OTAGO. ATTEMPTED ESCAPE OF GARRATT THE HIGHWAYMAN THE DUNSTAN GOLD FIELDS [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT] Dunedin, Sept 26, 1862

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVIII, Issue 1632, 14 October 1862, Page 4

OTAGO.

ATTEMPTED ESCAPE OF GARRATT THE HIGHWAYMAN THE DUNSTAN GOLD FIELDS [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT ] Dunedin, Sept 26, 1862

Till sailing of tho 'Sylph' to nionow enables me t> communicate with \ou eailiei than by the legular mnl sei \ ice As the ai 11val of -c vei al w.wls, w hich hi\o made \ei\ quick pissicres ftoni Melbourne, wi I enable me to gi\e \cm a digest of the Litest \nstiihan news T pmpose supplementing mj usii il Utt"i on local subjects hv placing \ou in possession of tho mo-t unpintant items fiom o\ei the v ati'i To begin with Otago : Punedin is in i peifeet foimrnt, and pie-cnts m an exagcrpiatcd foim all the turmoil, confusion and rhiong of the fn^fc nisli last yen Tlio •'uish" winch ill tinouirh the winter had been looked upon hpio a> a cpitamty for the soing, and which anticipations, I>\ the bye. weio not a little udicnlcd b^ the Anstiaban pies*, has set in and set in with «ifth dimension a- t<> exreed the expectations of even the most sanguine bthe\oi in the attiach\ene>-s of the Otago gold lield^ I told ■you in my last that the stranieis fioni Melbourne and the piovincos of Kew Zealand \\\ Inought full h-ts of passengeis, and up to the date of my list, seveial ■neasels, u\a»t nmnnsoi the mini fleet had abeady amved with human freights Since tint time we have had the luge elnipcis ' LightmiiL',' 'Result,' 'I!oaneii;e^,' 'Citvof Mdbninne,' and ■>evei il-mallei c r.vft. bimyinsj in aiiietrite of o\ei thice thousand souK The ' Liyhtnintr' biiiii£.']it SOO. the ' City of Melbourne' ">ofl, the 'llesnlt 700, and the 'Boaneicos' 050 Fiom tho lepoits biouttht by these vessels, the Otai^o ft \ci in Victoua \\ somethiuc: to be wondeied at; the newspiiicis had fanlv given up all attempts at checking the evodu--, and wcie content with sounding occa-ionil wainni!? notes A gentleman horn Victoi l.a told me that the excitement on the othei side was something ui.uvellous The conches fioin the up conntiy districts were ciouded each tup, and ]>laces seemed foi da\s m ad\anoe He admits that some twenty or thnly thousand people may be cvpeetcd fioni Vietoiia this senson. It is a favom able symptom that hitherto thcm<:h has been pioductivi; of no inconvenience and theie is an absence of that anxious uncertainty in the minds of the minus that obtained last >eai. The luge numbeis of miners airhmg almost il.vily, of coiu-o ])ioduces a good deal of ciowdimj m the sheets but as ,i nile the m<n do not lemain m the townlongei then is necessviy to jnoeuie the neccs sai v lnfoim ition as to tlie piospects of the vanons fields, and outfits for then journey, and oft they sfut, swag on back and in the best possible spnits, fm whichcNei locihty a]tpeais to oiler the gioatest inducements It is foitunatc that the new anivals ha\ebcen welcomed bj the linest of wcither, and I have he Aid not i few cviness then agieeible suipu-e it not linduig the climate of Otago so villianously bad is they hid been led to believe. Laige as theiush may be, theicis not the slightest an\»ty felt boie as to tliere being a laige enough fii Id foi the opeiatiDi sof the nuneis. Apait fion the loom still existing on the oldei gold-delds, owing to then lompnatisc descition, cnnscc|uent on the new mshcs, the latei discoveied delds bid fair to (xeced the most sanguine expectations fanned of then pioutable ehaiactei The Dunstan gold-lield is now a "f yet 11 —foi not only is it pioolaimcd agoldfield, and fmnished with a full blown commissioner, ke , but the amount of gold abeady piodnced theie is vciv cousideiable. As yet, no date for the (list escoit has 1 been decided on, but I believe il will be despatched next week The amount of gold leady for tiansmission is variously estimated at fiom ton to twenty thousand ounces Fiom very reliable uifoimation T am led to bebe\e that the quantity will bo near the stipulated JC.OOOo/s, contingent upon which the lew aid of the discovereis, Haitley and Redly, l ests One thing I know