LIFE OF "CAPTAIN MOONLIGHT."

Waikato Times, Volume XIV, Issue 1173, 3 January 1880, Page 3

LIFE OF "CAPTAIN MOONLIGHT."

Captain Moonlight's real name if Andrew George Scotb, and he is ji native of Dublin, Ireland. He was bom in tbey«ar 1845, and is ther* foie now 35 yerasof age ; his height i- s^. Sin. and he weighs about lO.st 81b. His father was a Church ®i England minister, in t»>e religion oi which Church the subject o ( our notice was G^refally trained. Hi« father originally intended the hoy to study for the Church, but finding t-iat he was of a too lively disposition, he allowed hm «o choose his own calling. We tins find him in 185G at the Hjje of • leven \ear-, a cadet on board H.M.3. B'itanni^, and a relic given theiwd by bisanVetionsoe mother, which was accidenta'ly dis coveied tHe othei d*y in the pose--sion oi % Mrs Sherwood (widow of the late CipUii Pilo), shows what the parent's feelings were on that occasion. It is a Bl'dlo, given to th<» boy on leaviujr honv, and bears the fol lowing inscription, exprest-ive ot a loving rtothei's wishes: "Fi®m Bessie Scott to her son, a. G. Scott, wishing 1 that he may read, mark, and digest the.se biassed coatees. Barn in Dublin, 1845, baptised 1846." In 1859 we find lii-n fighting under Garibaldi in Ir«ly. On 19th August, 18G1, he left Londoa for Auckland New Zealand, in the ship Black Jingle, as a practical cog neer. In New Zeahnd he enlisted as a Volunteer, and joined the campaign against the revolted tribes of Maoris, and continued till he was wounded, being shofc in both legs. The slu^s were extracted, but they left their marks. The next move was to the United {States of America, where he joined tho Northern army. In 1867 bo turned up in Melbourne fo:* a short time, whence be went on a cruise (probably of "blackbird n?") to the South S a Islands. In 1869 he returned to {Sydney in Captain Pile's schooner, and bs the latter had a good opinion of Scat he took him to his own house where he resided for some time And it is at that place he left behind him the Bible previously referred to araongst other articles in a box. Fighting s ems to have been Scott's real calling. The air of the m iunt.u«iB of Calabria and New Zealand, or the plains of America he loved to breathe, a.id found himself a st.inger amongst settled society in Sydney, And here we hear of his first ciime, fur soon after his arrival h? was seutenced on 20th and 21st December. 1870, at Dirlinghurst sitting t_> 18 months' h ird labour in Maitland Gaol for uttering a false cheqae. The first false step was made, and the downward career had be^nn, and now he employed all his ingenuity in warrii.g agfa nst sociery. He w,.s tried Hnd convicted upou two charges of forgery, for which be Was sentenced to 12 and 18 months' hard labor in Mai land Gaol ; conenrr nt sentences, lie was S'-ntto Dtrlin jhurst G<ol to Maitland on Cth January, 1871, and w.is iccieved buck t > L)arlinghurst ajfain on 30 b 1872 under remand, ch:»rg d with assault and r.tbbwry. He hehaVfd himself 'veil in gail, but his maid got- deranged and he was sent to P.aramatta Lunatic Asylum but he so«n rec <vere f. H« was disci. arged on 6'h April, 1872, receiving his full remission fr^m Parramatta Gaol. Ho then went to Melbourne, and having excelent introductions, which he obtained from bis parents in the me intime, and bping a plausib c fellow, he was appointed lay render by Bishop Perry, and sent Bacchus Marsh to assist thd Rev Thomas Cooper. He whs a favorite with some, though a few co iside»vd him a scamp and a h> pocnte, and many insisted thathe^as mad, and ell the marvellous tales he w^s narr<*tin^ of his piowess were pure invention*. A short time after he was rentoved to Ballan, Yectom, and then to Egerton, where the great Bank robbery was accomplished by him so cunningly as to defy detection. The robbery, by wh*ch the bank lost many thousands of pounds, was very ceverly planned and exfcnted For this robbery he was sentenced to to ten years' pemil servitude. In Pentridgehesoonacqu red even greater notoriety than before. He as first became a constant a*tendant at the Bible classes, which Mr Duncan, the Inspector-General of Penal Establishments, held every Sunday afternoon, and displayed such evidence 5 : of reformation that he ingratinted himself wita the prison clergy, and became a general favonte with the warders, while at the same time he secured a powerful - ascendaucy over the convicts. The cloak of hypocrisy, however, soon proved irksome, and he made several daring attempts to escape, one of which proved so nearly successful, despite the formidable obstacles to be encouutered in »he shape of high stone walls and a triple line of armed Sentinels — obstacles which would have deterred any man not possessing remarkable determination, courage, and ingenuity, from making 1 an endeavour to surmount — that it was deemed advisable to take extra precaution to secure his safe custody. Jfiading it impossible to get away,

