JOHATHAN ROBERTS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3942, 19 October 1891, Page 2

JOHATHAN ROBERTS.

A Straw Story. •jfc'be London correspondent of the I Qtago Daily i'lrqey writes ;—Accordling to the Sv-niay which 19 well informed on the subject of Chilian leaders, one of the insurgent Jeaders is np othep than the notrorious Jonathan Roberts, whose sensadnnal escapes were the talk of New Zealand gome year or two back. He 4<>es not now «g by the name of Roberts, but by a lengthy title begins with " Del " and ends with '.' o," According to this writer Roberts succeeded in getting away to South America after his escape, and settling in Chili, where he became a prominent politician. When the recent trouble broke out the Congressional party had plenty of men, but a lamentable lack of officers, anci the New Zealander having had some sort of military training, was speedily installed in a foremost position. The account given by the Sun of Roberts' delinquencies seems somewhat tame. You shal read it for yourself, and see how insurgency can whitewash a man. "His father," says the writer, "was a gentleman ' farmer, Hying near Canterbury, New Zealand. Qne night young Roberts had occasion to go to Timaru. the nearest townsbi p and,proceeding to buj father's paddpc k saddled the first horse be came acro3B and rode off. Arrived at bis destination he ran short of cash and sold the animal, which he fully believed belonged to his father. It transpired, however, thi 1 - u « horse, which had strayed into the paddock, was of a ™?J. boar, who, being at enmity wuu t..„ Roberts family, refused compensation and instituted a prosecution, as a result of wliich Roberts was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for horse* stealing. He escaped from prison; but was re-arrested after being at liberty three months, and wis then sent across to an island at Lyttelton Harbour, some miles from the mainland, where convicts were engaged upon the construction of some fortiGcation. A few days subsequently be swam ashore and succeeded in getting away to South America.