"THE FIRST NEW ZEALAND BUSHRANGER."

NZ Truth, Issue 80, 29 December 1906, Page 3

"THE FIRST NEW ZEALAND BUSHRANGER."

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— ln last week's "Truth" you invite news re Garrett, the bushranger. I may tell you that Garrett died m Auckland gaol somewhere aI bout six years ago, the newspapers j ! at the time stating m a long article j about his life, that he had spent fifty-two Christmases m gaol. I i was m Otago at the time of the Muntratui affair and I think it wa? 32, not 23. that Garrett stuck up that day. One mob consisted of either six or eight, and they came from North Canterbury, m fact, I think, from' Kaiapoi. I knew a good, few of them. Amongst those stuck up was a hawker from Oamaru named Moloney, who had, among other things, a keg of rum m his cart. Garrett, after getting them all tied up m the bush, about three miles from the Buck-eye Hotel, on the West Tairie (? "Taieri". Ed.) broached the keg of rum and went- to each man and offered them a drink. Some few of them would not drink it, as they thought it was poisoned, but the most of them found it very acceptable. He also filled and lighted 'the pipes of those that smoked. He, also :- left one man so, loosely tied that he could 'untie the others; hut this man would hot stir for a long while, as Garrett had told them if they moved before an hour they would be shot. However, the next man to the loose man was an old sailor and as soon as he was free the knife ! soon liberated the rest. Burgess, the Nelson murderer, was m Dunedin gaol with Garrett, m the same cell, | and they planned their escape and were nearly out when Garrett split, j and < Burgess, m his written -confessions, said that he would have stool. , .Garrett if he had ever got __ chance. j I may mention that there are severjal of those that were stuck up by I Garrett still living m the colony, but at present I can only think of the address of two of them ; one, Mr W. Taylor,* a master blacksmith, m | Hawera, aiid a Mr G. Pearce, a c-ar-i penter, formerly of Kaiapoi, but I | believe now living m Ohristohuroh', i Of course I have written this from , memory, but I. think if you make enquiries you will find my statements correct. I am not sure to a year or I two when he died, but he was serv-. I ing a sentence for being illegally on the premises m Christchurch, so ! that your agents m the places I have* ! named might be able to get more details. I may state that when I saw Garrett he looked to me to be what most people would call * handsome man, being very well-built, and wearing a long, flowing, beard. Hoping to see a detailed account oi Garrert's career m a future issue of "Truth," a copy of which I get ev-uy week,— l am, &c., LOOKER-ON. Carterton, Dec. 15, '06. (This is the third letter received and published on this matter and each correspondent has made a different, statement as to the gaol m which Garrett cut out the breathing habit. The first writer killed the late lamented .. bushranger -^um-bviCftlar m the Terrace Gaol, Wellington'," the second j slew his man m Dunedifv Caatle and now "Looker On^' massacres him m Mount Eden sanatorium. If all our kind informants are correct Garrett must have made quite !a hobby of dyinf. Probably, next week we shall be "credibly informed" that the knight of the 'road and jemmy became fat-all y deceased at Wanganui and Lyttelton gaols.— Ed. N.Z. "Truth.")