OBITUARY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 129, 4 June 1919, Page 4

OBITUARY

* MR. JOHN SHARP. AN EVENTFUL CAREER. / -MAUNOATAPD TRIAL RECALLED. it is with regret that we have to record the death of Mr. John Sharp, ,one of Nelson ’ 6 oldest residents, and one who probably has held more public positions than any other Nelsonian. The infirmities of age confined Mr £>ha.rp to Ilia home almost wholly in recent years; bat he made weekly visits into town almost up to the last, and was able to get about up to as recently as last Saturday. Mr. Sharp was born in Maidstone, Kent, in 1828, and wae thus in his 91st year at the time of his death. He was educated at Chatham House College, Ramsgate, for, the Navy. He joined the merchant service, however, and while in the West Indies he saw an insurrecion nipped in the bud. In 1843 he came out to New Zealand in the ship Ursula as clerk to Mr Francis Dillon Bell, afterwards Sir Francis Dillon Bell. Mr. Sharp was subsequently engaged as a surveyor under the New Zealand Company.' He then received the appointment of assistant clerk./to Mr. John Tinline, clerk to the Superintendent and Resident Magistrate, and on the resignation of Mr. Tinlino ha stepped into has place. A few mouths Later he received the appointment of Registrar of the Supreme Court. On the death of Mr. Poyuter he was appointed Resident Magistrate, Registrar of _ Deeds, and Deputy Commissioner of Stamps After holding these appointments for three years he retired from the public service, as|d entered private business, from which he retired in I£Bs, and had since lived quietly at his residence in Miltonstreet, •

In the old Provincial Council Mr. Sharp sat for two years as represenfca- . tire for Wpimea East; isabsequeittly he represented; the Amuri. For three year© he occupied? the position* ol Provincial Treasurer . 'Mr. Sharp was returned as one of the members for the City of Nelson in 1875, and sat in. the House of Representatives for three sessions.- During that period' he was successful .in inducing Parliament to pass an Act to enable the Corporation, of Nelson to purchase from the General Government—into whoa© hands they had fallen our - the abolition of the provinces l —the Nelson waterworks and gaaworks. ' Mir. Sharp was Mayor of Nelson for three years—from 1888 to 1890. He: ; was at one time captain of the old' ; Nelson Rifles, mi active member of the Kelson Boiling Club, and one of the , old-est-made Freemasons .in New Zealand.He was one of the first lieutenants ol the Nelson Volunteer Fir© Brigaded Mr Sharp in recent years was one of a very few living men who were present at the Maungatapu murder 4 trial. As Registrar of the SupwSer •Court and Sheriff he took a prominent part in meting out justice to the criminals. “Do I remember much of that dreadful occurrence and its ghastly details/' said Mr Sharp to a Dominion interviewer several years ago. “I do, because r, the whole thing is simply burnt- into my brain, and I had a lot to do ri bringing the rascals to justice. Burgess was a very wonderful man, but very vainglorious. > He ran up the steps of the gallows, while the other two men had to be helped up. Kelly losfc his nerve and cried us not to hang him. “It will be murder,” he whined, “and I am going to marry a nice Nelson girl.” He was well primed with' brandy,, but made a dreadful exhibition. When he was crying, Burgess said; Shut Tip, Kelly, die like a man.’ Then Burgess added: ‘You hang here, Kelly, you here Levy, and I’ll hang in the middle.* And he did, “What became of Sullivan? He was

given a term of imprisonment, and owing to the feeling in Nelson against him, it was deemed advisable to remove him to Dunedin. None of the . steamers woud take him, so I ■will, tell you’ how I fixed the matter up. I dressed him up as a constable and'..pat him in charge of it constable - named Peter Levy who was handcuffed, t As soon, as the vessel * got out' near . Stephens Island, Levy changed his dolhp, and Mr Wheeler, captain of the ship, knew that I had been too sharp JOS him. Sullivan was suffering from osneer, and it was known that he would not live long. He received a free pardon from the Governor, Sir James Fer- ■ giison, was shipped to England, and later returned to Australia where., I • believe, he died. He was also a. r«*markabl© man with an extraordinary memory. He wrote one confession and then another which he amplified and from which we were enabled to t brace iome crimes which had. been committed in New Zealand and alSoin Australia. “Burgess was a fine looking man. When he was arrested I -had. him wrought in and requested him to strip. So kept on an undershirt, but I made . lim take that off, because I wanted to see ii'f his shoulder bore the ’buliett harks supposed to have been received vhen he escaped from the prison hulk n Melbourne. Sure enough the macks vere there, and Burgess swore as he vas being taken back to his cell. “We had 130 men out searching ..for, he bodies, and we should have’found hem the next day even if Sullivan. hM lot confessed. The same gang h»urlered Dobson, thinking he was a old buyer. f ' “What about the trial? Wellj- Ih®. asited six days and cost the Grown ,beween £3OOO or £4OOO. I cMTtffl yen a urioua thing about the gold stolen. J.« sras afterwards sold by one of the remits to the Bank of New Zealand, ,nd there was supposed to be * piece haped like a parrot’s beak taken iTcm Cempthorne. I went to the, baJlk, a sked the teller if he had noticed this .articular piece of gold. He one so, and stated that all the 8"™ aken over the counter was mixed toother. I asked him ,-orih. He answered £2OOO or £3OOO, o I bought the lot, and_ sure onenigh he parrot’s beak piece of gold owned v poor Kempthorne. was in the heap. ■ , “The murderers were several days m lelson after committing the CPtme. bev intended to rob the Bank ot outh Wales and murder the manager nd staff, and had stored police uniorms for the purpose. I don’lb know -here thev received the uniforms from, he manager of the bank was in an awal fright when he heard about’th.^.proosition. . k *" “A curious fate befell the nangftan, krke. He was on the road some.time /_ [fter with a mate who had been im- .. risoned for highway robbery. A'friend *- ’ mine, who was picnicking-in the vinifcv. was asked the time by them. He it his hand down to get hiV watch, bat larke and his __ chum thought he was . - >achiug for his revolver, and bolted. larke was never seen again in New inland. He was afterwards hanged .at " chart. ( . “Mr Shallcrass, who was chief e, and I did the most of the w6rk it “'U ectiqg 'home the evidence, Kehy ; swore . • ? have my life, and. I always slept*.with loaded revolver in. my hand*' TheVleg- *. ’ *. >«s of the murderers were' afterwards • J* Id when the gaol was pulled down. .; •-/ - “The jury? They are alt dead. Thd : pyi st one died about 1QI1.” * <• v* 'f