CAPTURE OF MURDERER

Northern Advocate, 24 September 1927, Page 11

CAPTURE OF MURDERER

CELEBRATED CASE RECALLED. i WHANIGAREI MAN’S STORY. The old police cells in Wellington were recently demolished. This led n "Post” reporter, to write an interesting article on murderers who had been lodged in the cells at various times. One paragraph read as follow's:^ —“Another murderer who was placed in the cells before being taken to the Terrace Gaol was James William Ellis, who later expiated his crime upon the scaffold. A long and sensational chase resulted in his cap-

ture single handed by Chief Detective

(now Superintendent) Broberg, in the Waipaw’a district, where he w’as found sleeping alongside of a loaded gun in an, empty hut.” ,

In the course of a conversation with Mr J.-.S. Willcocks, the Whangarei Borough Inspector, a "Northern Advocate” representative gleaned some very interesting information relative to the paragraph mentioned.

“At the time of the Te Awaite murder, for which Ellis was eventually executed,” said Mr Willcocks, “I was a mounted constable in Waipawa. Rumours became current that various whares handy to the 'bush near the ranges in the Ormondville district had been robbed of food, clothing, ammunition, etc., but no money. Although the Wairarapa murder had been committer! about nine months previously, and no trace of the suspect had since been found, there was a strong suspicion among the Hawke’s Bay police that Ellis was responsible for these thefts. During November, 1904, 1 was collecting agricultural statistics in a large area from Takapau to Wakarara, many settlers of" which had their homesteads far back towards the ranges. While doing this work' I impressed upon every settler whose home was. near the bush, to keep a sharp lookout for any strange visitor and report to me at once if their places were broken’ into and anything stolen. On the night of November 28, 1904, I received an urgent telephone .message from Mr Geo. Douglas, who was managing a farm at Wakarava for a man named Hirst, stating that during a temporary absence Mr Hirst’s place was broken into and a quantity of food, clothing, tobacco and sundry articles stolen. Wakarara is 30 miles from Waipawa. I made an early start next, morning and arrived at Hirst’s about 9 a.m. Upon investigation we found tracks leading from the bush to the house and back again to the bush. The following telegrams, copies of which I have kept to this day, will show what I did in the matter and how strongly I suspected the culprit to be'-,Ellis. '

“Sergeant Smart, Hastings,—Geo. Douglas is in charge of Hirst’s section during his absence in England. Douglas loft the house noon Sunday alright. Returned 3 ._p,m. - yesterday. Pound house ransacked. Following missing: Bottle pain killer, flannel, black shirt, 8 large revolver cartridges, leather belt with sheath knife and belt attached, 31bs tobacco, Loewe pipe, lib candles, large loaf bread, 2 cakes, .some sugar, tea, flour, jam, billy, 3 tins condensed milk, tip flsh, tin preserved meat, 11b butter. House isolated near edge of bush, Waka- : rara. Tracks towards bush. Supposed Ellis. Will inspect some whares in bush today. Return tomorrow 7 and report unless otherwise instructed. —J. S. Willeocks, Constable, 29/11/1904.” Sergeant Smart, Hastings, —Cannot attach suspicions to anyone else. Ellis could easily reach here from Takapau district and can cross, ranges to Kereru. .Several ' rabbiters ’ huts on ranges. Visited one yesterday. No traces. Douglas and I wall go into bush tomorrow;. —J. S. Willeocks, Constable, 30/11/1904. / Sergeant Smart, Hastings,—Searched bush back of Hirst’s today. Foundfootmarks down ridge alongside boundary fence. Followed dow-n to Makaroro riverbed. Found remains of recent tire in creek. Picked up '■eof of Auckland Weekly News dated 10/11/04. Looks af it w'ere taken off cake. Would advise sharp lookout back -of Kereru.-—J. S. Willeocks, Constable, 1/12/1904. ;

Sergeant Sma rt, Hastings,—Forwarding report today. Will you authorise me to pay a man to help search bush bet ween bore and Korern? Difficult country. —J. S. Willeocks, Constable, 2/12/1904. “I was satisfied, ” continued Mr Willeocks, “that the only way to capture the man was to set a trap at a wbarc some miles ahead along the ranges. Mr Douglas informed me that there was a whare about 8 miles distant along the ranges, going north, at the back of Kererii Station, used occasionally by rabblters and musterera. So convinced was I that this would bo a likely place for Ellis’ next visit it hat I paid a visit to the whare with Mr Douglas that sarne day. It was a very laborious journey over Jinnies of difficulty country. We returned to Wakarara the same day, determined tovget a fre,sh , supply of food and camp in this hut for several days. Dor two or tlifee days, thereafter rain came on heavily and the creeks flooded, making it impossible to return to the whare until December 3. On the night of the second, Douglas and. I had all preparations made to’ return to. the whare next morning, when Detective, Broberg arrived. He had been sent up as the .result of

my telegrams. He fell in with my plans and next morning, accompanied by Mr Douglas, we left for the whare. We camped there for four or five days, when we ran short of food —- no trace of Ellis in the meantime.” THE CAPTURE.

The party returned to Wakarara, obtained fresh provisions and returned to the whare two days later.

“When We got 1 mear the door on this occasion,” continued Mr Willeocks, “we heard somebody moving inside. Detective Broberg was nearest the door and as hq opened it Ellis was seen just inside, endeavouring to get out. For a second dr so he and Defective Broberg stood breast to breast. It was a tense moment. Ellis’ anxiety to get into the. open reminded me of a captured wild beast, for ever restless and trying to escape. He held his rifle in his hand and a revolver and dagger dangled'from his belt, Hehad flv r e or six leather belts around his waist holding numerous leather pouches, a great number of which were filled with ammunition. He wore a military tunic such as was w’orn by soldiers in the South African War. He reminded me of pictures I had seen of Sicilian bandits, “a walking arsenal.” When he found his way barred by Detective Broberg he made an attempt to rush back into the whare so that he could lower his rifle. The detective then forced him back on to a table in the whare, Douglas and I instantly following and each pinioning an arm. The rest was easy—the capture was complete. After disarming him we took him back to Wakarara and that night drove him in my gig to Waipawa. ” .