"MARY BOURKE" INTERVIEWS US.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Issue 2537, 1 March 1887, Page 2

"MARY BOURKE" INTERVIEWS US.

Yesterday afternoon our Sanctum was invaded by a lady of about'; fifty summers, with dark piercing eyes, attired in a white hat, with some rather faded floral embellishments resting coyily on the front rim ; a decent looking dolman* covered .the body part of a rather nice .looting cotton dress, and a woollen shawl folded in squares was carried on her right arm, while in her left hand was a bundle of papers. After taking a careful survey of the office, she asked in a mild tone, "Is this the Daily Times Office ?" We answered} in the, formative that is was the Office, Our visitor tlien 'carefully

besides ill the men on ilie pub® works in Ota'go and Waikarai, on the Wellington-Manawatu line, where I have been about a dozen years keeping boarding houses." " This is all wrong then, Mrs Bourke,"' said we, "butwhat is that mentioned there about the Nenthorne Manslaughter " Oh, that," she replied, rather uneasily, " I got clear of that altogether: there was nothing at all against me. I was carrying-on a successful boarding house 011 the works, and getting the biggest part of tho trade without doing any sly grog'selling at all. The others were selling grog, wholesale, but I believed in doing only what was right and honest, because I had left my children in Dunqdin at school, and my old man was working on the job,' getting his ton shillings a day, and there was no occasion for me to be carrying on that trade. At last this Meldrum informed the Boss that I was selling grog, the Boss told Bourke who immediately said that he would not stop on a job where he or' his wife was suspected of sly-grog selling; so he asked for his time, and left, intending to go to Oamaru, telling me to sell out my business and follow him. Well, I agreed to sell out to Meldrum, whose wife and a gay girl were carrying on high jinks on the .works, and were selling 1 grog very openly. After my old man had been gone about a fortnight, Meldrum was to take possession on the Saturday and pay me £6 deposit, and £l4 before I left the place. As he had served Bourke such a dirty trick, I was determined to hate revenge before I left, so I gave one of the" boys" some money to make him drunk, so that the Boss could see what kind of man he had to deal with. This job was done to perfection, and Meldrum was " drunk as he could stand" on Friday 'and Saturday, and as some of the "boys" had pulled down a framework of a shanty he was electing, lie got mad and said I had put them on to it, and threatened to dash my brains out with a long handled shovel he was carrying. Seeing he was dangerously drunk I rushed inside my place, Which had nothing but sacks nailed up whore the windows ought to be. He came after me with the shovel, and although I held the door,on the inside he forced it open, and; picking up an axe' handle struck me ajhlow oiv the head which knocked me senseless. In proof of this, -Mrs Bourke removed her head covering, and parting her hair, which was fast'turning grey, disclosed to our view an >oM scar on the top of the crown. Resuming the interesting 'narrative, the lady described how Meldrum had lacked her in her right .side.as she lajf;senseless, the effect of which she felt r to the present day, and he was prevented from striking her.the second time by-an who rushed in and caught him by tho arm. Recovering from tho blow," said Mary, "I hovered between life and death for a fortnight, and although I washed to give him in charge for the murderous assault, I said, " Nq; leave him to God; lie will,punish him; and as • sure as I live lie will get twenty to one more punishment'than I shall," Ihad a deal of bother to get my money from them, and some of the men 'paid them what tli'ey owed me, but I "ne'veri got it." Before I left I gave one of the "boj'S 1 ' something to give Meldrum a good hiding, because I longed for revenge, and as the boy owed him-'a'grudge I was sure he would pay him with good interest, but I little i thought that hejwould be in his grave within seven weeks after he struok me.' That's all I know about the affair,, and that's all I said at the inquest. How about the Paikaikarakt sly grog selling case ? we. asked. Oh, •there was ( nothing in that, it was a put up . job by' the police, said she, They were always interfering with me and trying to get a case against me. Then you didn't do any of it there ? we queried. Well, as for that I did and I didn't: This'man Puff, who I gavethreemohthsto, used to t'ellmehow it paid him r and wanted fo Bell me some, so that I could make up what was "short in the boarding house line, as things were getting dull. For a long time I wouldn't have anything to do with the stuff, till at last I was persuaded and bought some from him, and then to make each other square, I sold'him twonobblers and took the money, so that we should not be able to inform one on the. other. The police tried hard to get a case against me, but my character was 'top well known, and they were unable to prove anything against me. Then that rumor about you: selling gi'pg on the Eketahuna line is all a made ; up thing?, we suggested. Yes, she replied, made up by [that blackguard Healey, and my,beautiful Catholic friendDanaher. There's pretty Catholics for you ; they .aro a disgrace to any sect. But, if you were not _ selling it how could they do anything against you ? we asked. Well, it was this way, When I left Masterton for Eketahuna I took up two gallons of rum in a .caso, as I expected to meet a few of my old friends from down South, up there. \Vaa your husband not with you when you went up ? we inquired, Oh, no, she replied, he is knocking about down South with some of ;■ those Engineer fellows. He is alhight as long as lie can get a good coat on his back, and a 1 watch and clip in his pocket.; When I got to Eketahuna, she continued, I stopped at. Jones' boarding house for. a fortnight, but didn't meet the friends, I expected, and • was: about ' to return to Masterton, when I found that my groghad been broached in the boarding lio.use. The landlord treasured it and found about a quart'gone, so I knocked £1 off the board when I paid him, and

