ESCAPE OF KELLY'S BROTHER PROM THE STOCKADE, AUCKLAND.

Southland Times, Issue 587, 5 November 1866, Page 2

ESCAPE OF KELLY'S BROTHER PROM THE STOCKADE, AUCKLAND.

LETTER EROM THE MURDERER KELLY. (Prom the Daily Southern Cross, Oct., 18.) One of the most determined criminals that ever we have had in this province, and who has made himself well known by his daring crimes, escaped from the Mount Eden Stockade yesterday morning. The man's name is Isaac Robinson, and we daresay that most of our readers will have some recollection of his former exploits. He was in the 40fch Regiment, : and lad de erted twice On his second desertion, he made his way down to : tVaiheki, and was for some time employed there by Mr Adam Chisholm, a settler. One day, while he was sitting with Mr Chisholm in the house, he took up a stick i and struck him a blow on the head which very nearly proved fatal, Mr Chiaholm

being unable to leave the house to givd any alarm for two days. Robinson took away a pair of pistols, and a sum of money, A short time after, Robinson was captured, after a desperate struggle, afc Howick, to which place he had made hia way from "Waiheki. Robinson was sentenced at the Supreme -Court to three year's imprisonment, with hard labor, for assaulting Mr Crisholm. He had nofc been confined long in the Stockade when he made his escape, running into the direction ofthe Whaku. Immediate pursuit was given but Robinson managed to get clear off. Next day, a settler, named Griffiths, was knocked down and stripped near th 9 "Whau, by Robinson, who put on Griffith's clothes, and left his own prison dress. As in the case of Chrisholm, the blow was a severe one. Griffiths lay a long time insensible, and was hardly able to reach his house. Some weeks after, when he appeared to give evidence in court, his head was bound up, and Robinson laughed very heartily at his lugubrious appearance. This time Robinson was captured in the Flat Bush by a constable named King. For this offence, and the es-ape, Robinson was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. Since that time up till a few days ago, Robinson was kept heavily in iron. Upon making promises of good behaviour, he was relieved from irons, we believe by the direction of the Visiting Justice. About half-past eight yesterday morning, while Robinson was at work in the masons' department, he suddenly slipped away taking wifch him a stone-breaker's hammer handle, and, running to the right of the entrance gate, he contrived to hide himself from the view of the the warders by the newly erected officers' quarters and a shed. Getting to the wall, he dropped a height of about ten feet at an angle which concealed him, and then starting out while the nearest sentry's back was turned he ran across the paddock towards the Kyber Pass Road. AMr Hall appears to have attempted his arrest, but, on closing with Robinson, he was immediately knocked down with a blow from the hammer handle. Robinson then entered a dense scrub, and was lost to sight. Two warders were posted by Mr Tuckwell on the Panmure bridge, two on Point England, and two on the Onehunga and Penrose Road, also two near St. John's College, so that it is considered physically impossible that Robinson can long escape apprehension. The scrub in which he was seen to enter is also surrounded with armed warders, who are under orders to watch there till daybreak. The fugitive Robinson, whose character may be gathered from the above sketch, is a brother of Xi Ily, who was recently executed at Nelson for the Maungatapu murders. The following letter, written by Kelly a short time before his execution, was sent to Robinson, but, we believe, was not given to him. It is written in a very small, steady, and rather pretty hand : — Nelson Gaol, September 25, 1866. My Dear Brother, — In this my unfortunate peculiarly unfortunate position and writing a most sorrowful epistle to you I ask you in the name of God whom I and every man must fear not to condemn your Own Dear Brother on account of having been arraigned convicted confounded and sentenced to death for one of the most extraordinary complicated cruel und barbarous murders that I believe to have taken place in the world condemn me for I am as innocent as yourself and I tell you in my dying words and call upon my God to witness I am speaking the truth that I never to my knowledge in all my knowledge of my life ever remember seeing any of the unfortunate men that it is said were murdered on the Maungatapo Mountain so let your Dear Brother's dying words console you and keep your heart up upon the strength of your Own Dear Brother being sacrificed to appease I do not know what but God help me and give me strength to meet my fate like a brave man but whatever it be it will serve the villainous ends of our school mate Tom Sullivan who has proved himself to be wholesale murderer a perjurer before my trial and a perjurer at my trial and a cruel wicked and dangerous man but may God forgive him and arouse his conscience to its proper office before he reaches to the other side of the grave and after I am dead and gone and rotten and almost forgotten proclaim my innocence to the world and although my body will be commingled with the earth it was made from as it will be the means of showing judges juries and all other law officers ofthe Crown how careful they ought to be whan one of their fellow creatures lives is depending upon the breath of one like Tom. * * * Oh God help me in so trying and fearful solemn serious a moment as this is to me penning these line to you my Dear Brother after his Honor Captain "Walmsley the Sheriff communicating to me that it was his Honor's painful duty to inform me that the General Government had decided that my sentence (which is the most inglorious of deaths) is to be carried into effect at a period not far distant. Covering the paper I am now writing upon with salt sorrowful and bitter tears and Dear Brother I am quite sensible at this awful moment to me what is the end and design of the Sacrament of Repentence and that I am not making use of such asseverations as I have with any earthly motive and would to God I were as happy as not to have lost the grace received in Baptism then there would be need of the Sacrament of Repentance as there is but bear well in mind Dear Brother I have no need of the repentence of the most grievous sin of shedding my fallow man's blood. Oh no thank the Lord of all for that and therefore out of God's infinite mercy and goodness I hope and pray for God's condescension in my weakness and misery that it may please him to give me His grace as there is no succour to be compared with the help of the Omnipotent King of Glory. * * * My Dear Brother at timed since my ar»

