PILOTED BY THE POLICE

NZ Truth, Issue 882, 21 October 1922, Page 7

PILOTED BY THE POLICE

How Sullivan Slipped Away

WEST

MORE TALES OF THE COAST KELLY GANG

Some Inside Information

How did Informer Sullivan, John Joseph Sullivan, the man who turned Queen's evidence and stood aside when Kelly, Burgess and Levy swur.g for the Maungatapau murders m 1860., get clear away from New Zealand? How d-id the officials of the Dunedin Gaol,acting under instructions from their ' head office, get him quietly out of the, country when his .pardon and ■ his : freedom had at length been grented.' The story of fhe living hell he passed through after' his release was ; told m these columns last week, and now follows a, short account cf the manner of his K °in& out £roni the colony. Few men m New Zealand know the facts of the story, but oiie-.o? these Ib.-jv. has kindly supplied- to "Truth" the facts as'he, as ..an official high m the Service,- knew them. Sullivan remained for several years m the Dunedin Gaol, he says, following his conviction by jury upon the charge of murdering "Old Jamie,' which charge, as was stated last week, was considered separately and after | Kelly, Burgess and Levy had been condemned- to death, an.l m regard to which no evidence was given at the trial of the three men. It was about 1873 that Sullivan was at last stripped away from New Zealand m the barque Himalaya, sailing fr.im AucklandConstable Tom Grace was detailed to loqk.vafter Sullivan— a very necessary precaution, even ' six years after the hanging of the other men, for public opinion was very much against the idea of Sullivan getting free, Queen's evidence or no— and had strict instructions not to lose- sight of the, man from the moment he walked out of DunecHn Gaol till he crossed the gangway of the vessel at Auckland. ,Grace did an unpleasant and at times a risky job well indeed, but more than once the escorting policeman had "the wind well up" through tho fear that Sullivan had been recognised by those who knew him or knew of him on the West Coast. Diggers do not stay all their lives m one plac*, and it- was certain to the constable's mind that, sooner or later, SULLIVAN WOULD BE RECOGNISED, if he persisted m moving about too freely, and though recognition would mean sharper disaster for the informer than for the escort, such a risk was apt to be double-edged. Sullivan persisted m going to the Governor Browne Hotel, m * Hobson Street, Auckland, ' and there the risk was- trebly great, for the hotel was the. ..rendezvous of West Coasters gone North for a blow after a successful run-in the South, or gone North to look: for something payable, -for, not all struck pay ore, hot by a long way. Apparently some of the diggers up there had suspicions but although awkward moments were plenty there was never actual danger. Sulliva*n and the constable put m a fortnight at Auckland before the vessel sailed, and a lively dance Constable Grace was led, for Sullivan s tastes were not of the highest;— he would run risks both m the company he kept" and the company he did not take sufficient care to avoid. The boat sailed and UiG escort turn-'ed-again for the South very willingly. The London police ■ were advised of Sullivan's departure, anc l - when he ar■■■■■■■pr} m England lookei him up and devised "a scheme for keeping m touch with him. They availed themselves of the services of a woman, a "fizzgig" as a detective's agent in' the ; underworld is known,- and she, by means doubtful or otherwise, kept -m touch with the man' and kept the authorities posted m his movements. Other means of attempting to keep m touch with Sullivan would- have been practically useless, and it was not long before he broke from all communication with the London police and appeared m Australia. Sullivan usually sha,ved his upper; lip and forepart of the ohm. but wore what was known m his day a "Newgate frill," and shortly after it became .known that he had been released from prison i man named Howell, who carried a similar facial decoration and. was about the same height and build, age and appearance, was several times "RECOGNISED" AS INFORMER SULLIVAN :,- ■ • on farms and sheep stations m the Wellington province. Howell appealed more than once to the police , for protection, for he considered— pro-, bably with good enough ground/for, his fears — that he was. m danger of violence, but as far as records and memories go he was never hurt m anything else but his feelings, though he was threatened and badly frightened on many occasions. Probably had he shaved his frill and otherwise attempted to alter his appearance from that of the informer-murderer threats would have become somewhat more dangerous! and- w.isoly, ' therefore. Howell put up with tho threats and' friVhts until ho could move away, "Truth's" informant tells another story of a robbery m which the gang was concerned m the Hokitika^ mstrict before they move.l north to Nelson. The late Sergeant O'Malley who had just' joined the For :e and had not been then provided with\ a uniform, hacb been sent out. as An escort and guard to a gold buyer, one O'D , Who Was going from H^Kitika towards Kanierl. The gang- of four men was concealed m the scrub to one side of the track, and, as one of them explained later when m "custody upon the murder charges, Sullivan had saved 6'Malley's life by striking down a gun presented at him by one of the other three with the ■ words: "Put down that sun; if you kill him you will have all the police m Hokitika round us m no time-" The gang knew who O'Malley was by reason of 'the information given, them by a CONFEDERATE IN THE POLICE CAMP. , Their idea had been to get police uniforms and arms and to "officially' collect all the gold held m the banks m the "district "for safety," for the operations of the Kelly, Burgess and Levy gang were already large m all men's |minds, though tfee series of murders m the Maungatapau district had not then commenced. Later on, following the exposures of the Dunedin trial, it was, said that several men who went missing" along the Hckmka River and whose bodins were found on the north beach above the mouth, were victims of the gang, but m regard to that matter t^e truth can never now be told. The gang's scheme to clean up the district for its gold by posing as' policemen did not come to anything, for though they did get a couple of revolvers through the renegade policeman, he was shortly afterwards smelt out, thrown out of the Force, and punished as befitted the case. ■■' . ! -. • The day of heavy gang work is done m New Zealand, but t.iat is not to say that there is no work for the, Police and- Justice Departments.