THE FRENCH CONVICTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 223, 21 September 1888, Page 4

THE FRENCH CONVICTS.

CURY GONE TO SAN FRANCISCO.

It now transpires that the <'■-, released French convict Cury was a passenger from Auckland by the, mail steamer Zealandia^ which passed thi-Ough from Honolulu and/- San Franciiico last week. v Ho was befriended by. some French residents of this city, aiid although" his ticket was taken out in, the. ordinary way,; it is mid, that he wab. furnished with a letter, of explanation to the captain, ttnei money with which to pay his fare. Ib is still claimed that Gasparini made good his escape, bub no reliable authority is given for the statement. The suggestion is also put ..I forward, that he was stowed away on the Zealandia, from Sydney, and that Cury knewof his presence on board. This does not appear very probable, but it seems that Cury disbelieved that Gasparini jumped 'overboard from 'theWakabipu and promised to write from Honolulu toacompatHbtin Auckland, giving Gasparini's address. Detective Walker ridicules the suggestion of a possibility of escape from the -,' Wakatipii ■ and says the story that the .prisoner got away with his life has been circulated I without ' foundation; and with the I object of doing him injury,'! In con versabion wibh one of- pur reporters the detective said .that" as a ; Shatter of fact there Was not , a particle of syrrjpathy ,;vvith Gasparini amongst the bands on the Waikitipu, and Tie had not'al friend on board who would have connived ab his escape. "The capbairij" proceeded the detective,.-,- offered to lay to off the Heads, if I thought necessary, in order to have a proper search . made. It was a bright moonlight .night when w,e got to Sydney Wharf,; and until T com-, muhicatedwiththeSydrteydetectivesthreepf;, the engineers and all the officers of the ship assisted m<. to watch, so that there was ho j possibility of his getting on shore without; being observed. .The search could not have been more complete, The carpenter .aid he' could have found a match on board if it were hidden below, and; I am sure he could. The coal bunkers wero nearly empty, and wefound no difficulty insearching them. Wo tore the; stoke hole pretty well to pieces.ahd I went all through the bilge; which is about two feet high.wibh a lantern. I also werib'vintb every opening under the boilers,.which were then red hot.; Oh,, no, Gasparini never reached Sydney in the Wakitiipu. Why, Rochiox, the French detective, told me that if Gasparini were in Sydney, hb could find him m a week, and after the lapse of a week, he said: he was absolutely bohvittacd thab he was hob there, and that he had been drowned,", . -~■-., ~,.,\