foi a fact, and that is that the bnyei-, for the vaiious banks have been compelled to temporauly suspend operations, for want of the quid pvo quo, although several extra supplies of "ilimsies" have been sent fiom time to time. A laige quantity of gold is known to be in the hands of the miners, foi they aie by no means disposed to sell moie than they cm help, at the low pi ice offeicd by the bu> ci s. Tinee pound five is about the price olTeied, the buyei s alleging in excuse for tint low puce, the quantity of land mixed with the gold The last accounts fiom the Dunstan rcpoi t that the Molyneux had risen considerably, and covered already many of the uchest bais. Piobably as the summei advances most of the nchest woikings will be thus lendeied tempoiauly unavailable, but these diggings appear to possess the advantage of an indefinite extent lengthwise on both .sides of the liver. For thiity or forty miles the river banks are dotted ovei with the domiciles of the modern "dwellers in tents;'' and instances aie known of paities working somewhere on the quiet far up in the neighbourhood of the Lakes. Fiom tho indications being daily brought to light, it is highly probable that all the streams m this locality aie gold-bearing. The Kawarau, a lapid, unfordable tributary of the Molyneux, has proved to be equally rich with the Molynonx, but its peculiar ehatacter interposes almost insuperable obstacles to the work of the miner. But diggers are not to be easily daunted when gold is to be got, and I hear of

parties working up In then ,11111 pits, with viuious mechanical conUivaiues f<u piocuiing the i.md from tho bottom of the htieaui, ,iikl foi keeping their own footing, (jolting most astonishing yield 1 .. The gold I found m tho lied of this iner is Luge and rough, and found ro plentifully (when they can got it), as to load to the idea of the bed of tho river being auriferous to .1 fabulous device. Onepaity aie repotted to have been adventurous euough to get a boat up this sti earn, and to have located themselves on the opposite bank which is 111010 shelving; and it is conjectuied that they must have hit upon something very good, foi they have lefnsed ixtiavagaut sums to fetty other pal ties aeioss to the bpot, where they have been woikmg foi some weeks. Tn tune, as timber for the consti notion of punts, boats, ke, gets moie plentiful, and the opposite banks of the Kawatau nude aecessiblc, fui ther diseovet les w ill no doubt lesult VlOvisions still continue scaice and dear, flour is quota! .it .€2OO a ton, and sugar the same price ; biscuits aic selling .it 2s Gd. per lb. ; meat is plentiful and compatatively cheap, about Is. to Is 3d per lb. The sijiriituisin the distuct must have nnide a pietty tidy tlnnu out of tho lush, such fabulous puces have been realised foi \.uious ai tides in demand. The gieat dcsulri utiiM of the minei -. is timber, and e\ ci y tiling in the shape of wood h.is been bought up eageily Mr. Keddell, late tho chief escort officer, has been appointed tho Commissioner of the Dunstan gold field, and nchly does he deserve his piomotion. Nothing fiesh has tianspued since my List icspecting tho Nokomai diguing*-, and news is anxiously expected Great nixmbcis of miners have gone thither, and probably two thousand pel sons are on the way. Fiesh discoveues continue to be made, and seveial prospecting claims have been gi anted to pnities 111 different localities Tho Dunedin Chamber of Commoicc held a meeting the othei day to discuss the pioposed Panama mail seivice, to which 1 made leference m my List Of com so the Chamber was unanimous as to the dc&u ability of the scheme, but doubts were expressed that the pioposed subsidy, t\">0,()00 per annum, was too small for the efficient working of any Company, an it was feared that if the piojecfcois weic depending on contnbutions fioni the Home Government, it might have the eftect of complicating mattcis. A lesolution appioving of the plan weio passed, and the Supmntendent was waited upon, who piomised the subject should be fully eonbideicd by the Piovineuil Council tins coming session. The state of the haibout at PoitChabnieishas long been a subject of much anxiety, the channels having become veiy