UNKNOWN

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 4827, 7 May 1877, Page 2

UNKNOWN

A GUM-DIGGER BtfK>:. IN HIS H '''■■": THE dreadful news that ~. , : been burned to death ". 1' '' Lucas Creek, was brougl ■■.-, <", Jl!*'' * '• tnrday morning by a y. .r , *-.'" 1 "" '■"* James Nesbitt, who came ;.•-- i .'""■'■ pose of conveying r {'','. '"_' '' rence to the police. T) ■> -, ..,.'"" great sensation in town -•■;,- . t . ' ' known. Tho following' ar »v .•• • "~ rr ' tailed by the young man..', . .'. ;■*"• gum-digger, residing at J: v., -." " ' remo, Creek, asmallrhi r-ai„i,., Im Waitemata above Lucas °a r4 .i'r and worked for some time past a? m . '\ William John Peacock, a strong heart" ' of about 45 years of age. They lived together for about six rrnnH, , 7 T n j- '""".and worked together as gum-diggers. y n r- ■ day morning Peacock left the hut, and cecded to Riverhead, from whence he turned at about five in the evening, at wh' ■(," timehe was quite drunk, Peaco :k had b roi r u a bottle of rum with him, ami called out \ another gum digger, named Richards f* the purpose of intimating to him that ii» had grog, but the latter either did not h>--«* his calls, or would not come to him. cock drank the whole of the contents of tl n bottle, except abont two glasses, w y Nesbitt hid away. Peacock then lay d OTa ia his bank about eight o'clock, and, an. parently, fell into a drunken doze, ( rora which he soon woko up, and asked Nesbitt for a smoke.' Nesbitt lit tha pipe, and handed it to him. ]j 9 (Peacock) was then very cold and wet Nesbitt himself then lay down to sleep, bat before he fell off he heard Peacock, who hid apparently let the pipe out, strike a match in order to re-light it. After some tim« Nesbitt was awakened by the crackling oj burning wood, and upon starting U p | j,j found that the bed upon which Peacock lay was in flames around him. He endeavoured to rouse the wretched man to a sense of his danger, but without success, the combing effects of the liquor, the smoke, and sleep making him quite insensible. Nesbitt then tried to pull him out of the bed, and out oi the house, but he was only partially successful in the former, and while he was so engaged a powder-flask containing a quantity of powder belonging to Peacock, exploded. This not only suffocated Nesbitt, but jet fire to the roof of the hut, and the young man, finding that he could do Dothing more without assistance, ran to the hut occupied. by Richards in the vicinity. Richards at once came with him, and Nesbitt fetched an axe, with which he cut a hole in the side o! the house to get at Peacock, but the firo and smoke came through the opening in -nei volumes and with so much intensity that they could not get near the body, for by this time they had lost all hopes of being able to save the -wretched man's life. From one portion of the hut the smoke appeared to arise with greater density than the rest, and a peculiar odour which arose convinced them that it was tha body ef Peacock, which was being burned. They used some water which was close at hand and threw it towards the body, but were only successful in preventing it from being entirely consumed. The hous'i, whin was built of wood and rushes, was barnt up, and when Richards and Nesbitt -were, able to get close enough to observe anything dutinctly, they found nothing but a charred undistinguishable mass, a routed trunk, in fact, with the arms, and apparently, tha legs burnt off. These reraaina la/ in tha spot to which Peacock had been Nesbitt before he was driven out cf the hut by the explosion of the powder. They did not try to remove the remains, but left them in that position, and consulted what they had best do under the circumstances. They decidei that Nesbitt should come down to Auckland in the morning, and iuform the police of what had occurred, and tl ds he accordingly did, arriviug at Auckland by the steamer Te Aroha at about 10 o'clock on Saturday forenoon. As soon as the circumstances were reported, Mr. Inspector Thomson determined to send the police boat for the body, aud Detective Grace was instructed to make a rigid inquiry into the case. Accordingly, although the weather was wretched, a downpour of rain and a strong wind and sea prevailing, the police boat, containing Detective Grace, Sergeant Martin, Constables Tapsell and Sanson, and Nesbitt, the young man who had reported the ca?e, left the Wharf at half-past oae o'clock ia the afternoon, and proceeded to Paremoremo Creek, between Riverhead and Lucas Creek, where they arrived about half-past three. Led by Nesbitt, they proceeded about a mile up the creek to the whare which had been burnt down. This was situated about a-quarter of a mile froa the creek. It is a lonely, desolate-looking place, nothing growing in the vicinity bat stunted fern and tea-tree on the broken clay hills. They found the remains of the whare as described, and the body of the wretched man Peacock lying face downwards, with the right arm under the chest. It wu an undistinguishable mass, bearing no: the slightest resemblance to the hnaiJn form. The right arm was whole, being no doubt preserved by its position under the body, but it is so much scorched that it would apparently drop asunder on the slightest touch. The features were entirely obliterated, and the shape of the head barelv remained, while both legs were burnt on below the knee, and not a vestige of them remained. The only trace of clothing that remained was the neck-band of the shirt, which was around the portion of the remiiM where the neck should have been. It was a task of no little difficulty to collect the remains withont entirely destroying their appearance, but some tea tree sticks were passed underneath tho body, and bags were placed alongside, on to wliich the remain; were lifted. The bags were then sewn up ana carefully conveyed to the boat in which the, were brought to Auckland and lodged ia tM Dead house to await the inquest, whis- wu. be held to-day. , rtp The deceased was well known to ws police as a very heavy drinker. Ef ery » he visited tha city he became intoxicate* and while in this state he had many narrow escapes from being drowned. Indeed u boats in which he was frequently n P 3^.; .;"; about four years ago a man named■ ,vu '7 while in company with Peacock, when doiu were intoxicated, was drowned tnron £, _ upsetting of the boat. Peacock then, a= • many previous and subsequent oC.ClKescaped, but only, it appears, to cootinw in mad course until it terminated m the m» ful fate which ended his mortal career Friday night last.