TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9443, 15 June 1896, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Ih connection with its Melbourne Jubilee, to which we reFifty Years ferred on Saturday, the ago. Argus of the 2nd inst. reproduced, in miniature, the first patje of its first issue, on June 2ud, 1816. Speaking of that paper, it said that on the second p*ge appeared a link between the present and the past in the shape of MiGladstone's name, he h*viog just been appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies. Ap.rt from this, it was not thought that in the whole issue appeared the name of any person now living. This, however, proved to be a mist ike, for a few days later the Argus contained a long interview with a Mr Thomas Kissock, who was a subscriber to, and advertiser in, the infaut Argus ot fifty years ago. At the age of ninety Mr Kissock is stiil a hearty old gentlemtt-n, with a memory which, if not of the best, euabled him to giva some graphic and interesting details of Ufa in Melbourne in the forties and fifties. Mr Kissock lauded in 1841 at Liardet Beach, and of Liardet, who acted the part of, the "Jolly Young Waterman" of Hobson's Bay, he said that he seldom came ashore from a newly arrived ship without bringing some extraordinary story with him. If the ship brought no remarkable ntws, Liardet invented something as he pnlted ashore, his fiction being always more thrilling than his fasts. Pilotage in those days was a good deal a matter of chance, and we are told that a well known stockowner offered to brine; a ship through Port Phillip Heads on the •trength of having made two trips' to Ad**lu*le. He did b ing her through, bat ■",' it ii

not surprising to learn that he , manage., to " pile her up" oa a shoal inside. Later on dark days befel the young colony, the prioe of stock dropped rolentlessly, and, according to Mr Kissock, it was only the boiling down of cattle for tallow that saved Victoria from complete bankruptcy. The road to Sydney was known then as the " Insolvents' Road "and the question, " Well, who's down to-day ?" took the place of the remark about the weather, which usually serves to open conversation. "Nearly every one went down," re-narked the old settler, " except the Scotch firms." ,: What was tha national pastime in those days?" he was asked. " Well," he replied, with twinkling eyes, " I fancy it wa? brandy." Iv spite ot* IhU, he only remembored one seriou-s row, which he believed took pi ice about 1845. and even this one probably owed little or nothing of its dangerous character to hraudy. 'Ihe wearers of the green aud orange were the combatants, and the trouble began with a parade of Orangemen " wid party imblims." Later on the paraders were pouned up in an hotel, aud there was plenty of shooting, which was stopped by a brave peacemaking priest, after he had had a rifla bullet through his hat. Everybody was known by a nickname in those days, Mr Edward Wilson, one of the founders of tho Argus, being particularly fectile in hitting off very happily a man's peculiarities. No one took offence at his nickname, a rule not even violated by a gentleman known as "The Chimpanzee." Mr Kissock believes th*t he was the first man to drive a gig up the Yarra Valley, something of a feat at that time. Melbourne was a funny-looking place, fifty years a_o, and time has made wonderM changes in it, but it is doubtful whether, life there is any pleasanter ou the whole than it was. when the Argus's oldest living client first knew it.

Robkrt Butler, alia* half-a-The dozen other names, is now Convict adding another term of imButler, prisonment to his already long and varied experience of prison life. His case represents one of the most remarkable examples of the confirmed criminal kuown to the colonial police, aud : the crime by which he became so widely I known in New Zealand, sixteen years ago, was only one of a series which began when he was twelve yeare old. The Cumberland street murder in Dunedin was in every one's mouth in the early part of 1880, hub there are probably mmy in the colony who have forgotten the circumstances and mauy others to whom they will be new. Butler's first appearance in New Zealand was about 1876, when he wai appointed Roman Catholic schoolmaster at Cromwell. Owing to Buapicijus being aroused a* to his honesty he moved bo Dunedin, and thero his burglaries soon landed him in gaol. A day or .wo after he cams out the house of Mr Stamper, a local lawyer, was burned to the ground, and on the Sunday following D.inedin was horrified by the news of a terrible crime. _■ young mau, named Dewar, hia wife and infant, lived iv a two-roomed cottage on Cumberland street, and early in the morning their home was seen to ( bo on fire. The first fireman thab entered fell oyer the body of Mra D.war, and when the.me 3, which originated under the bed, had been extinguished, ib was di-overed thit Dewar an 1 his wife had been murdered with au axe, and that the baby wjis suffoci-U-d. | with the smoke ftom the fire kin*Ued by tho murder.i* to hide hi* dae I. S up'cio-i f-ll

