SULLIVAN.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1159, 17 March 1874, Page 4

SULLIVAN.

The Otago Guardian lias published a written statement made by Sullivan while in Dunedin gaol, wherein he denies that he took part in the murder of Jamie Battle, and complains as follows :—" There can be no doubt but my conviction is owing to the amount of excitement that at that time prevailed against mo, in consequence of a statement that Burgess had made against me in Court, which to some extent biassed the minds of the jury against me, as three-fourths of the jury sat in the previous case : and I haying promises made to mo, did not pay auy attention to my trial, as I looked upon it as merely a matter of form, as the Superintendent advised me not to examine or call any witness, for I had subpoenaed the men whom I had seen crossing Franklyn's Fiat with fire-arms ; also, from the manner I had been tampered with in the first place, The Crown Prosecutor instructing me how to plead; and, secondly, the Registrar of the Supreme Court telling me to answer all questions fearlessly, as I was all right. At the time I was under examination in the previous case, such things as these tended in a great measure to deceive me as to the real intention of the Crown towards me, or I should not have allowed a member of the Government that was prosecuting me to have sat as one of my jurymen. I allude to the Provincial Secretary, Mr Alfred Greenfield, and I should have applied for a postponement or a change of venue until the whole of the cases had been tried. Then the country would have been able to have seen that Burgess's blasphemous confession was a tissue of falsehoods respecting the cases at the West Coast, as it was proven to he so by independent witnesses that corroborated my testimony, and no sane person would believe his statement as to the innocence of Kelly or Levy ; and for mc to make my remarks or any remark on the motives Burgess had in view in making such a confession would be an insult to any person's understanding.

The above statement is the same words that I gave in my confession to the officer in chai'go of polico, and at no time since have I ever made any other statement to contradict it. In my written confession to the Superintendent it is the same. When a man speaks the truth his memory never wants refreshing. At least, Ido not, for I can repeat to-day the same words, and all that I had seen or heard during the time I was connected with that gang. I can never forget it, it is graven on my memory " The Guardian, giving particulars as to the convict's behaviour in prison, says : —He appears to have bcou fond of rcadiug while in prison ; and a work on phrenology was especially studied by him in his cell, and is well worn. The fly-leaf of this bears the names of Sullivan's wife and two children, for whom he seems to have entertained considerable affection. In connection witli this phrenological work, we might state that Sullivan carried about with him for years, and took with him into prison, a phrenological analysis of his own character, which was made in April of 1557. This analysis appears to have been used by the prisoner in connection with the book referred to. It is very crumpled and dirty, and seems to have been treasured up with peculiar care. The following i 3 the document referred to :—" Phrenological Development, together with the Character, of M"r Sullivan, of Mount Korong, April 30, 1857." After giving the various figures descriptive of the comparative intensity of the various passions, the paper goes on to say : —" This gentleman has a very strong temperament. lie is well suited to endure fatigue, and much muscular exercise in the open air. He has in his character a very great mental attachment, and he is very fond of both ladies and children ; cares little for money —hardly enough to make or retain a fortune ; but he is very cautious, ci renin jpect and discreet. Tho great fault in this bead is, that firmness, resolution, and perseverance of will aro not large enough : hence ho is too easilyinfluenced by his friends and circumstances. He should study firmness and self-confidence. Ho is kindhearted and liberal, extremely social, has taste, love, neatness, and calculates well. Ho would make a famous seaman, farmer, &e. Let him be careful in the choice of his friends.—P. Souiee."