THE MAUNGATAPU MURDERS.

Grey River Argus, Issue 88, 4 August 1866, Page 3

THE MAUNGATAPU MURDERS.

f FVLLIVA-N'S % CONFESSION ■«fcjL .-- - " ■.■■■■ ■- - :• " ' TSE MAGISTRATE.[Bf EtEcraie Teleoraph.] (FROM. OUR OWX COKRESroXUBNT.) r-J^ELSox, August 3, 2 p.m. The men charged with beings concerned in the murders at theMaungatapu were brought up to-day before the , Resident Magistrate, - Witnesses -were examined proving the sale of goods to the prisoners, , : ■ ' Sullivan was for the first time placed in the witness-box, and on jexanvnatipn made a statement to the following effect: — He said" he had resided at Wedderbourne, Mount Korong, Victoria, for tyelve years, as a storekeeper and publican. He arrived at Hokitika on the I.oth April, 1866, and there be- | came acquainted with Burgess, Kelly, and Levy, He afterwards went to the Grey, and left that district with his companions in the steamer Wallaby, for the, Builer, and thence to Nelson, They arrived in Nelson on the 6th ofj June,- and left on the following Thurs- j day for Picton and Havelock. Sullivan j went in advance and met tliree horsemen j coming along the Matai Valley, one of whom was Birrell. TJiey met a digger from Deep Creek and 'spoke to him. They stepped that night at the foot of Maungatapu,.Js miles from Nelson, and the next mornmg~went as far as Pelorus Bridge. On the Saturday morning they reached Canvas Town, and stopped at jervis's thatmght. On Suliday morning Levy went to Deep Creek, and returned ptttbfi Monday,; -Bfe brought with^liim- a copy of the Mavlborough newspaper. Burgess and Sullivan ground and sharpened, a bo wie and a large butcher's knife, (At this stage a knife and the handle of another were haifded to the witness and identified.) .At Wakamarina one had two double- - barrelled guns and two revolvers (piitol produced and recognised.) They left Jervis's on the Tuesday morning, and Sullivan met' tv man near the Pelorus They remained there a short time and then came up -to the Maungatapu, seven or eight miles this vside the Bridge, Whilst there a man came up and "passed on. He had a swag and a-long-handled shovel. The gang then went 'on to Frankjiu's Flat, ancl stopped there that night. The next morning' they started for Nelson, and on their way came up to a rock sticking up out of the earth. This being &.. favorable spot for their purpose, Burgess got the guns ready and arranged the swags. He kept one gun and gave the other to Sullivan. He also gaye Kelly and keYy/ the pistols and knife. Burgess plaiffi^i the ambush for the four men who^ele? known to be coming along the road, and appointed the stations for his companions,, When the travellers came up /Burgess and Sullivan bailed them up. was taken aside by Burgess, 'and the other three were left prisoners , with Sullivan. Ten minutes after this he heard shots fired. Twenty minutes " afterwards he saw Burgess and, Levy; - Burgess said that the cause of firing was ( f they had made a niess of it." Burgess toid~him to search the portmanteau, and he took -out 48 oz. of gold in the presence of the prisoner. Burgess took 1 out ;tw ; o 'bags containing gold and some straps (iike the one produced). He (Sullivan), was sent oii^ to guard the 1 road,' after having with great trouble got the horse down the hill and. shot him. C He covered the horse - with " boughs, -He afterwards went to, an bid chimney, where he made a fire, and got tea ready. We,. divided the money-**-.^£ls each, : We got to Nelson at about 8 o'clock, and lodged at different places. The nexi day Levy' told me how the >nen yev^Wle^ , Jjevy and . Kelly Btra^gled Dudley, while Burgess kept watch" over the other three. They returned and told Burgess that 's Charlie" . (a; . fictitious j person) had sajd r that .the prisoners -must be leit go. . The ; men , were- then told that /another party iii the bush had been "bailed up," and that they •■need L not be alarmed. They left quite cheei-fuily under the impression they were 1 ' going to be taken to the party mentioned, but o^jtlie way j each man was shot dead by the man ll^who led him. The gold ( taken from--<the murdered men was sold vtoyarioua • hands .-for ,£2OO. When Levy/ was . arrested, he (Sullivan) saw Kelly*plant--8. bottle of strychine in a hedge.- I saw^; .the bottle of iitrj'uliiae 'first at Grey-'

mouth. . ' . • It. iiras. never put of Kelly's, possession. ' ■, ■ ,\. ''Burg€S3 r Kelly, and* Levy were fully committed for trial- but were remanded in Battle's, case for-, a week.- V The trial wiir take place by Special Commission, Nelson, on the 12th September.