UNDETECTED CRIMINALS,

Otago Witness, Issue 1188, 5 September 1874, Page 17

UNDETECTED CRIMINALS,

It is not unreasonable to assume that there are nearly a» many dreadful crimes tmdis* covered as there are bad criminals undetected and unpuninhed. Our daily Press is almost a diurnal record of appalling crimei, and any one interested in the enquiry will see that an pJ»r»WP£ array pf «rhnes r^tam frf eve; 1 »&.

discovered, and that an immense number of criminals constantly escape conviction or punishment. Bobberies nre committed which are never found out; murders are perpetrated which are never avenged ; swindles are worked out which are never suspected; and thefts practised which are never disclosed or detected. To establish the truth of this it may be as well to cite a few of the most remarkable instances which prominently present themselves. A short time since, as a lady was entering her carriage with a large sum of money which she had just received from the cashier of the Bank of England, an elderly gentleman, without his hat, and a pen behind his ear, politely requested her to allow him to examine the numbers of the notes she held in her hand. The lady, thinking he was an official of the bank, graciously handed over her cash (some £4000). The venerable-looking quasi-official never returned and never was caught. — The other day in Liverpool, a gentleman called at a shop for a cigar, carrying a bag containing a considerable sum which he intended to deposit at an adjoining bank. Attracted to the door of the shop by the music of thebandheadingapasßi'ngTemperance proces- , sion, he incautiously left his money on the ] couuttr. On returning to the place where he had left it, his cash (some £1400) had vanished, the lucky thief not even sending a receipt. — Some time ago an elegant and fashionably-dressed gentleman was admiring a case of superb watches in a swell jeweller's shop window in Regent street, having under his arm an iron shod silk umbrella. Some rude person passing briskly by pushed the end of the umbrella through the plato glaas Window with a crash. The gentleman was promptly collared by the enraged jeweller, but though he politely expressed his regret for the unfortunate occurrance, he stoutly maintained that he was not responsible for the loss caused by the accident. The furious goldsmith sent for the police. They arrived just in time to point out that the superb case of watches, which the elegantly dreased gentleman, had been so intensely admiring, had disappeared from the window. — A magnificent collection of jewels was sent a few years ago to Emanuels's, the great London jewellers, to be reset. These ornaments, which were regarded by the noble owners of pricelfss value, proved to be paste. The accomplished arti-t who had exchanged the sham for the real jewels was still living, no doubt, in ease and elegance on the proceeds of his "brilliant imposture." — Several London jewellers missed during one season, numerous valuable bracelets, rings, and brooches, but had never even guessed it the identity of the clever thief. A lady on her deathbed confessed to the swindle, describing how it was done. She was generally accompanied, or j rather followed about, by a beggar woman, to whom she used, when shopping, to carelessly fling the choicest articles she could lay hold of, as if giving some trifling donation to an unfortunate but deserving object of her charity. — Lately, in America, the full particulars of one of the most ably planned and cleverly organised systems of imposture ever recorded was made public. Some great genius started a gigantic coining, and bill and cheque forging association, which in a few years grew to j astounding dimensions. This company had branch establishments throughout the United States, with recognised and duly-accredited agents and managers. Its representatives were men occupying highly respectable and responsible positions in society. One of the accomplices of these swindlers was a sheriff; another a clergyman ; another a magistrate ; another a judge ; another the mayor of a town. The business operations of this novel institution wero of a vast and stupendous character. Clever emissaries were dispersed in all directions, distributing, passing, and discounting forged bills and cheques, counterfeit notes, forged bonds, and debased coin. A large staff was briskly engaged (after the manner of Aladdin and liis wonderful lamp) in changing new dollars for old dollars, and new bonds for old ones ; in getting cheques cashed ; in circulating coim j terfeit notes and United States bonds vary- ( ing ia value from a thousand dollars to twenty-five. The fact at last developed itself gradually, that there was an alarming amount of spurious bills and bonds afloat, and an immense quantity of debased coin and bad money circulating freely throughout America. Thousands were victimised, and innumerable unfortunates were ruined. A special staff of detectives (all picked and experienced men) was organised by the American Government for the purpose of j discovering the haunts and abodes of the head-centres and chiefs of this association j of coiners and forgers. An elaborate scheme for their detection was conceived and executed with marvellous secresy and success, so that one morning, at about the same hour, nearly sixty of the moßt daring and prominent heads of this swindling company were arrested in their beds, and captured at their principal haunts and head- quarters, though many of them were situated hundreds of miles apart — some being located in the heart of distant mountains, and some of thorn in the busiest parts of the crowded city. Though a large number of the members of this nefarious association were detected and rigorously punished, the gigantic extent of its ramifications and the magnitude of its trans* actions, show that not one in a hundred of its numerous accomplices has beeu discovered or brought to justice.— The latest papers give another account of an' undetected' theft which will interest lady readers, A casket of jewels, sent as a wedding present by the Russian Duke, Constantino, to his sister, the Duke of Edinburgh's interesting bride, was duly delivered, an undiscovered thief having adroitly substituted old filings and hor«e nails for the glittering .baubles intended for tho Imperial lady. — A person named Yorky was 'murdered at Miller's Flab, in Otago. A man kuown as Job' Johnstons was arrested and tried for the murder. Stren. uous attempts were made by the' New Zealand police to procure a conviction, but Johnstone proved conclusively that he was acting as a juryman at a coroner's inquest; 100 miles away at the time the murder was committed. Poor Yorkey'o murderer has never been found, and Johnstone would have been hanged for the' crime if he had not had the money to pay tho expenses of witnesses, who were able to prove an alibi. —A German, named "Charlie," v?m found