ou Butler, who was f mil I to have Uft Danediu early on the morning of the tragedy, and he was arrested. The C.roner's jury, by a majority of 12 to 2, found that the murdered family had met their death hy his hand. In the Supreme Court Butler chose to defend himself, and the ski}! with which ha performed this task provoked general wonder. He exercised to the full his right of challenging bhe jury, and it waa noticed afterwards that the jury consisted solely of men who parted their hair' in the middle. In reply to a remark on this coincidence Butler said he had made his selection on purpose, as he never knew a man who wore his hair in that style who was not weakminded. Butler showed great keenness in cross-examining the witnesse**, but his chief effort was his address to the jury, a closely reasoned speech lasting five hours, which was followed with absorbed interest by the crowded Court. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty. -StUlei* was then tried for the burglary and arson at Mr Stampei 5 . and ou another charge of sacrilege and larceny at the Catholic Church. He pleaded " guilty," and wai sentenced to eighteen aud ten year-, imprisonme.it for each reapedive offence, the sentences to be concurrent. Mr Justice William!?, iv passing sentence, assured the prisoner lint tlie sui-piciou which must weigh on the mind of everybody in respect to the Cumlaud street nmrder (of which he had just beeu acquitted) did not affect in the least the sentence which he (the Judge) was going to pronoun-?. Public belief "hi his guilt in the murder was, however, general.

WE have said that Butlei'. Previous acquaintance f wio'ii prisons aud began when he was twelve Subsequent years old. At that age he History. was incorrigible. By the

time he was sixteen he had served sentences in giol amounting to two years and a half. In 1864 he took to robbery under arms, and received a seuteuoe of fi\e years for an oflf.nce similar in many respect* to the McPhee stickingup c-ise, which has just again brought him in;o the hands of the police. In 1871 he was again senj> to gaol for five years—lbis time for burglary—-aud when he was released heg-iva the Victorian police a rest l.y coming to New Zealand. With hi. doing* in this colony we have deal*:■ above, but we may add that the only thing which he stole from Mt SUmpe.'s house was a pair of _.*ild*g'asses, and that this paltry theft procured his conviction. He must often have thought he paid rather too dearly for his brief possession of those glasses. It mast.also be mea-. lioued with reference to hia life in Victoria? from J864, to 1876, whioJt was mostly speufc; iv gaol, that he improved his educa-. | tioD. "Every book he could borrow." says a Melbourne, writer, "he devoured, and ahied by wonderful natural ability, succeeded in .acquiring knowledge far superior to the average. His literary bent was encouraged by his gaoler.. His ambition, so he said, was to qual-fy him.elf tor the Press, hence he studied, amongst other things, shorthand. Ihough he never became expert enough in thephongraphic art toturnits use to service in obtaining anhoiiest livelihood, he was able to take notes of .the evidence againßt him in his frequent after appearances in court, and he made copious use of the system in the celebrated trial in Dunedin. Of music he obtained considerable knowledge, and his services were afterwardsought for in the New Zealand gaols as organist in the religious services amongst the prisoners." He was released from Wellington gaol in 1894, and went to Rio Janeiro, where be became an accountant. Affairs in Brazil were however, too unsettled, and he returned to Victoria some six months ago. The detectives' only learnt that he -was again in Melbourne some few weeks ago, and it was at once decided to "shadow" hitn. He proved an excessively difficult man to watch, and several times the detective assigned to him lost him for a time. At hv*t it was deemed prudent to a rett him on the ohnrge

of being illegally at largo in Victoria. The Inaax o! Criminals Act, it seems, forbids an ex-convict to enter the colony until three years after he ia released from gaol, and Butler's three years would not have been up until next Jannary. When they got him the police soou found enough against him to ensure him another term of imprisonment.