OTAGO.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 29, 17 February 1863, Page 2

OTAGO.

fyjlOM OUtt OWN COERESPONDKM^r.j . ■•*• ;• ' dtjnedin] :: : : ' rf ' i ;' ? * Mondat, 10th February. You will scarcely believe my statement,- ■when I tell you that until yesterday evening.,l waß-riot' [ aware that the days of departure for the lnvorcargill mail had been altered, since the firat day of t tbo New Year. No intimation of such alteration has emanated from the post office authorities, and to this moment I cannot learn what day the mail really does leave. The clerk at the window saya Tuesday, the Postman who bringa the letters avers it is Wednesday. The messenger " does not know/' and one of the clerks who I addrcssd on the subject | " is not quite sure," but thinks the postmaster might possibly be able to tell me. This has annoyed me much, because my letters could not have been published in your paper until three days alter sight, and until the news they contained had been anticipated by you frem other quarters. "Why do you not send more Inverca.EGll.l, Times to me than you do ? There is quite a rnsh for them when the mail arrives, and I am always deficient of a fuJ 1 supply. Only an instalment of the escort reached Duned'm on Friday aftercoon. There had been two breakdowns. One near the Lake and one near Duncdin. So the Dunstan Escort was brought on in on old rattletrap of a spring cart, and the Lato gold wa3 taken back from whence it came, until the broken conveyance can be made good. It j s expected to reach Dunedin this evening. The escrot from the Dunstan via Tuapeka stands thus : — Dunstan 8,388 5 Tuapeka 2,579 10 Wuiiahuna 579 10 Woolshed 530 0 Ttotr.l 12,075 5 Add the L .ke Escort 22,000 And you have a total of 34,075 S Independent of what your escort may have drawn away. I think we may feel pretfy elated at the richness of our goldfields, although what has come down is truly insignificant to what is alleged will be forwarded when the Molynoux is lower and the diggers able to commence work on the " drift " of the bars and bends of the river. Ifc is greatly to be deplored that the diggers do not settle down more steadily and quietly to the pursuit of gold getting, instead of rushing from one field to another, giving up pnying claims in the hope of getting something better, and thereby, too frequently losing all by so doing 1 . The majority of. raen on the Lake and Dunstan goidficlda ate ex-* pcrieuccd diggers , and ought to have learned by : this time to let well alone. I fear much mischief is done by the rascality of dishonet storekeepers, who pitch down in tho midst of a small community of diggers and create a rush to the neighborhood by sending forth the most lying reports with respect to the richness of the ground. I hope to see the charge sheeted home to some of these unprincipled scamps, and an exinnpie made of them. They are constantly the cause of diggers leaving good paying claims upon tho faith of getting on to extraordinary rich ground. Let me give you an I -si nee of this. A gentleman walked into my p! 'X of business yesterday witli a letter in his band : from a storekeeper on Johnson's Gully. ITe (the storekeeper) knew me in times gone by, Kg having been connected with the newspaper press, and th.jught, I suppose, that I could servu his turn. So the gentleman produces a small chamois leather bag of gold i'rom this new gully, which he declared (as every one does declare under similar circumstances), to bo a very fine sample. He then read the letter, which stated that everybody wag -doing well at Johnson's Gully ; that the ground waa extr .ordinary rich, and that there was room for a couple of thou vnd diggers. The letter concluded by y:ig, " c .11 upon Mr 8., and-tjj'g he will make up a go id account of the fu'ld i>..d send it to one of the papers." Mr Storekeeper had, however, mist ken his man for onre. But, singular enough, I h -.d only been informed two hours previously, fi'om ti mirt trustworthy authority, that this same gully which at. first promised well, had turned out a complete "duffer." So much for this fellow's honesty, and I ouly fear there are too many like him. A fire brokfi out on Thursday night last in the premises of Messrs. Butement Bros., coda water and iritigerbecr manufacturers, in Princes-street, which at, first threatened to flestroy an immense block ot valuable property. The premises were situate 1 at the rear ot Messrs. Watkinson and Dickson, chemists and druggists, in the centre of the town, and closely proximate to the stores of Dalgety, liattray & Co., Jones & Williamson's, the new Custom House, and other valuable propprty. Eortunafply. the Fire Brigade, now a thoroughly organised and remarkably efficient body ot volunteers, were speedily on the spot with their new and powerful engine. A long hose was t :':cn down to the bay, and of couise there was no lek of water. By the most active endeavors to ke p the fire from igniting to other buildings, the Tri ;;ule were ultimately successful, but the pren: re"! on which the (ire originated were complei.' v destroyed, including a very valuable plant and stock. During the lira a very little matter, : ;• a few mo cut.