THE LATE MURDERS. SULLIVAN'S CONFESSION.

Press, Volume X, Issue 1143, 7 July 1866, Page 2

THE LATE MURDERS. SULLIVAN'S CONFESSION.

The following telegram we extract from the " Otago Daily Times," of the 3rd instant. The information therein contained was also received in Christchurch, but for the purpose of furthering -fcbe ends of justice, the publication. Has Hitherto t>eexx -ro-ifclitielcL z 1111 lllllltlllllj ralTO! ««•■• «] Jotiix Joseph Sixllivaix, the - oldest; and worst looking of the prisoners, confessed complicity, and informed the police that a fifth murder, of -which there was then no suspicion, had been committed on the same road as the others, The following are the main facts : —The four prisoners, aware of Kempthorne, Matthews, Dudley, and Pontius being on the road to Nelson, took up a position on the road over the Maungatapu. Dividing as the travellers approached, two barred onward progress, and two placed themselvea in the rear, so that when the travellers turned, on being surprised by armed men, they found an armed party behind. When the travellers were secured, they were marched into the bush on the upper side of the road by Levy, Burgess, and Kelly, while Sullivan took charge of the horse to kill it, and had no participation in the murder, but says he heard the discharge of sir shots. After performing his part, Sullivan joined his companions, who had murdered the men; shooting three, and strangling the fourth with a scarf. The other murder, of old Jamie, was even more horrible. The four ruffians were sitting by Tintine Bridge when i Jamie came up, and Sullivan joined him on the way to Nelson, got into conversation with him, and learned that he had no money. Sullivan told his companions so, but Levy said no living soul should be suffered to pass that day, and besides, he thought the man had money. Sullivan again went to the old man and stopped him till the others came up. One said, " Old man, you must have gold." Jamie drew" a sheath knife, but was overpowered. Sullivan went in advance and another to the rear, to keep the road clear. Jamie was dragged into the bush by the other two, and soon Sullivan heard a pistol shot, and saw the two men leave the bush, bringing £3 and some silver. News arrived a little before four o'clock, p.m., that the bodies of the four men were discovered twenty yards on the Nelson side of the rock where the men were stopped. A creek runs across the track, falling into a valley below. The police ascended a hill near the creek, aud near the summit saw four bodies twenty yards apart, and 250 yards from the track first discovered, Matthews's legs were strapped together, and his hands tied by his side. On the right side of the body were wounds caused by a knife and bullet. Further on lay the body of Dudley, strangled ; then that of Kempthorne, with a bullet through the right ear; and then Pontius, shot through the side of the head. The bodies were not concealed. SulHvan's confession was not confined to the murders on Maungatapu and of Jamie. He disclosed that Kelly, one of the present gang, himself, and another, were concerned in the murder of Dobson, He has given the particulars of the affair, and where the body may be found. The facts of the case are jusfc what was surmised. The party had planned the

