NEW CHUMS' COLONIAL EXPERIENCES.

Evening Star, Issue 4622, 21 December 1877, Page 4

NEW CHUMS' COLONIAL EXPERIENCES.

By the Waitaki yesterday there arrived in Oamaru a young man whose colonial experiences during the past six months have been of a very varied, if not reputable, nature. Christopher Shuttleworth is about twenty-three years of age; is a tailor by trade, and the sou of a highly-respectable tradesman at Home. He appears to have begun " life" at a very early age, and some short time since led Buch a wild and dissolute life that a change of Ecene was deemed necessary alike for the peace of mind of his indulgent father and the prospect of reclaiming the young scapegrace. Just prior to his leaving Home he had, according to the information we have received, stolen a sum of money , from his father. With this he entered on a ; career of dissipation, keeping company of a by no means desirable class. While thus indulging bis proclivities for life-seeing and alcohol-imbibing, he was discovered by his father, who suggested to him a trip to the colonies. This suggestion was at once acted upon, and the young vagabond took his passage for New Zealand. In order that he | might have a start in life, his thoughtful i parent provided him with a quantity of goods sufficient to enable him to commence business. With these he reached Lytteltou about six months ago. His first expeiience j of the Colony was, according to his own ! statement, a term of imprisonment for broaching cargo. After "putting in'seme five or six weeks fortius ofichce, he ommened realising upon the goods with which his faUievhad provid. d Lim, dL-posing of them at ridiculously low prices. Having by thit moans obtained a supply of ready money, he again entered upon a career of dissipation, and succeeded in getting i ito into several minor scrapes in Christchurch. Eventually he was compelled to leave Christchuicb, ami made his way to Dunedin, where he obtained employment at a large clothing factory as a " cutter-out." With this he does not ai>. pear to have been satisfied, for, after working there for a few weeks, and runuing up several board and lodging scores, he quietly vanished from Dunedin and made his way to Oamaru. Hs career here was a very short one. He had j not been m Oamaru many days before he I tuo.e a ring and some money out of the room j or a lodger at the Alliance Hotel, and W ; mediately afterwards pawneJ the ring \\ r.en he found that the theft had been plaied in the hands of the police Shuttleworth again "moved on ; ' without beiii" requested to do so, and made his appearance at VVaimate. Another petty larceny appears, to have been the outcome of this visit t > that place, but before this was discovered he was arrested for the theft committed by him in Oamaru, for which he re ceived two months imprisonment in the Dunedin gaol When his term had been completed he was aga-.u take 1 in hand by the police this time for the (fLnce at Wainnte.' The charge against him is for stealing fire studs, a ne ktie, and a fair of scissor*. °Shuttleworth's career ia the Colony has been an eventful one, and he has doubtless committed more eflVnces agairst law and onlor tiian any other man m the Col'iiy ! whose rcsi.loi:.':. in it has been of so fdmrt a unr.hoii. t ui; of t!n> six nnnths he h,\s m I\ r ew Z-.idund he has tcrve.l s.wk--..10j or four m gaol. |f e has perpetrated 3jv r:i la-ccmts, squaukred wJi.it m.-n-y •io had, and v'otimuod iiuinicrablo perM|n3in Chmtchurcl-, Lyttdton, Dunedin, Oamaru, and WaJwate for board andlcbnii-