-, cuusc:l a very great alarm', w 'ch was ft.rwc-ds converted into laughter. As the ihtmes heal. I the room or store in which was ' i-ked large quintitic.i of .inger beer and soda water, the hot: lc3 commenced bursting in rapid puc- oss-ion, w!.h repi-.'f nlmo.,t ns loud as if they had come from nre v tent of rffl •.. People, for a p.i ment or co, 8:oo I b ck terrified, find the members of the Hrigade were called off, but era there w.-.- time ta obey the corn iinnd, the mystery was discovered, and a hc:v. ty hurrah cluvn.'d the men dn their work wit'i renewed vi U 'or. That we shall sooner or i to*- luve a fire, attached with an immen, destruction of property, if not life itself, all 3t us ore prep r 1 for. Lluililings are co huddled together au<-l cop- ruetcd of such inflamable maiprials, th.'tfc we arc at nny hour at the mercy of a falling spark and a bi\ .th of wind to fan it into tl'.mes. At the fire I have just noticm!, Dr. Burns' louse bad very narrow escape of being completely lestroveij. The '' Kirk Session." or Committee, >r whatever it may bo called, for I do not pretend :o understand Presbyterian bodies, seat a cheque 'or £'20 with their thanks and compliments to the Japtuin of the Fire Brigade, for the exertions nade to pre.-erve the church from destruction, riiis was liberal, but no more than, what was •ight. Horses having been pouvod into ug within the ast three weeks from Tasmania and Victoria, at iuch a rate, that they have dropped in value, so I im informed, fully fifty per cant. The election for Superintendent soon comes on. Fudge Harris and Mnjor Richardson are in the ield. The former conies before his constituents as i miin .^nd a gentleman, in a straightforward, outpoken manner, which h.\ : obtained for him many tdmirers and will gain for him many a vote. Major i'!ch- /on •• would and would not." He r. : 3 ht st.:nd if p •tieularlv and urgently requested. ['hr>n n ;;'.in he Hid not think he would. He was a ■»ldicr .fid iiked retirement. However upon ae- , )jd consideration he would come forward, because o-nc one mi ,ht come forward who had opposite :eas upon land policy than what ho had enun■intcd. So the Major is a candidate and Judge ' 3;..ris is a candidate, and it is said *o be two to ' me on the judge. I hope so. The fact is Major ' lichardson did very well as a Superintendent when ' l Superivitendent had nothing to do. But now the use is different. j Mr Dick, our Provincial Secretary, was to have < otne forward, but L think h sullirient sense to ] ee that he would not be the right man in the ight place. The Gothenburg arrived in port yesterday after- i loon, with about 300 passengers. Tho Melbourne tapers were delivered late last evening, but do not 1 ontuin any news of the slightest interest or im- ! lortance. < I must not close this letter until I inform you of . >ue circumstance which you should not fail to draw < he attention of your readers to. A gentleman of ] or iderable capital tells mo that he went to In- | crcargill to open a business establishment there, j ut that in consequence of the extraordinary high , irice asked for a piece of land wherever there was J piece to sell or let, he declined having anything *. r> do with tho place and returned to Dunedin. I his, lam told, hns happened with a score of other ' apitnlists who have ione to your town and left it ' n disgust. It is nit the gold dug out of the ground, < ').' ich is immediate! ,./ shipped away to some other i olonj or country, but it is the capital brought ] >ito a place an I expat led upon it that is the great i ouvee of wealth and prosperity. Therefore, I sajr, 1 aich all ttic capitalists you can and do not drive t hem aw ay. from you- £ The season's clip is nearly all to hand. The t reather has been all that could •be desired for hearing operations. I enclose you the following oceount of the ftl* sgod murder .at the Dunstan, taken from the ~)a ily TintGS of 10th February. It is rather an S itraordinar/ coso ;— . . . l