much shallowei, so much so as to pievent the safe entiy of vciy laige vessels. The Cham bei of Commeice took both this matter and thesubjcol of a patent sliji into consideiation at a special meet ing, and a deputation waited upon the Supetinten dent id itne to both subjects. A powerful steam diedge, and a patent slip, may theiefoie soon become institutions ni Otago Dunedin was st.utled on Monday by the lepoit of adespei.ite attempt which had been made by the notoiious (Jauett and otheis to escape from the city gaol, and to take the lives of the w.udus. The follow in" cxtiact fioni the Dculi/ Timet- contains the full putn.ul.us I may mention in addition, it has since hai^pned that one of the waidens is likely to be suspended, foi gioss, neglect of dutj, owing to which cai tlesiiiess this despei ate escape w as so neai succeeding • - "' Two attempts, evidently conceited, were made In pusoncis to hi cak out of the Dunedin Gaol, dating the night ot Sunday, but they fortunately f.ulod The main actois wctc the notoiious Gairatt, who is undei going a sentence of twelve yeais' 1111piisnnmont, foi hisdaiing ouh.iges in the neighboihood of Tuapeka, last year, and Ins companion John Anderson, alias Bums, who was sentenced to thiee yens' imprisonment Ganatt is known to have \owed vengeance against the governor, Mr Stod d.ut, on account of a change in the lations intio dueed „t Ins suggestion; and theie can be little doubt, that bad the conspnatnis succeeded in getting out ot then cells, blood would ha\c been spilled pi Ltt\ fi eelj . '■ Unfoi tunately, fiom the want of pi opet means of keeping long sentence piisoncts at work, they h.ue frei|iicnt means of communication; and theie can be no doubt that the plan of action foi the attempted escapes was auanged between Gana t and Anderson '' To commence with the opeiahons of the 11101 c noted laical The tell in which Gaiiatt was conlmed was about the most ccntial in tlie g.iol It adjoined the day-ioom, in which Gaifatt would know that theie was gcneially a wirdei stationed dvi ng the night , yet it was thiough the day room tint he had lesolved to escape, although theie was a mode In wlnuh he could ha\ c c°t into the stockade as cisilv as into the day 100 m, if his own hbeity had alone been his object The wall between the cell and the daj 100 m is of buck, and about 18111 thick So fu as can be ascei tamed, (i.iuatt bad no othei instuuncnt than a model. ite si/ed nail, which was hent so as to form a convenient pucker- but with tins he loosened, and then contnved to icmovea Luce numbei of bucks fiom the lower pmtion of the wall lie bioke thronch sufficiently to see into the di\ -mom; and itisbthe\ed that he then gave up, on discovenng that the waidei was accom pimeil bv the scige.int. and that he would have no chance of snipusvng both men. "The attempt in which Andeisnn was the ling leader was mote complicated Thue is a corridor divided fiom the day-ioom by non gates The wall at the end of that cmtidor is the one next the coutthouse, and outside which, on the platfnim, a watchman is stationed day and night In the ontei cell, theie weie four prisonci = awaiting tnal. Time nainos ate John Burns •Tunes Ilauis, John Gib-on, and GenigeCoylo In the a 'joining one, theie s\eie confined John Andeison, abas Bums, Richaid Bur tress, .ili.is Hill, James Plynn. and James Bonnet. Anderson and his fellows — who, as f,u as can be discovcied, had a nail pi easel > similai to that used by Gail at t, and nothing moic — set to wmk at the bottom of their wall and contnved to make a bole, thiouuh which they all passed into the adjoining cell The untried ptisonois say that they were overawed by tin eats of having then biains dashed out with bucks if they attempted to give an alaim , and ilso that they weie bound with stups totn fiom the blankets Certainly no aim 111 was given, and it is not unfait to suppose that a prospect of escaping thiough the dating of the liitiudeis, led the otigmal occupants of the cell to hold then peace The blankets uirc torn into stups, but those stups do not look as if tliey Utal l>oeu tightly tied louud any pel son. "Andeison and his mates had now to attack the outer will, but this is of stone, and, of com so, veiy