THE SHOOTING OF PLUMMER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9512, 22 August 1892, Page 2

THE SHOOTING OF PLUMMER.

* (Pun United Phess Association.) Auckland, August 20. At the inquest hold at Charles Hummer's farm re the shooting of Fred Plummcr, the jury proceeded to the scene of the encounter, and viewed the ground. The constable deposed that the deceased twice fired at them. They only fired to intimidate him, and were surprised that the shot took effect. After hearing the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of justifiable homicide, and the conduct of Constable M'Knight was commended. Plumraer was a native of England, and by trtde a draper's assistant. He arrived in this colony by the ship Pegasus, landing at Auckland in 1865. Since that time his life hns been one of crime, and as such it was made up of some remarkable episodes. He lirst came into prominence here in May 1872, when together with six notorious criminals—Johnston, Blcoek, Bryant, Goldsmith, Te Hira, Muirhead, and Cyrus Haley—he was transferred to the Dunedin Gaol for safety. _ In August of the same year he was engaged with a gang of prisoners in making alterations about the Hillside toll-bar. About 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the 9th ho managed to effect an escape. He received permission to go to a sentry-box some little distance away, and a few minutes afterwards ho was missed. He was seen by a little boy, the sou of thp tollkeeper, to crawl away on his hands and knees towards the high part of the cemetery. News of the escape was sent to the police barracks, and the rest of the gang were marched back to the gaol. Meanwhile Plummer had taken advantage of his start, and all traces of him were lost. During the night ho succeeded in procuring a suit of clothes, and it was not until Tuesday, August 13, that he was once more safely lodged in custody. He had iv the meantime rented a small house in Queen street, and had managed to effect a, number of very daring till robberies. On his way home >on the evening of the 13th Ranger (afterwards Detective) Bain noticed a man watching the Sussex Hotel bar on the opposite side of the street, and soon became convinced that he was the man the pdico were after for the till robberies. Meeting Detective Farrell he informed him of his suspicions, and after the two had watched the individual for a few minutes they arrested him, and on examining him they found that they had, without doubt, secured Plummer, who was wearing some of thu prison underclothing. He was sentenced to two years' penal servitude in addition to the sentences he was then undergoing for burglary. He raised the ingenious defence that instead of his running away from the warders they went away from him, leaving him in the sentry-box. A good deal of indignation was felt iv Dunedin at such prisoners as Plummer, Haley, and others being sent here. The authorities, it would appear, had some suspicion that in the ■ attempts at prison-breaking made by these criminals they received assistance from outside, and therefore they were removed from Auckland, where both were well knowu, to Duuedin. Plummer's daring escape here convinced them that he required no outside assistance. In 1875 Haley, his fellow prisoner, made his final attempt to break out, as on October 4 he met a similar fate to that which has- overtaken Plummer, as he was shot in Stuart street while attempting to escape from a, gapg of prisoners at work on Bell Hill. ! Some'little time before his sentence expired Plummer was removed from Duuedin, and he does not appear to have made his way here again.