•^Some few dayV baci|c A t"tiere was a rumor of a raurder^hanag^ betfh cornrnittied somewhere neo£ the-Duostan; and.that theper^epr^ot of the ctuoi, iha'd inadea c^nfeasibp ot^tae Shot f.and given bim> jsaJEup to the JBoliccT £ We, tiavc> tfi-clay been placed* 'id popsossipn jof tho j^arii^ulflri,of this case, which are somewhat *of an extraordinary character.- We may mention that o^r|infpi^!rnt is Mr Williaifk:. •■nogan/wtka^aa.tpetßbtialty'- acquainted with the' whole occurrence. It appears that on tho 7th January two men named Daniel Clifford and William Phillips, who had been mates on Conrov's* Gully, left the Dunstan township for Conroy'v intending to proceed to the Umbrella Kangea on a prospecting tour. On the 11th Cifford returned ! to tho Dunstan townsdip alone, arriving from the | direction of the Umbrellas. On hia arrival CHf- | ford began to ' knock down' money very fast,' 'shouting' for everybody and spending as much as sixty or seventy pounds a day. As some explana* ] tion of this prodigality, Clifford stated that he had discovered, a rich gully-- on-rartributary- of. the Mataura. He said that he 'had brought to the Dunstan 121b. weight of gold,obtamcd by himself and mate in three days. The gold was so plentif tl, he eaid, that while his mate wa-* boiling the billy and preparing a meal, he (Clifford) had washed out 3lb. weight. This information, of course, created great interest amongst the miners, and ultimately a party of seven agreed : to nccompany^ Clifford to the alleged rich gully. After this party had started/ they discovered on arriving at the ' Old Man Hange,' six miles from Dunstan, that they were followed by several others, and in order todeceive i these men, the party agreed to divide, one party ] consisting of Clifford and another man eoing iu I one direction, and the remainder, in another, precautionary arrangements being made to meet at a ecrfrin B]>ot. It would appear, however, that the two parties did not reunite, and Clifford and his companion returned to the Dunstan. Clifford again spent money very freely, and repeated his statemeut as to the new gully. Another party, of whom our informant, Mr Slogan, was one, made an arrangement with Clifford to go in ssrrch of the place, and this party fell in. with the missing half of the original expedition, and the two parties united and proceeded on their way. When about twelve miles from AfcNab's station, and sixty miLn from the Dunstan, Clifford waa discovered by one of thfr party who was posted aa sentry, trying to escape, abou! three in the morning. The sentry ; Jlowed him for some distanco, and then asked him where he was going. ' God help me !' said Clifford, ' I have £% and a deposit note for £60, t-ke it, I have no .gully to show, . and am very sorry for misleading the men.' Clifford was theji si-cured, and taken back to the party. The miners were very much exasperated, and one man rushed forward and tried to strangle Clifford, but was drawn off. On being asked to account for the money ho had been spending, the prisoner said he had murdered his.mnte and then -robbed him, but that the murder had been done accidentally. He then pleaded a call of nature, and was allowed to., retire for a short digtance, when he attempted to strangle himself with his braces. He was ihen t-ecured, and a judge and jury appointed to ordain hi* punishment. It was decided to shave off the culprit's h;iir arid whiskers,' and Chen .he was to receive four lashes with a stout rope from, each, of . the party— fifteen in number.- He was then lashed with his arms outstretched, (o a lerge rock; and but for the interference of Mr Elo-Tau and another of the party, there is little doubt, but the man's life xs-ould have, been taken. His sentence . was commuted to the; simple cutting <pff of bis hair and whiskers,; but the prisoner' wag severely treated by., I the exasperated miners on the way to the Duriatan.; i Clifford several times attempted Btiicidc, but waa prevented accomplishing Ms purpose, and was haftdedover io the police at the Dunstnn. Here Ciiffonl stated' that ho "had made the statement about the murder simply io escape fhe vengeance of the miners he had deceived. Four of the party made a deposition of Clifford's confession before Mr Keddel), H.M., and ibe prisoner was remanded for seven days. He said he eputd find his mate in that time. A constable was sent with him.