he resorted to many devices to relieve the tedium of his confinement. He "malingered" so well that the most experiencad prison doctors were deceived, and he afterwards feigned lunacy with a remarkable degree of succ ss. These diversions not proving sufficient to employ his restless energies, he took to assaulting the warders. For a time he was the terror of the prison officials, and on this account, as well as fro.n the g"eat influence he exercised over hia fellow-prisoners, he was allowed many indulgences — in fact, for a portion of the term of his imprisonment he did practically what seemed good in his own ejes, systematically violated the prison regu ations, and defied the authorises. At test he locked a warder up in a bath-room, lobled him of his watch and chain, and attacked him with a knife. It took the whole prison staff, including tho superintendent (MrGardner) !to capture him. \nd it is significant of the .-»way the man exercised that the warders were .if raid to attack him wi h flreaims, but confined their efforts to captuie him to invitations to surrenier. When his humour had be*'n gratified, Cap tain Moonlight graciously condescended to pc- mit htoself to be captured, and received a heavy additional sentence On being liberated this desperado took a l^c urii>g tour through Victoria, expo-dug tht» iniquities of the penal system at Pentridge. He was tolerably succ^sful in this under- j taking, and many hoped — f or the man from his undoubted ability and daring characer hid secured \ numerous well wishers — that he would abandon a career of crime and enter ir.to honest pursuits.- The police, how»ve , considered him in- i corigible, ar^d wert? of opinion that he only wanted the opportunity to again ombark in some desperate enterprise of crime and outrage. He was closely watched while in Victoria, and was charged with an attempt to rescue a couple of his mates from the Williamstown Penal Establishment. He was arrested for this endeavour, but the evidence not proving sufficiently strong he was soon again at liberty. Scott is a man of commanding presence, is highly educated, and hi* manners are gendemanly ana winning. Brave to the verge of recklessness, cool, cle^r-head^d, and sagacious,and with a cprtain air of chivalrous da3h, he is the beau ideal of a brigand chief. He is a man who would exercise sovereign power over untrained and uneducated, and eßDecialiy youthful minds, while the fascination of his manner would secure him adherents and friends anywhere. The man's indomitable will, splendid intellect, and fascinating manner, render him more dangerous to the community than a dozen ordinary bushrangers ; and his capture, therefore, at the outset of his career of depredation in this colony is a matter for deep congratulation to society, especially to dwelleis on the frontiers, who are more likely to suffer frotn the raid of bushianjers.

Ths new Pure Cash System now being initiated by G. and C. will certainly prove a benefit to the public. It has been a great success in Sydney and Melbourne, and when strictly carried nut the customer who buys at an establishment where the goods are marked low to ensure a rapid sale must be a great gainer. G-. and C. sell their drapery, millinery, ana clothing at such prices for cash as gives the buyer the advantages of a shareholder in a cooperative society, without the rihk of being called upon to bear portion of the loss should the year's business prove unsatisfactory. G-arlick and Cranwell will aim to retain the confidence which the public have hitherto shown them, and are determined to give the pure cash system a fair trial ; whether they gain or lose the first year. Country buyers on remitting cash with order will be supplied with goods at co-operative prices ; just the same as though they made a personal selection. Furnishing goods, such as carpets, floor cloths, bedsteads, bedding, and general house furniture, the largest portion of which is turned out at our own factory, will be marked at the lowest remunerative prices, and a discount of five per cent, will be allowed to those who pay at the time of pu chase. G. & C. having realised the entire value of their stock during their late cash sale, the present stock is nkw and I vrby cheaply bought. An inspection is invited.— Gablick and ('banwell, City Hall Furnishing Aicade, Queen-street, Auckland.

Notices.