rest I have compared Tom with one of King Richard the Third's hired assassins •whom Shakespeare made to say of conscience that it was a daugerous accusing tiling and that it mada a man a coward •md that it ought to be thrown away and live without it, * * * As this is mv last letter to you or any other person T must acquaint you tbat I am so glad at the wonderful change that I noticed to have taken place at my trial on the part of the inhabitants of this town for on account of t!> : jlaungatapo Mountain affair being so dreadful and causing such intense anxiety in town and throughout the country generally after I was arrested I was hissed hooted and spit at by living beings from eighteen hich to upwards of six feet (but principally the rabole) who oftentimes filled the air with shoutings and ravings of indignation little conscious Dear Brother that I was as innocent of the Maungatapo Mountain murders as themselves but Cod forgive everybody as I do myself and I tell you again I was so glad to see the very opposite extreme at my trial and I do not believe from my own experience all over the colonies that there is such a Christian like or well disposed a community at this side of the line as the population of Nelson. Now for a few words to you about Dick Hill as you know a little about him there is great change in him since you knew him G-od help him I often cry and pray for him for he was a good man one time but Dear Brother my pen could not describe him to you now he is a terrible murderer by his own awful confession the unhappy man tried to do me j srood he might as well have held his tongue he did not make his confession soon enough when he did make it I was thunderstruck he told me to remember him to you he appears to be quite resigned to his fate and I do really believe his preparing hi 3 wicked and sinful soul to meet his God as well as he can. I have turn my paper this way through my tears causing me to make smears. So now Dear Brother I will conclude with telling you to communicate this sorrowful tidings to our relations and friends as you please as I have not written to any ■person but yourself so farewell for ever and adieu farewell again from me to you good bye and G-od bless you and everybody living so farewell to mankind farewell to the world and farewell to the laud that I live in and when I am dead and this you are reading Oh pray that mj sins be forgiven I pray for this I hope fjr this and I heartily wish for this so another farewell adieu and good bye from your own Tommy yes Oh yes your own Tommy Noon and I remain your affectionate and loving brother Thomas Nooy. Nott mind and keep your heart up wh»-n my time comes I will meet my inglorious and shameful death -with the help and assistance of God Almighty. So another farewell adieu and good by I'li leave off writing and have a good cry For the day is approaching that I have to die It is a pity for to see In a condemned cell Tommy "Who his been judged -wrongfully To die the death of ignomy TVi-ingh. not proving an alibi WhYh "would at once have set him free Fr,»m wilful corrupt gross perjury B *t to the gallows he must go Compelled from friends to part Hn-1 us it is it must be so But still it grieves his heart To die ior murdering of a man He never seen in all his life "Which will appease the monster Sullivan Bloodythiraty deadly strife Those are my dying words to G-od Before whom I'll soon appear So fellow man don't think it odd But believe it with a tear A3 unhappy Tommy Kelly can sign this with conscience clear Of telling lie to his fellow man or his God whom he does fpar Eut 'tis so God's will must be done Kelly's lifeblood will soon cease to run And may the Nelsonians kindly agree Tommy's been murdered and ought to be free Oh do this tis the wish of one broken hearted to have justice done him when he is departed And may God bless everybody that is my prayer for I ought uot to be here I solemnly declare So now I'll dwell and bid farewell to friends both far and near and near and may the Lord have mercy on me before whom I must appear For I never spilt man's blood since on thia earth I'll trod But I've been a kind free-hearted man though at times I've not been good So a good day and a good by to all and a sorry day and a sorry bye upon myself will fall Bat I Dray God help me in my difficulties both great and small And not allow your Tommy in the pit of hell to fall And wlien I'm gons oh do not wrong me And th-jn I will die free and happy So now I'll make up my mind to die happy Freely belie ring nobody will wrong me Cnhnppy unfortunate much injured Tommy So good bye again from brokenhearted Kelly So now adieu to writing and adieu to man Good bi*es everybody Tommy lays down his pen Ay.d says Amen.