A GREAT TRAGEDY RECALLED.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 April 1920, Page 7

A GREAT TRAGEDY RECALLED.

WOMAN ESCAPES WITH MURDERERS. THREE MONTHS' CRUISE IN KETCH. ZARA WHITE'S DEATH. The death of Zara White at the Long Bay Reformatory for Women, says the Sydney Sun, removes the last of the three concerned in the Great Barrier murder near Auckland, New Zealand, on •Tune 19, 1886, when Robert Taylor was shot by John Caffrey while his mate, Henry Albert Penn, held his hand?. The murder eaused a sensation throughout Australasia, owing to the fact that the woman and the two men escaped in a ketch, Sovereign of the Seas, eventually landing at Crescent Heads, between Trial Bay and Macleay Heads.

Within a few days ex-Sergeant May, Enmore, then stationed at Bellinger, brought about the arrest of Caffrey under unusual circumstances. Penn gave himself up to the police a few days later. They were taken to Auckland, tried, condemned to death, and executed in the Mount Eden gaol on January 22, 1887. White, who also gave herself up to the police at the same time as Penn, was also taken to Auckland, where she was charged with having been an accessory after the fact. She, however, turned Queen's evidence, and by her testimony against the two men, helped to send them to the gallows. Returning to Sydney, White became well known to the police. She was hardly out of gaol during the past 30 years, and had a record of nearly 200 convictions for drunkenness, riotous behaviour, and other offences. She wa3 known as the New Zealand Terror, and had ten aliases.

A handsome woman in her young days, slip led a dissolute life. Courageous, resourceful, and cool, she will be remembered liy those acquainted with the details of the tragedy for the part she played while the murder was being committed, during the hazardous voyage from New Zealand to Australia,' and subsequently, when she, gun in hand, faced Caffrey on the beach at Orescent Heads, when lie was about to fisht a revolver duel with Penn. PLOTTING THE MURDER. Caffrey was a master mariner, and Penn a draper's assistant in Auckland. Taylor w»4 » Mlsotor »t the Great Bar-

nor Island, near Auckland. Caffrey had command of the. ketch Sovereign of tne hcas, Which traded between the islands and Auckland. He wanted to marry a daughter of Baylor's but she rejected nm. He vowed he would murder Taylor and induced Ponn to take a hand in the deed. Penn and White were on Rood terms, and she consented to join tlio pair, and after the tragedy, to accompany them to America. *' r^ nng S l ' , talkh, S °™ the plans Caffrey callously suggested that after t W r ?*f d Ta , ylor a I,lack fla S? *onld be hoisted on the vessel, as a reminder ZtT D at , he had « ot rid of a man he hated But there was no flag at hand, and there was no time to purchase tne material for one in Auckland, so White it was subsequently stated to the police tf T \ •n° ?"** °" e out ° f a Pi«e of back silk dress she was wearing. This she did, and further, sewed a white linen cross in one of the corners. : TAYLOR SHOT, i^-3 Caffrey, Penn and White sailed from Auckland, and reaching the Great Bard , the Sj - me ni S ht > waite d till dayhght, when White was left in the ketch, while Caffrey and Penn reached [and m a dinghy. They went to Taylor's house, and after speaking to him for a wuile, Caffrey asked where his daughter was. fehe had, however, jumped through a window when she saw Caffrey and a."* ** and another daughter had also got away. Caffrey and Penn entered the place, and Penn hands, while Caffrey shot him ln r!fr back *? the SOT «-eign of the Seas, Caffrey ordered the improvised flag the hr^ Stet k and With thi * floati "g When the Auckland police learned of the tragedy a man-o'-war was sent to for the ketch, hut could not sight TOOK HER TUrjj AT THE TOEEL +ll ™ st ° eked with food, but as it turned out, not with, sufficient water, «M.J If cnmmals > afte >- aho«t a fortZ't S6a ' SUffered a S° od d * al from thiut, owing to the supply of water ™* «?■ f They weVin serfous straits and at last Caffrey, who had ttS m h ' S ' kliled the ani «al and poured the blood into a dish, from which they drank the contents. 7 Fortunately the rain commenced to fal, or there is no telling what would have occurred on board. The next day heir tanks were filled sufficiently for the rest of the journey. - Quarrelling a good deal, they were a WhL U toon y - and «* +1 1% 2 ok lfc m turns t" sleep for fear hat Caffrey, if , he caught \ Wft Same t,me ' would shoot and throw them overboard • ww Who t had Caffre y' s initials and dnri™ * ° ne tatto ° ed ° n her left «™ during the v tQOk hor «*eel every day, and also attended to the cooking, but it was fully three months before land was sighted They saw the coast of Australia a few mdc s from Newcastle, and thought the T had reached America, Sailing south, they arrived opposite Sydney Heads which Caffrey, who had made triiMfcoi New Zealand to Sydney, recordLA warship was cruising about. They turned the ketch-which, during the trip 1 across the Tasman Caffrey had painted black and obliterated all the letters of the name on the bows except "Rei<m"— sailed north. °

