BUSHRANGERS!

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 February 1928, Page 19 (Supplement)

BUSHRANGERS!

Crimes in Grey District Kelly Gang Suspected

ROBBERIES at Okarito and at the No-Town Twelve Mile Road in 1865-66, are supposed to have the work o£ the notorious Burgess, Sullivan,. Kelly and Levy gang,; but notwithstanding the pardon and rewards offered, nothing was discovered, it was . common knowledge at the time that there were others besides the four mentioned, who were in with them, but nothing came of it. A man named •Chamberlain was arrested on suspicion but got off. for want of t evi-» - denctx During the gang’s career on the Coast, several bodies were found, but never identified ' and several persons disappeared and no trace of them ever discovered. One body was one morning found near the head of the lagoon' at the old spring-board and was never identified. Old Gus. Hildebrand used to relate that coming home from the Araliura cattle sale, he one night got within about half a mile or so of Bob Keown’s Hotel and noticed a fire in the flax on the crown of the beach. When he got opposite the fire he saw a man coming towards him in a hurry and as Gus was aware of the robberies and disappearances, he naturally got the wind up, jabbed the spurs in and got away. He reported to the police on his arrival at Greymouth and they went out, but the birds had flown. Gus was always positive, it was the gang. Regarding the No-Town robbery, it is doubtful if the four named did this, for the reason that if they had, Walmsley would for a certainty, have met a similar fate to that of Dobson and the others. As is well known the gang was captured, Sullivan turned Queen’s evidence and was reprieved, the other three being hanged at Nelson in October, 1866. *

Free Fardon to an Accomplice Attorney General’s office, Wellington, Oct. 11, 1565. AY7HEREAS on Monday, tbe 4th day of September 1865, Mr. Walmsley of the Bank of Nev/ South Wales, was attacked and ribbed, about 12 o'clock in the day, by four or five armed men, between No-ToWn and the Twelve-Mile, on the Grey River Gold Fields, in the Province of Nelson, about 14 miles from the Grey mouth, in the Province of Canterbury; of 821 ounces of gold dust and about £lOOO in Bank notes. This is to notify that His Excellency the Governor will grant a free pardon to any person implicated in the robbery aforesaid, who shall give such information as shall lead to the apprehension and conviction of any one or more of the other offenders. z • •

’HENRY SEWELL.

: Notice : Colonial Secretary’s Office, Wellington, June 21, 1866. VVHEREAS a person of the T name of GEORGE DOBSON, Civil Engineer in the service of the Provincial Government of Canterbury, has mysteriously disappeared in the neighbourhood of the Grey River, Province of Canterbury; notice is hereby given, that should the said George Dobson have been murdered, His Excellency the Governor will grant a FREE PARDON to any one implicated

in such murder, except the actual murderer, who shall give such infornyition as will lead to the apprehension and conviction of the murderer or murderers.

E. W. STAFFORD.

: Notice : £ 200 Reward, or a Free Pardon, to an Accomplice Colonial Secretary’s Office, (Judicial Branch) Wellington, June 26, 1866. Vf/HEREAS persons of the name of Felix Mathews, John Kempthorne, James Dudley and James Portius, have mysteriously disappeared, and whereas it is supposed that they have been murdered, on the road between Nelson and Marlborough. This is to notify that should these persons, or any of them, have been murdered, a reward of Two Hundred Pounds (£200) will be given to any person who will give information that will lead to the conviction of the perpetrators; or hi£- Excellency the Governor will grant a free pardon to any person implicated in such murder, except to the actual murderer or murderers, who shall give such information as shall lead to the conviction aforesaid. ’ E. W. STAFFORD. Vf/HEREAS on or about the 22nd day of May last, one bag of fine beach gold-dust, weighing 463 oz. 15 dwts., and one bag of gold, marked “Bank of New Zealand,” weighing 204 ozs 14 dwts. 12’grs. were stolen from the Branch of the Bank of New Zealand at Okarito, on the West Coast Gold Fields, in- the Province of Canterbury. This is to notify that His Excellency the

Governor will grant a. free pardon to any person implicated in the robbery aforesaid, who shall give such information as shall lead to the apprehension and conviction of any other person or persons who were concerned in the robbery aforesaid. E. W. STAFFORD. MURDER OF DOBSON Story of the Crime A young surveyor, Mr. George Dobson, was brutally murdered in 1866, a few miles from Greymouth, on the Twelve-Mile Track. A confession by Sullivan, of the Kelly gang, threw some light upon the crime. Mr. Dob- ; son was in the service of the Government of Canterbury, and left the Arnold diggings on May 2, with the intention of coming to Greymouth. A storekeeper named Fox was also coming down from his store in Maori Gully, but, hearing that bushrangers knew he was carrying gold and intended to hold him up, he resolved to make the trip by boat. He told Dohaon of his fears, but the latter went along the track, and was never again seen alive. Hie body was searched for in all directions, but without avail; the rivers and creeks were dragged, and the whole bush scoured, till at last the search was practically given up. Then came the confession of Sullivan, stating the circumstances of the murder, as follows:— ‘ Sullivan said that a party of three —Kelly, Murray, and himself—were on the track for the purpose of sticking up Mr. E. B. Fox, of Maori Gully, who was known to bring down large quantities of gold. Sullivan was watching the track, while the other two remained at their tent, which was pitched a short distance away in the scrub.. About haif a miie from the coal pits he was met by a young man (Dobson), who asked'him how far it was to the coal pits. S-ul-li-

van replied that it was half a mile, and allowed him to pass. Shortly .after-' wards he met a man and a woman, and also allowed them to pass. Rain then began to fall, and he made for the tent for shelter. Close alongside the tent he saw the young man who had passed him, apparently sitting against the trunk of a tree, but quite dead, having been strangled. Sullivan knew hp was not Fox, and suggested that the body be buried. Kelly, remarked that.it was better to leave the body as it was, as it would make the people who saw it think that Dobson had died from exhaustion. Kelly further remarked,- “I and another man have put many away that way.” Sullivan added that on the body they found a silver watch and gold chain, a pocket compass in a leather case, and a bill dr deposit receipt for £32 or £22, bearing the name “Dobsoffi.” The papers were burned by SulliYan> and Kelly said they buried the watch, _ compass, and iother articles with the body. After a search lasting four days, a party ledjby Inspector W. H. James, * of Greymouth, discovered the body in a shallow grave, one boot being above the ground. An inquest was held at Greymouth on July 7, before Magistrate Revell; and the jury returned 'a verdict that Dobson was wijfully murdered on the Grey and Arnold Track on May 28, 1'866.

Hotel Raffled*— Modern restrictions upon the disposal of everything and anything by art unions or raffles were unthought of in the early days. .Thus, on March 18, 1875, the Junction* Hotel at Paroa was disposed of by art union, as the proprietor, Mr. Adam Irving, was going Home. Tickets were sold at £1 each, and the prizes were valued at £ 8-00, comprising the hotel, gardens, crops, stabling, . byres, cow sheds, and live stock.