BEATING THE LAWBREAKER.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 13967, 14 February 1911, Page 8

BEATING THE LAWBREAKER.

9 WORK IN THE POLICE FORCE. LNTERVIEW WITH INSPECTOR GILLIES. After having served in tbe New Zealand Police Force for over thirtysix years, in addition to four years in th© Royal Irish Constabulary befor© he cam© to the Dominion, Inspector R. J. Gillies retired from the force on Saturday last. An officer with such a lengthy period of servico to his credit has naturally been connected with many noteworthy events, and some of thr.se Mr Gillies related to a representative of 'The Presa" who had a chat with him yesterday. Mr Gillies attributes somo of the success which has attended him to the excellent training be received in tho Royal Irish Constabulary, the mounted branch of which ho joined as a youth of nineteen, lie had been only a year on duty when he and others were put on to a murder case. Two neighbours of McFadden, a farmer at Araroe, County Donegal, who bore him a grudgo, attacked him and his family, killing his wife and severely wounding McFadden and his two daughters. Another daughter escaped and gave tho alarm. Mr Gillies and others were detailed to find th© murderers, and from the description given of them by the girl who ©scaped, they succeeded in arresting them the next morning, and also found blood-etained clothes in their houses. With tlie other members of tho police party Mr Gillies was complimented for this pice© of work, and waa put on the promotion list. In 1574 Mr Gillies left the Royal Irish Constabulary to com© to New Zealand. He had booked his passage by the ill-fated Cospatrick (which was burned at sea with all hands), but was prevailed upon by Dr. Young (who was subsequently medical superintendent of tho Avondalo Mental Hospital at Auckland) to transfer to th© Essex, and h© reached Auckland in December, 1874. Here ho made himself known to Inspector Brohain, who was subsequently inspector in Christchurch, and who undertook to take Mr Gillies on as soon as a vacancy occurred. In the meantime, Mr Gillies joined the Armed Constabulary, under Colonel Lyon, and was in the Waikato district. Three months later ho was appointed a, constable and transferred to Auckland, where he remained for two years and a-half. Burglaries and robberies wero of frequent occurrence in that city at the period mentioned, and Mr Gillies was entrusted with several important cases. As the result of tho work dono by him ho was, within eighteen months, promoted from third-class to firstclass constable. Ho was then given charge of tho T© Awamutu station, on the borders of th© King Country, which was, at that time, practically outside the palo of European civilisation, and the Queen's writ ran with considerable difficulty in that region. The nearest police station was over twenty miles distant at Hamilton, and was in charge of ex-Inspector McGovern. For eight years Mr Gillies had charge of the To Awamutu station, acting'also as clerk of th© Magistrate's Court, and as clerk of the different licensing courts. Owing to his energy, horse-stealing by the Maoris, which was previously very prevalent, was practically stamped out. It was whilst arresting a Maori horsestealer that Mr Gillies had the closest call ho had whilst in th© force. Sammy, th© Maori in question, had stolen two horses, and Mr Gillies followed him up,into the bush to a place called Te Itahu, about nine miles from To Awamutu. Here a fierce hand-to-hand encounter ensued. Sammy was powerfully built, and struggled terrifically, . and he assaulted Mr Gillies so ferociously as to draw blood. Just when th© Maori was getting the better of Mr Gillies a Mr Sibbley opportunely arrived, and the horso thief was handcuffed and brought to justico. Mr Gillies was complimented by his inspector and by the Commissioner, and got a handsome reward for his services. It was in connection with the capture of the notorious Maori murderer, Winiata, that Mr Gillies came more prominently before the public. Winiata, in 18/6, brutally murdered a cadet named Packer, who was, with Winiata, in th© employ of a Mr Cleghorn, at Epsom, near Auckland. Winiata got clear away to tho King Country, % where he successftdly defied arrest for six years- Ex-Inspector -McGovern and Mr | Gillies formulated a scheme for Winiata's capture, and in order to attain that end they obtained the co-operation of a half-caste named Barlow. They supplied Barlow with the" necessary funds to obtain liquor, and Barlow went to where Winiata was, and bargained with him for tho sale of some pigs, cattle, and wheat he had for sale. Barlow concluded his bargain, one of the conditions of which was that Winiata and his bodyguard should help him with the conveyance of, the stock to Barlow's place. It was arranged that ! Barlow should send a note by his : daughter to To Awamutu, but the girl 1 was thrown from her horse, and was • unable to convey the message. Barlow, ; however, carried out his programme, which was to ply Winiata and his body- ; guard with liquor and, as a nightcap, administer to them a potent sleeping draught. The original intention was, if the note had reached Te Awamutu, for the police to go to Barlow's and take Winiata ; prisoner. The not© not having been sent, Barlow, with th© assistance of his wife, tied Winiata to a pack horse and brought him in to To Awamutu—a distance of twenty-five miles. Winiata sub- , sequently paid the penalty of his crime, and Mr Gillies jras promoted to thirdclass sergeant.. Mr Ballance, who had recently como into power, visited the Waikato about this time, and on hear- ; ing of Mr Gillies' part in the capture of W T iniata, gave him further promotion. Barlow, for his shar© in the capture, got £700, as well as a farm at Mangere. In 1884, Mr Gillies was transferred to tho charge of the Devonport subdistrict, which extended as far north as Waiwera. At this time cattle stealing was rif© in th© Wade district, but Mr Gillies was successful in stamping it ont. Three years later he was given charge of the Thames district, a position he held for nine years. In 1889 he was promoted to an "inspectorship, and took charge of th© Wanganui district early in 1890. In 1902 Commit sioner Tunbridge gave him the Canterbury and North Otago district, which position he held till his resignation. During tbe nine years Mr Gillies was in charge of the Canterbury-North Otago district, 96 per cont. of the offences reported to the police were detected, tbe greater proportion of the undetected four per cent, being cases relating to property that could not be identified. During his lengthy service, Mr Gillies never had a reprimand or a mark recorded against him, and from time to time he was complimented by the different commissioners and inspectors under whom he served, and by ' judges and magistrates before whom he conducted cases. It is due to Mr Gillies that tho present classes of instruction for recruits were established. Without authority, and on his owrn initiative, he started a school of instruction in : Christchurch. Tho matter was menI tioned before tho Commission,'ol which I Mr Poynton and Mr Bishop, S.M., were members, and on th*ir recommendation attendance at similar classes of instruction was mado compulsory in th© four centres of tho Dominion. It is Mr Gfllies's proud boast, on his re- » tirement from th© service, that there | has not been an important case in any J district of which he has had charge, II that has not been detected and the J offenders brought to justice.