The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 1866. THE MAUNGATAPU MURDERS. CONFESSION OF SULLIVAN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 99, 29 June 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 1866. THE MAUNGATAPU MURDERS. CONFESSION OF SULLIVAN.

The greatest excitement prevailed in the town last evening on its becoming kaown that Sullivan had coufessed to the Maungatapu and other murders. We intimated on Saturday last that he was not the most criminal, and this Ave did from a knowledge of his antecedents in Otago, where he got ouly a slight imprisonment in the affair in which Burgess iind Kelly were imprisoned for three years aud a half. We are informed that Sullivan confessed to Mr. Shallcrass yesterday that liis party murdered not ouly Messrs. Matthieu, Kempthorne, Dudley, and Pontius, at the Mauugatapu, but" an old. whaler, who crossed tbeir track ou Wednesday, the 13th. If Sullivan is to be believed, the old whaler was murdered before the wholesale murder was committed, aud the spot chosen was the rock about which so much has been said, and which has been used for camping parties, where the poor men assailed were placed betweeu a cross lire aud rendered incapable of the least resistance. Sullivan admits having gone after the old whaler with a view to robbing him, and that he dissuaded his associates from hurting him in consequence of his poverty. He was over-ruled by his savage compeers, Levy taking the lead iu the opposition to a merciful view of the case. Sullivan brought the man back, tied his arras, and handed him to Burgess, Kelly aud Levy, who robbed him of the three •pounds. he had, shot him and buried his body. The old man referred to has been missing from the Pelorus since the 1 3th instant, and was known to -have left tlie/ bridge nofc long before the murdering party. It is impossible to avoid shuddering at the thought that five other travellers escaped by a kind of miracle on that fatal day. Had Mr. Birrell, Mr. Bown, the man aud his wife, and the owner of the padkhorse, unfortunately crossed their path, they would, without doubt, have met the doom intended for all that interfered with the diabolical designs of the bloodthirsty ruffians, for it is said that Levy counselled, and insisted on the slaughter of all the travellers the party should meet that day^_ According to Sullivan, the unarmed Deep Creek party were tied, and led into the bush by Levy, Kelly, and Burgess, whilst he plundered the luggage, led the horse away and shot it. He infers from the sounds he beard of the pistol shots, that the bodies are buried within half-a-mile of where the shots are fouud. It is said that one of the men, after receiving tliree bullets, was strangled, in consequence of his not dying fast enough to please his murderers. According to Sullivan, the bodies of the unfortunate men are placed in a water-hole and covered with stones. We are informed that Sullivan has confessed that Burgess, Kelly, and Levy, and two others, murdered Mr. Dobsou and a storekeeper at the Grey, as well as one of the accomplices of the murderers who was suspected of being too tame for their inhuman purposes. If relianoe can be placed on Sullivan's confession, Levy is one of the coolest, most determined, aad bloodthirsty of the lot. This contradicts the public opinion respecting him, and is a great-disappointment to many, who considered him the victim of bad company. He has been known as storekeeper on the Otago and West Coast gold-fields, and no evidence hai reached this part bf the colony to justify the suspicion that he was as bad as the rest. It is stated that he was tried at Castlemaine for murder. There is a file

of Castlemaine papers iu "Nelson, extending from 1 855 to 1862. These have been searched for Levy's trial, but it is nowhere to be found. If he was tried .it was under another name. If there is a person in ".Nelson who was present at the trial, he had better come forward and clear tip the matter. Levy was iu Otago in 1862. On the other hand in the papers in question the name of John Sullivan appears twice betweea 1856 and 1862. We must receive the evidence even of Sullivan with, some qualification, though we shall rejoice to be convinced that his hands have not been stained with the blood of either of the eight poor men who have been murdered on the West Coast and on the Matingatapu, and to a guilty knowledge of which he has just confessed. This morning the Search Committee waited ou the Resident Magistrate, to consuLt him with a view to the protection of the town, aud with reference to the adoption of means to prevent the escape of the criminals in custody. . The following is the statement made by Dr. Williams who spoke in the name of the' Committee : — Sir In compliance with a resolution passed unanimously at a meeting of the Search Committee last night, we have the honor to wait upon your Worship, as Resident Magistrate of this city. As the four men now in confinement on the charge of murder are Icnown to be. no ordinary criminals, and to have gained some notoriety as prison breakers, the Committee feel anxious that every precaution, however apparently unnecessary, should be taken to increase their safe custody ; and as it is not improbable that they may have confederates, who would be ready to assist in the most desperate measures to effect their release, the Committee feel that such a casualty should be so provided against as to render it impossible. From the well-known courage and determination of the men in whose charge they now are, the Committee feel confident that from within there is no cause for fear, but to guard against surprise or incendiarism from without, the Committee being aware of the insufficient number of police for any extra duty, would, with your Worship's leave, respectfully suggest that the places where the prisoners are confined should be strongly and continually guarded by extra constables, or trusty volunteers, until the law has taken its full course. The Committee would also respectfully submit that, during the detention of any of the prisoners in the lock-up, all approaches to. the block of Government Buildings be kept strictly guarded, in addition [ to the extra guard in the immediate neighborhood of the exterior of the cells; or thafc special constables be sworn in to assist in protecting the town. The Committee beg leave to offer their services for any of these duties, and are prepared to make themselves useful in any way your worship may point out. Geo. Wili.ia.ms, Chairman of Search Committee. Mr. Poynter in his reply to the Committee said, the G-overnment had taken every precaution necessary for the protection of the town and the safe custody of the prisoners. A number of special constables would be immediately sworn in. To this might be added the precautions taken at the gaol, the floors of which had been strengthened, and the men heavily ironed, so that any attempt at escape would be futile. We may add, that Captain M 'Tavish has offered the services of the Volunteers, if they were requested by the Government to come forward. He was prepared to send the bugle round at a moment's uotice, and furnish a sufficient guard at the gaol to relieve the officers ou duty. Sergeaut-Major Shallcrass started early this morning, for the site of the murder. At ! the time of our going to press the intelligence had not arrived that the "bodies were discovered, but the public await with breathless anxiety the announcement of the painfully interesting event.