substantial. They calculated conectly that to get out neai the lino of the platfoim, they must woik at the top of the wall ; and here they cleaicd out the slicing moitai and smallei stones o\er a space of about tlnee feet by two feet, leaving the outer facing stones exposed. But those stones aie, foi tunately, of considerable size, and the piisoueis could not succeed 111 moving them " We have said that theie was a scigeant on duty with the w.u dor They wcic only occasionally absent fiom the day loom, and then but for slioit )>u iods , but, smgulai at> it may seem, they never he nd anything to excite then suspicion, although Gnii.itt actually bioko thiough the wall of tho room in which they weie sitting. They say, too, that fiom about 11 o'clock the night was very still There was no notion of what had been going on, until the cells we 10 visited yesteiday moining; the List visitit ion on Sunday evening being at nine o'clock That the scge.int and wuider should not have he.aid the operations of Andeison and bis paity is not so suipusing, but nothing was heaid by the w aider on the platfoim, close to which Andoison was at woik. The mode seems to have been for two to woik, while kneeling on the upper bed, and the othei two hold a blanket to catch the debiis, winch was occassioually emptied into .1 sack, made out of a shirt. Throughout, the woik seems to have been done with lemaikable adioitness and quietness. "It is legarded as a vei y pi obablo hypothesis that G.aiiatt's plan was to get into the day-ioom dining the tempoiaiy absence of the waidei , to surpuse and stun him on his ictuin. and to get possession of his lcvolvci and keys, which would have been not difficult to a man of Gariatt's stiength and dating, [f he had succeeded so far, he would have been able to teloase Andci«on, and other of Ins fticnds, and to have indulged in the effort at least foi icvenge. Indeed, had the desperate scoundrel succeeded, it cannot be doubted that the 1 esults would have been homblo So with the Anderson pai ty, if they could have got to the officer on the platform and silenced htm, the) c is no doubt that they could in some way have facill tvted tho escape of Garratt " The visiting justices met at the gaol yesterday, and investigated the mattet. Garratt we bolievo, declaicd that he meant to get out as soon as be could and to ' wipe off a few old scores ' Anderson and Buigoss claimed the whole blame, or merit, of the attempt on their bide. The others they said wei 0 weie forced to assist or to be quiet. Gairatt and Anderson were ordeied to be ironed ; the damage to tho walls has been repaired ; and so ends this chapter in the history of the would-be Jack Shephai d of Otago. " It may be added that Burgess is under sentence for firing at the police after taking part in aseiies of outrages at the diggings. He has more than tlnee years to serve." I may mention that the Southland Ntjvt is about

have a rival. A now papu uudei the editoiship of My. "Fit/gcialu (In other to Fitzgerald o£ the Canterbury Piew) is to bo commenced at luvcieaigill, in a few weeks. The plant, ami staff of woi kmen, ke , go dow nby tho ne\t steamer " Southeily Buster," as "S d, " of the Southland Ncirs, will be rather astonished, 1 fancy, .it such an interference with his vested interests I notice a letter T think in your columns, fiom a person, advocating the unite i/« Inveicargill, as being easiest and most dnect to the Dunstan Diggings The couespondent I letur to, evidently does not know very much of the subject, for although it was hoped and anticipated by tho Southern people that a practicable mad now existed fiom Invercargill, Mi Heale, then own sm veyor, made full investigations, and gave it as Ins official opinion that no piaeticable i onto dvd exist dnect to the Duustan. Tho letter also speaks of ' ' impenetrable set ub " (') on the loute via Waikouaita; all I can say is that the •liineis en ruule would be exceedingly glad of "that same" to conk with, as it is it must e\ist only in the imagination of the wuter, for it has not yet been discovered. Five bundled pounds was foi warded last mail by the Lancashiie Relief Fund Committee of this town, and the subscriptions aie still going on