coach the ■'yeranpnf and they were driving along by the hotel, I'cooeyed andran after it, and when I got opposite the hotel, John Tuck—you lmow Mm ? he came and stood in the road, and as I came up he said, " Are you Mary Bourke ?" I said, " To h—ll wid you!. What does it matter to you what my name is ?" and with that I fetched him a clout which sont his bell-topper flying. John goos over to tho police station and fetches Kealy, and 'when they, came up he shoved me into I the policeman's arms, and I let go at him again and away went his bell-topper the second time.' With that Healey asked me to come inside his place, where his wife and himself treated me very well. .In the morning some old bullock: puncher of a fellow, who keeps Tuck's and Jones'.' hooks, and who 1 they said was a J.P., fined me 5s for drunkeness and abusive conduct. I Md them a. bit of my mind, when he said he would commit me for a month for contempt of Court. I told him he could make it six months if he liked, but there was ' no law. for punishing people for taking their own part when they were molested like John Tuck molested me. Well, I paid the five shillings at last, and was sorry for it after, for the men on the works offered to put a pound each so thatl could go for. old Tuck, but-as the money was paid I of course acknowledged-the offence. When I went baek to the works again, there was a bright objeot named Gunther, who said I had been sly grog selling, I and as I was giving him my opinion of him, Danaher c&nie up and'wanted to lmow what I had been rowing about, and threatened to kickme off the works. I then told him off in a way he little expected, and threatened to give Gun-, ther three months the same as I did Puff, and the next thing I heard was that Mr Healy was going to arrest me under the Vagrant Act; When Healy was seen approaching with another man, having previously arranged with the butcher to part me to Eketahuna, Gunther said, " Clear into tlio bush, Mrs Bourke; they aro after you." I turned round on him, and Baid, "You two-faced, varmint, I'd hit you over-the head, and drop you into the creek for two pins. It's all through you this has come about." When Healy came up he asked me to go with him to Eketahuna to arrange matters between Danaher and myself. I said, " If Danaher wants me, let him come here; but you don't get me so easy as you did at Eketahuna, Mr Healy." As one or two of my friends came up, he thought it was not worth while to do anything just then, and came up tho' following day with another constable, and gave ms so long to;cleiir out. There were too many ; of my friends about for them to do what tlioy intended, ; so they thought it beat not to interfere with me for fear of a row. .But did not you leave the works when the police warned you 1 we asked. Me leave the works through the police, she said excitedly. No, never I I went down to Wellington on some private business ; to get the rent thatjwas due to me from my little property in Otago, and which was coming up by post. When I was down there I saw that case in the paper I have just shown you, and I said to myself "Mary Bourke you muan't go homebofore this stain on your character is cleared up, and you have had your revenge on those scoundrels Healey and Danaher. With that I goe3 to one of 'the best lawyers in Wellington, and shows him the paper; he said if I gave him £ls down he would go for the papers, I said, where do you think I can get that much from. He said it cannot > commenced under that sum. I said, what will you charge to write letters to them, and clear up my character. He Said he would do that for a guinea. 1' paid him the money, and have'nt heard whether he' haa written a letter or not, I went to see Chief Detective Brownejand Inspector Shearman) and. they said it was a phame' that a honest woman's character should be taken' away from her like that, and when I saw Mr Wardell he told me they ought not to have put it in the papers unless it was true. I went to Father Macnamara, but he said he would have nothing to do with me, so I made up my mind to gp back on the workß, and swore to myself.that I would put a bullet through) Mr Danaber's body,' if he interfered with me again, When I got back on the works, what do you think T found? Why if that dirty blackguard of-a Danaher had'nt been and driven some pegs around my shanty, and threatened to sack the first man that crosseid them to come into my place. But I intend to bo oven with him yet, and if I don't give him twenty to ono that he has done to, me, my name is not Mary Bourke," '• Yon must be very careful not to let your passions get the'better of you, Mrs Bourke," wo councijled. " Oh, as far as that goes it's no matter, but when the people of our church, who tako the oaths that wo do—which, of course, you know nothing about-turn round on each Other, like Healey and that Danaher are doing with me, They don't deserve, to be thought about, and nothing is too bad for them," " What is it. you require us to do, Mrs Bourke? How can we assist you in the matter ? we asked. " Well,, it's just like this, I have got. a good character down in the South Island,- and if this news gets down'there. my frierida will think I have gone to the bad, so. I would like you to say I have not been arrested for vagranoy, and that I am not so bad as make me out, and then, my people would see that it was all a put up job to damage tiny good name. ; We promised Mary that we would do

