Sensational Arrest in Wellington.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 297, 8 September 1888, Page 4

Sensational Arrest in Wellington.

J "Wr.LLiNO'im, Sept 6. j A M,\s.mo>. \l ane&t was clleebert on Tue&- ! day by Coiibtablc Slight, o£ Pahaonfanui but touneily ot Auckland and the Thames. A young man n, uned James White has been wanted by the police to l ' some weeks, for fchc larceny of a horse, saddle, and biidle, belonging to Robert Somcrville. livoiy .stable - keeper, but up to Tuesday his whereabout.- ncie unknown. it was then acertained that lie Wcis woi king at Kakakapainui, on a j bianch of the Ruahine i singe, iieai the head of the Mangoane Rivei. Thither Constable Slight accordingly repaired, accompanied by Constable Can, of Ot.iki, and on arrival there the ofiicer* found that While wa« woikinginoneot the bush camp& It. was though! to be good policy not to alarm any bushmen by acting too pioei|);talely, so Slight waited until the wotkmen came to fcheii cv< ning meal, and at about a, quartci to six o'clock he picbentsd hinibelf at a tent occupied by two men. One of the*e somewhat resembled White in 'ippearance, and in the partial gloom of the font Slight mistook him for that woithy, and had taken him outbide befoi c he wat- aw ai c of the ci roi into w hie 1 * he had tallen. Oniehuning under can ■••a-*, the occupant-, of tin tent doelaiod that V\ hito had left the place. Slight, howe\ei, peisixted in examining the remainder of i the camp, and on turning bark the fly oi the adjoining tent he wa« confronted by" the \ cry man for whom he was looking. White stood inside with a double barrelled fowlingpiece piesentofl at his visitor, whom he greeted with the chewing- intimation, "l f jou step foiwdid another toot I'll blow your b biains out '' Upon this Constable Slight retieated info Lhe open air, and dibch.irged hib ie\ol\er at a tree, for the pur po.-e of showing Ins antagonist that he albo wa- aimed V\ iiite then advanced horn the tent, wi h hih weapon &till lc\elled, lomatking, " 1 see yonAc got your (adjective) shooting f-bick, and two otu.siorit.'' Constable Slight wa& aimed with an ordinaiy six-chambei constabulary revolver, which he presented at White, as the latter continued to cover him with the fowling- piece ; but ab ho did not quite appreciate this threatening attitude, he tried to make White listen fco por&nasion and talk the matter over quietly. White, however, declared he would not be taken alive, that he had been hunted enough by (he police already, and that it they wanted him they would ha\e bo take him (lead. Several times he wai called upon to lay down hi.-, gun and surrender, but each time, according to Slight, he distinct 1} ref übed to do so. He slowly stepped backward towards his tent, and Slightfollowed him up. Initially White stood still andeaif I bha' ii blieconslablead\ anccd another step he would be snot. J u.sb at this moment White madeahalf-burntotbcright, although startled by some noise behind him. Slight was then able to see that the gun was fully cocked and capped, and lie fiied two revolver shotH in quick biicce&sion at the hammers in bho hope ot disabling them, but missed them. White quickly recovered from liia surprise and was again raiting the gun to his shoulder when Slight fired once more and wounded him on fche left wrist. This caused him to drop the gun, and as he stooped in the endeavour to pick it up again, Slight pounced upon him and. with the aid of Constable Carr, who had just come up, secured him. The two ollicevs kept guard over their prisoner all night, attending to his injuries as best they could, and yesterday morning they brought him through the bush to the railway line, where they caught a train coming into town. The prisoner was brought before the Court yesterday afternoon, and removed to the hospital, whero the bullet was extracted. During his stay in the hospital he is to bo watched by two constables. White will be remembered as one of the two brothers who distinguished themselves aoino months ago by sailing from Wellington to Lyttelton in the yacht Dido. One of theiv was convicted of the larceny of the yacht, bub the youth now in tho Hospital was acquitted as merely a passive agent in the matter.