murder of Mr Fox, tho gold buyer, who took his passago down tho River Grey, while Dobso'u went round by the road Fox wan to have gone. In their disappointment at losing Fox, they murdered Dobecn, whom they knew. Another and more diabolical outrage, as disclosed by Sullivan, is nipped in the bud by the apprehension of these men. Levy had visited the Bank of New South Wales to dispose of a portion of the gold taken from the murdered men, and he concocted a plan of murdering all the inmates of the establishment, and robbing the Bank. It was agreed that Levy should visit Melbourne, get disguises, and [At this point, through the wire breaking, further communication was cut off". It is understood that the message was not nearly completed.] The same paper says : — "Wo are enabled to add the following to the particulars of the lives of the wretches now in gaol at Nelson, which we published on tho 16th ult.: — At the time Burgess, alias Hill, Kelly, alias Hannon, and Sullivan, were arrested in this province, they lived in a small tent on the ranges, overlooking the Waipori road ; and it was afterwards ascertained that they were watching a Mr Yates, at that time and now an agent of tho Bank of New South Wales, who was in the habit of carrying large parcels of gold between Waipori and Tuapeka. It was also ascertained that their intention was to rob and shoot Mr Yates, and to bury his body; but their career was most fortunately checked. Kelly is known in Victoria as Kelly, alias Hannon ; but he is better known as Thomas Noon. The latter is supposed to be his proper name, as under that he and his brother, " Bill" Noon, with "Teddy" Gore and " Saudy" Frazer, were tried for highway robbery and murder, on the Ovens road, in j 1856. The whole four were penal prisoners at the time. Frazer turned approver. " Bill" Noon was executed, and the others were remanded to serve out their seutences. t Burgess, alias Hill, was, at the time of the above murder, serving a sentence of ten years in the hulks, having received that sentence in February, 1852, for highway robbery under arms; so that at the time he appeared on tho Otago goldfields, his ticket-of-leave had nearly expired. Sullivan is a well-known convict in Victoria, and particularly in Sydney; and . Phil Levy has been known as a famous " putter-up " (or planuer) of crime, during the last fifteen years, iv Victoria and in this colony. Information as to the antecedents of Burgess and Kelly, together with a minute description of their persons and the marks they bore, were furnished to the police of the neighboring provinces, when those men were discharged from gaol here on the 11th September last. Those in Otago who best know the character of the four villains, predicted as soon as the news of their arrest had been received; that if Sullivan had i 1 » 'it 'iL been concerned, in any way with, eifciiei , of -fclie then suspected murders, lie YTOUIcI t>© tempted t>y a promise of pardon to confess. When. was known to be in custody, it was believed that he would be the first to turn approver, because of his known. Uabit of "putting up " robberies, but keeping hims-elf out of any participation in violence. It seems, however, that Sullivan has been the means of giving to the world a history of the almost unparalleled villany which has recently been perpetrated on the West Coast goldfield. Burgess is described as a man who never allowed himself to drink to excess, or to be enticed into the company of low women—two great sources of danger to a criminal. While cautious in those respectß, he was known to be one who would hesitate at nothing that could tend to hide a crime he had committed. Fortunately, as it would seem, he oould not." work" without the aid of less secretive villains than himself. BUBGESS, KEI.LT, AND SULLIVAN I2T OTAGO. The following from the same paper will be read with interest: — We have before briefly mentioned the circumstances under which these j I three men were captured in Otago, I i early in 1862, and which led to Burgess and Kelly being sentenced each to imprisonment for three years and ahalf, Sullivan escaping conviction. The following from the " Daily Times," of March 14, 1862, will no doubt be interesting, as giving fuller particulars : — " For the information of our readers in Melbourne, we give a condensed account oi the gallant capture made by the police of a desperate gang of five ruffians. On Saturday evening last, a tent was cut into, and on the inmate coming outsid© he was garotted. A storekeeper in the next tent coming out, the ruffians ran away, after firing a pistol at him. The next morning, from information received, Sergeanti Major Bracken, Sergeant Trimble, and Detective Johnson, proceeded to a lonely tent inhabited by five wellknown bad characters, and who were suspected of being concerned in the outrage of the previous evening. As the police approached the alarm was given, and all five ran out and pursued different directions. Two of them were at once overtaken by the Sergeant-Major and Johnson. The Sergeant, who is an immensely powerful man, secured [ bis prisoner, after a short but severe contest. Meanwhile, Johnson was having a desperate struggle with the other man —SnlJivan. The latter had I succeeded in getting hold of a pick, and was in the act oi braining Johni son, when the Sergeant-Major came up, and by a well-directed blow with the fist, knocked the ruffian down. The two men secured were then marched to the camp. Meanwhile, Sergeant Trimble, after securing a revolver from the Sergeant-Major, pursued the remaining two men. They took the direction of Waipori, andscaled the ranges, which are exceedingly steep, and rise tier on tier. Trimble, when he got within hail, sum-