looked, that ia the basis jupon which . George'founded his report. It is well known that Mr George's report in connection with the tank is not baaed fcgon what he saw, simply because it was iilfbssible for him to see anything buUho top of the wall. It must be plain J» every ratepayer that ho could only rorrn au opinion by what he was told. The Mayor informed the Council that Councillor Mason and himself wont with Mr George ■to tell him anything ho wished to know, and yet a few minutes after his Worship frankly acknowledged that ho did not roally know how the.bottom of tho tank was supposed to have been built; he also requested Councillor Muir to state for the benefit of the other Councillors how tho tank was to have been constructed. It is' evident that Mr George's roport is. base*} upon what he was.told, and vet he saw no one who really knew anything about the bottoinof the tank. If the' Council act on Mr George's report and it does not answer who.'would be to blame, not Mr George certainly,' but the responsible parties who went with him to give any information required. Now let us »eo how the tank was supposed to bo built. 1. A. few barrels of cement, were to bo scattered over the gravel at . the bottom./ which was expected to set, ahd maWka solid bottom', 2. Two feet.of well pudpw clay was to be put over.. 3. Several inches,...of cement . concrete, this was to constitute the floor of the tank 4. The side walls were to stand on the concrete and to be built with good sound hard bricks. 6, The walls waafeto be backed up with puddled-clay Ifo feet thick at the bottom and okjhteen inchei at the top. Now let us see how this wa« carried out under the direct supervision of the Engineer. 1. The cement, scattered on the gravel was very little' good without it had been mixed in proper, proportions. 2. The clay that.was used was ne - good at-aHvfoiv. holdingwater, as tho current of .water in the ground will gradually carry it all away. 3.' The concrete was never "made properly and is reported to have cracked and broken in all •directions, 4) It is asserted by men who were working on-the-jobthat the side walls went through the concrete, and it is not known what they are resting on at present.;:' .5., .The puddle was reduced to one foot at the .bottom find six iniftta at the top,-and a-coat of cement "was ■■ in the inside instead. If the Cpjiiicil iuur procured. all' the information and then had sunk a fetv holes here and there so that MrGeorge could, have gone down and oxamined tho wall 'afl'd what it was resting upon he would have been " in a position" to give an opiriioti as'to the best means of making it watertight. To cement the-inside; if .'the walls are not solid and standing on a'good.!hard: foundation is only money away, and to puddle t)|e. outside,'with "play, similar to that used:befOsis'jilstis'bad;'■ ffi^-Yours&c,, ; Katbwter, * (TO THE Jfibraoi',) ■ Sie,—ln a leaderette yosterday you say i that the members of your.'staff • did their / best to-get information of- the, Wellington / fire through on'; Sunday ovening. The facta are as follows: Your, reporter was j told by us early in the, day that, a large ! fire had occurred, in Wellington, 'but he preferred no request to get a. message through, neitheroid lio ask ub to, open at a later hour, My T assistant was'at his hotel till 2,30 p.m., and up to that .hour no request was mado to him to fopon. You must therefore admit that tho of your reporting staff was not what ySiir, leaderette would lead the public^to; Imagine. With regard to myself I may say that 1 have never refused to open my office on Sunday whenever there waß any case of urgency requiring the services o( tho wires; in fact, there is a notice posted up In my office informing tho publio that the office can be opened at any hour In caße of accident, sickness, or: death. >' G, M. PARK, I Telegraphist.