A COLONIAL JACK SHEPHERD.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1860, 9 July 1874, Page 3

A COLONIAL JACK SHEPHERD.

Atf cxehahgo says.:-":Onej notoriousrasbalfl in NW Zealand' has been arrested (for about.the one thousand and; first time) for robbery at Greytown... The name of this worthy is John Biley, and the following is a brief sketch of his; life during the last-few years. : 'AboutUhe middle, of .1865''he: was in- Piel6ii;'Gaol waiting .to'tte,';forwarded,;to; Dunediny ! where he. had committed; a; burglary.:; While hefwas in gaol he carried one arhr in'a sling, pretending that jfc' wa,3 br,qken'.; : Re was.: therefore and,.au opportunity occurring, he .escaped', by- climbing the palisading round-the gaol,! lie next was heard of at Taranaki,;where! he started busiiess as: a painter, and appeared to get on very well with the settlers. He even was made secretary of one of the friendly 1 societies; ,and; was' generally respected. Kobbcrie's,'.however,- became, •freijuent' occurrences in Taranaki at' that' time. At last suspicion fell on Kiley, and' a warrant was issued for his.apprehension; ho,.nevertheless,.eluded capture, ahd'\vent : into the interior, wherO:hewaS; taken by, some of Captain Page's company; „he, however, did not.ichooseioremaiua pri-;. soner, and again made his: escape, taking with him a. ; valuable watch and other property belonging to Captain, ''age. \ 'He iwas caught a second time, either by the Imperial troops.or the. colonial, forces, and again escaped. This was' during the period that the country between Wangahui and Taranaki was in'a state of disturb-' ance. Henoxt turned'up in Wanganui, 'and, while attending a circus performance,' iwas arrested.on 'suspicion'of-being eon:, perned in a burglary recentlycommitted there." On his person were fouhdCaptain Page's watob, and'sii'n'dry other articles, the proceeds of various robberies/ ..-At Wanganui, he was committed to take his (trial at Wellington. > While waiting,there, ■to be forwarded to Wellington, and on the night'previous to the day appointed •for his goiug on. board the steamer, he again managed to break out-of gaol : by. picking or loosening the bars of the cell window; Soon afterwards he turned up at tho Hutt, and at once stole a cash-box from. Mr : Cleland's shop; the .box con.tained asuraof money andseveral oheqiies. ! At last, however,' lie was successfully cap-, itured and "kept." In the beginning, of. {18GG, the constable on'duty on.the beach a.man trying the lock of <Mi: :JBmWs door at 1 o'clock in the morning/ and on goilig. towards him ho.iropped on the ground, and protended lie was drunk. On the constable lifting him up, he: was noticed to grasp something at'his'Sido whioh turned out to be a sharp dagger, and: then,made a, violent attempt to stab tho oonstable, .^.^s r .overpoff^'e ; d, and :|odgod in.

•trial, lie attempted,to escape by concealing . himself.in.a large copper; This' earned/". for him the privilege of wearing log-irons. . On the Ist March, 186(5, he was tried at the Supremo Court, and received 10 years'; penal servitude. While 'undergoing sen-.;'■ ,tence, he, with others, conspired to escape, fpr which offence lie was ordered to bo flogged, 40 lashes being administered and 'well laid on.' Ho was discharged irom gaol at the latter end of lastyear.s After .'a; temporary retirement from active life, lib was arrostcd on a warrant by Constables. '\ JESyrn and Hargood, at Long 8u5h,.'.'.30;- v miles from .Grey town,'charged, with steaU ing £35 l'rora a man named King, a pedlar,.' while the latter waßsleepingiii a Maori hut." *.-.-. . ■ -:-;;.—■