rnoned them to surrender TW was a shot from the revolve turned tho (ire, when they »]J* If a K ain. Ho found it was |, J«* approach thorn, in tho co m ..n 1' position tl,oy held, and rctuSt" g horse. On tho road ho met J o l a who endeavored to follow them "i , J keen them in !,ut could n^ 1 ceod m overtaking them. The m came out in hundreds and soouro.l t?* bush, as did also Serein T ,c but in vain for that da,? Iα!,"" 1,,0 ' were tound several loaded pistols l " The next morning tho Sergeanf Major and Trimblo made thojp £ay ♦ a lonely tout situated in a deon lL or gully on the Waipori roT Kf they had information the two men had found refuge. They j n j , got off their horses ; and ieavih ff Trim* ble to guide these down the decent and frightened lest the noise mhtl disturb the inmates, Bracken W crept up, and thon ruahed to the tent cut it open, and stood over tho tw' men, a revolver in each hand. Oa e of them made a movement, when Bracken told him that if he stirred ho Wou u blow his brains out. Cowed by u> determination, tho ruffians lay perfectly still, venting their rage only m curses and imprecations. Serjeant Trimble then collected tho loaded firearms, of which there were three re volvers and two guns under the mis.' creanta' heads. Bracken covering them the while with his revolvers They were then handcuffed and conveyed to Tuapeka to tho lock-up. Chi their arrival at that place with tho prisoners, tho minora turned out and cheered the gallant captors. The names of the five prisoners are—John Eussell alias Spratty, J. Davis J Sullivan, Thomas Hannah [Haunonl alms Kelly, and Richard Hill alias Burgess." "While in gaol prior to their trial, the three prisoners caused great and constant trouble to the officers, to their tricks, for which the insufß? cient accommodation gave them opportunities. Soon after the trial, Burgesa joined with some others in a mutiny, which at at one time looked serious. It arose out of a-mistake respecting the " petitions" for remia« sion of the remainders of sentences which are allowed to be sent to the Governor by well-behaved prisoners after serving a stipulated period of their sentences; and the mutineers persisted in refusing to work unless they had an interview with tho Superinteudent. This was not yielded; md the men were conquered. Biirgesa was flogged, receiving three doaea lashen ; and after that time he behaved well, on the whole. He is a skilful stone-cutter. He cut and fixed tho steps to the gaol, from Stuart strtet, as well as those from the beach to tlie stockade \ and he assisted in. preparing most of the nagging put : down ; 'iu the new parts of the gaol. While regarded as a most unscrupulous criminal in all that might affect hia own interests, Burgess was comparatively frank in his manner; but Kelly always had in the gaol tho character of. & sulky, vindictive rascal, who wiji commit, in foacL temper, crimes to ■wtkicli notbixig tm/fc sa. fancied xx&c&s&zt^ , i BBiijißMtii ii ii I3u.rgess, .-■-■- Wo are confident th&t no possible precaution will be neglected, in order to the safe custody of these four villains in the Nolflon gaol. M a word of caution, will not be out of place. Aα estimate of a peculiarity of Kelly, by one justified in forming an opinion, is this—He is as capable of " reckoning up," at a glance, the strength orwefckness of the whole or part of a gaol, and is as good as a judge of the habits and the strength of a warder, as any man who was ever a forced inmate... oi' a. prison. Burgess canie from England to Victoria in the ship Lydia, in 1818; -and Kelly left tho old country .on.board the Koyal Charlotte, in 1859. Mr Trimble, who is mentioned aboveas one of the captors of Burgess -.and Sullivan, is now an inn-keeper at -Kelson ; and the local papers state that M. has seen those men, and Sullivan, and identified, the whole of them, Mr Bracken is, or was, an hqtel-keeper ijt Hokitika. ; It is worth remembering thai tuo "free pardon" to any accomplice tioi an actual participator in murder, apou the strength of which Sullivan confessed, was obtained from the Oefleal Government by Mr Moorhouse, the Superintendent of Canterbury, m applies only to the case of poof $ws3. Dobson.