fire that both policeman and coachman were close to the spot were the incendiary must have shortly afterwards arrived. The stack of hay destroyed was valued at about £.150. Fortunately no other damage was sustained, the stack being isolated and at a distance from anything inflammable. The police believe they are now in possession of information which will enable them to bring home the charge of shooting into the rooms of Mr Russell's house at midnight on Monday last, brief particulars of which appeared in our issue of Wednesday last. The prisoner will be brought up this morning charged as an incendiary, but a remand will be asked to enable further evidence bearing on the charge to be obtained. The whole affair has created a profound sensation throughout the community. Since writing the above the chamber of the revolver has been brought to the police station by a man who found it yesterday morning in Symonds street. The chamber belongs to the revolver which was found on the ground where the struggle took place.