RE-CAPTURE OF MURRAY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1818, 20 November 1888, Page 2

RE-CAPTURE OF MURRAY.

| Christchtjroh, Nov. 17, Murray is at last in the hands of the police. He was captured at half past two | this morning in Lyttelton tunnel. When i leave was given to employ the Permanent Artillerymen in the chase, Sergt. O'Malley, the officer in charge of the Lyttelton Police, divided his force into patrols of two men each, stationing them in various commanding parts of the town and its vicinity. An Artilleryman named Stanley and Constable McCormack (who captured Murray after his first escape in Salt's Gully) were in ambush no*; far aboVe the mouth of the tunnel. A few minutes after two o'clock they saw Murray carrying three small sacks, acd creeping along opposite them. They made a dash at him; the Maori dropped the bags and made off, with the officers in pursuit. The police were encumbered with revolvers and great coats, and rather at a disadvantage, An exciting chase through the streets ensued, McCormack leading the pursuit, and now and then firing ineffectually at the Maori. A few blasts of the whistle brought other patrols up in hot haste, and enabled them to head off the fugitive, who had run down the hill on to the breastwork and wharves, and turn him in among the railway trucks, for a few moments he was lost to view, then Hatherley, a civilian, suggested he had entered the tunnel. A lantern was procured and Mayne, ConStable 0 Connor and several others dashed in after Murray. About half way through thdy found the Maori crouched in the gutter between the water pipe and the wall. The two above named pounced on hira, and seeing the odds so overwhelmingly against him the Maori this time made no resistance. He treated the affair philosophically, explaining that he had intended running right through the tunnel but was stopped by seeing light* at the other end, and he took these to be lights of the policemen watching the j tunnel. As a matter of fact they were ; platelayers. The bags he dropped were I found to contain provisions. Murray was j taken to Lyttelton lock-up in a cheerful mood, which sustained him through an early breakfast, and until brought to Christchurch, where he was brought up at the Resident Magistrate's Court and remanded till Friday. On some of the bystanders jeering at Murray after he was taken from the Court, he laughed, and in a clear voice said " I may get out again, and if I do I will kill every ————— of you."

THE MINERS' STATEMENT. Wm. McDowell, one of the miners at work in the tunnel, with whom were W. and J. Perkins and Hans Dickson, gives the following particulars:—We were examining the tunnel at 2.20 o'clock this morning, about a quarter of a mile from the Heathpete e&d, when we heard footsteps, and turning round we saw the Maori standing sgainst our truck. As soon as we saw him we also saw a light at the Lyttelton end. We were satisfied that the man was being chased. We jumped down off the truck, and armed ourselves with our long-handled shovels. At this movement the Maori turned back,

and we followed him for half a mile towards the Lyttelton end. We saw the two Permanent Artillerymen take the Maori out of his biding place. We watched the party go out of the tunnel

and we then returned to our work. Ham Dickson picked op a meerschaum pipe in the tunnel which Murray must have dropped."

THE PRISONER'S APPAREL AND PROPEMY. When arrested, Murray was dressed in a light gray coat and trousers and a cap. He had no boots or stockings on his feet. The coat wus the one taken from Mr Hunt's at Riccarton, and the cap was the one Btolen from Rev. J. Hill's. The coat wag dirty with g>easy soot from the tunnel and was rent in places as by barbed wire, The trousers were also jagged and torn. At the lock-np at Lyttelton he tare up the cap and attempted to do the same with the trousers, in the prisoner's pockets were found one pair of scissors, one clay pipe, two lead pencils, and one razor. One of the boots worn by Murray, which he had kicked off when being chased by the police and others, was found by Mr Geo. Ayere near the Ooean Steamers' wharf. It has been identified by Mr Palmer as one taken from his house on Wednesday night. He had three bags when seen by Stanley, which he diopped. They contained food and a large, heavy bacou knife, supposed to belong to Mr GUrfortb. THE PRISONER'S STATEMENT. Murray, in nnswer to questions put to him in the lock-up by Sergeant O Malley, admitted being at Riccarton, and being chased by Mr Bowen. fle said he left that place on Tuasday night. The Sergeant, he said, passed within five yards of him on the Port Hills yesterday, fle broke into one house last night. When he was seen and chased he was makiog / for the Governors Bay Road with the intention of getting away on to the Peninsula on the other side of the harbor. Had he known, he said, that the men he met in the tunnel were not police he would have passed them and got away. HIS LAST BVRGLABY. T The house broken into on Friday night by Murray was tbat of Mr Thomas Bacoo. Several of the windows had been tried, an entrance eventually being made through the kitchen window. Three loaves of bread, a pound of butter, some saveloys, corned beef and chops, and two sugar bags were taken. A little girl about five years of age, a daughter of Mr Bacon, heard the man in the house, but was too frightened to cry out, and hid her head under the bedclothes. Constable Drake was on the look out near these premises up till 12 o'clock, but saw nothing. HIS HISTORY. John Murray is a descendant of the Native tribe whose location is between the Sentry Hill and the Bell Block, in the Taranaki District, and who were con* cerned in the Whitecliffs murders, wuieh were the cause of hostilities between tho Natives and the Europeans many years ago. He is twenty years of age, eight of which he has spent in gaol. Murray was only released on the 6th October last, after doing a sentence of five years' penal servitude for breaking into three hotels near Wellington. He was sent from Wellington to Lyttelton to finish his sentence, on account of his having tried to incite the prisonors, some of whom he knew, to revolt.