PREPARE FOR DUEL. The next day the Sovereign of the Seas entered Crescent Heads, and was anchored. A camp was fixed up, and after all the provisions had been removed from the ketch it was scuttled. Uftrey and Penn quarrelled over White, then about 10 years of a*e Caffrey wanted to take her with him, but i-onn and the girl were not willina rarfnfw °w ed t0 *&* Wm a duel for her. Agreed to, they procured revolvers and went to the beach to settle matters. Wh.tc, however, would not be a party to the encounter, and, getting a gun, she went between them and threatened to shoot Caffrey if he fired at Penn •Vemg that ho was beaten, Caffrey packed up his swag and cleared out The vessel broke up and the wreckage was washed up on the coast. Some of rt found ltg way to Port Macquarie, where the name-board was picked up Although he letters "reign" were clear the rest of the name of the ketch could be mads out, and the police were handed the piece of timber.

In the meantime the New Zealand police had acquainted the New South Wales authorities with the facts of the A GREAT Tragedy Recalled—Two c ™ e >J 1 description of the vessel, and of Caffrey and his two companions. POLICEMAN'S SUCCESSFUL DISGUISE. All the coast police stations were told to be on the look-out for the murderers, and Sergeant May, stationed at Bellinger, conceived the idea of disguising himself as a swagman and going on the tramp to try and pick up the murderers. His get-up was faultless, and with an old broken-down horse he started out. The third day he came across a man at Deep Creek, and noticed that ho answered the description of Caffrey. Ho chummed in with him, and they agreed to walk to the Clarence River, where they could get work as cane-cutters, They travelled along for about ten miles. May was well armed, and had his handcuffs with him. He noticed that Caffrey nationally put ■ his hand inside his shirt, and, guessing that a revolver was there, he kept a sharp lookout. They reached a punt, and had crossed (he river on it, when May decided to arrest his man.

CAFFKEY ARRESTED. "I am looking for a man answering your description," said Sergeant May, "who is wanted for the murder of Richard Taylor at the Great Barrier, near Auckland. I think you are John Caffrey." May quickly covered Caffroy with his revolver. The handcuffs were placed on him, and he was taken to Bellinger, 12 miles away. "If I -had known you were a constable before you surprised me," said Caffrey later to May, "I would have shot yon like a clog." tt was subsequently stated by Caffrey that he had killed *two other men In his time, and that the greatest hero in the world, to his wav of flunking, was Ned Kelly. "Nosey Bob," well known as the hangman in New South Wales, was, owing to the New Zealand Government being unable to tret a man to draw the lever at. the execution, sent over tc Auckland, and he hanged the two murderer*. WHITE'S LAST REQUEST. It was strangely in accord with White's almost lifetime at aao! that alio

should die in a cell. On March 12 she was taken to the reformatory, and died later on the same day. The City Coroner after hearing evidence at the inquest, found that deatli was due to heart failure, brought about by alcoholism. Nurse Eveleen Bourke, who was m charge of the hospital at the institution, stated that White was examined by the medical officer when she was admitted. She had complained of a pain in the side, and after being treated on the doctor's instructions for that complaint, as well as for alcoholism, she appeared quite well, and was told she would be taken to a cellWhite, the nurse explained, said: J. would like to be 'associated'" That is, placed in a cell with another prisoner. The request was granted. A little later the other prisoner called an attendant, and when the cell was opened White was found lying on the stretcher, apparently in a faint. The gaol doctor was sent for, but she died before he arrived.