beaten out with a rail, wrenched from a fence close by ; murderer or murderers unknown. — A man named Haley being arrested for having ahot a Mr Rusaell, was found to be thu person who had previously burned down a kerogene store, as well as the Ohor Sotieaity's Hall, in Auckland, no suspicion having been attached to him prior to Ins arrest upon the other charge. —The revolting murders of Sullivan and his gang arc too well remembered to require entering into tlae ghastly details. Sullivan and his accomplices are said to have murdered at least 30 human beings. — We read in the American papers of the recent suspicious disappearance of a gentleman seen to enter a famous hotel in New York, with a box of treasure brought from Barbadoes. He was observed to enter his bedroom, but no one has seen him or [ heard of his treasure since. — A few cases I nearer home, of very recent occurrence, will make the list sufficiently full to establish the i truthfulness of the assertion at the head of this communication. Close to Orange, in sight of a high road, and in the heart, of a populous district; a man, supposed to be in the prime of life, was foully murdered, and his body burnt, little remaining to te.si.ify to the inhuman deed except a few poor charred bones and a fragment of an old check shirt— the cruel fiend who killed him being undiscovered and at large. Not far from the scene of_ this appalling tragedy, another horrible, triple murder has beon done.— At the Forest, some fourteen miles from Orange, a wife, her father, and mother -were one night killed by some unnatural and revengeful fiend ; und, strange to ' cay,> the cowardly munler*r, wherever he may be, is still undiscovered and unhanged. -rStill later, a poor girl has been outraged and killed by some hullhound, also still at large.- Au honest, hardworking man named Donnhoe, well known in this'town, and said to be a good son and kind brother, baa disappeared in a suspicious - manner near fiourko. There is very little doubt that v he, too, is the victim of some undiscovered criminal. — The above dread list is long enough to prove that there are fearful numbers of barl criminals constantly roaming at large, and mingling freHy in every walk of life with their unsuspecting fellow-beings. The question that naturally arises out of • the foregoing is, who are responsible for this alarming state of thingfl ? It will at once be said that the polics force in the localities where crimes occur, and where those who commit them escape, are responsible. It is to be feared that the present state of the criminal law ia one of the causes also, and that the widespread sympathy with criminals, and the ytery frequent and general ignorance of juries, make the cbances in favour of the criminal's escape much greater than the chances of his conviction. Another reason, perhaps, why men charged with serious offences so often escape is, that the legal talent usually secured on behalf of the accused is generally infinitely superior to that commonly employed on behalf of the prosecution. It cannot,; however, be denied that the heaviest Bflare of the responsibility rests on the police of all countries. Their special functions and duties are to guard, to protect, and to defend life and property. Though the constabulary may be fairly credited with many meritorious acts, • there are, also, too many instances of neglect, remissness, or incapacity with which they can be justly ' charged. ,' Tne following facts are not very flattering to the efficiency of the New South Wales Police Force. Some months ago a farmer obtained several sums of money, on fraudulent representations, from different business people in Orange. One fine morning, this man was missing, and it was ascertained that, having hurriedly sold all his worlc'ly chattels, he had " cleared out." A few days after the man had left, the police were fully and promptly made acquainted with the nature of the fraud this farmer had com« mitfced, and his age, height, appearance, &c, fully described. This man, a very remarkable specimen of the finest "peasantry in the world" (as Daniel Q'Oonuell used to say), was seen in Sydney, in company with his wife and- interesting fazuily, at two different well-known places, by two residents of Orange, four days after his sudden departure. The representatives of the Sydney Detec tive Force were fully informed of all -these particulars by a gentleman who had traveled to Sydney in pursuit of the absconder. The urgent appeals of this gentleman to the Syd« ney detectives, for assistance and. co-opera-tion, were received with serene iudifference and studied obstruction and inattention. As might be expected, the red-headed, horny-handed Miltsian farmer, and his red-headed progeny, got clear away, and the Metropolitan Detective Force are unable to this day to say whether this poor, hard-working, but dishonest, tiller of the soil has gone to California, to the Palmer River, or to the Mountains of the Moon. No reward was offered, certainly, or, perhaps, matters might have turned out cliff, rently. It is but just to add, that the head of the local police did all he could to procure the arrest of thedefrauder, aod there can scarcely be any doubt that if his exertions had aroused the co-operation of the gentlemen of the Metropolitan Detective Force, the absconding agriculturist would have beeu restored to hia enquiring friends. Quite enough his now been said to show that thore roust be many terrible crimes committed which are never disoovered, and myriads of bad criminals always at large, jostling n^ainst us in every walk of life ; and that in despite of all that? the paJßon is doing, and in doiinm;^ «f a 5 that the ochooltnanti r, the m.ur<tl reform r,, the Press, the policeman, the ga<-l, the judge, and th<- hangman ant doing. hwrriMe, inhuman, and revolting crimes, diaoovKrnd and undiscovered, arc occurring every hour. Atrocious orimiuala inuat mi-ei; us face to face everyday — jn tho street, iv the i-mni-btis, in the inn, in the : "church, and in the chapel, ( We may any day breakfast with at thief, dine with a swindler, sup with a robber, or doze with a murdsrer in a railway carriage : and, if the benign intentions of the igentle Henry are carried out, we may soon have the pleasure of making the acquaintance of our great bush-hero, Mr F. Gardiner ; or may obtain an introduction to the most dis« tingutshod of the New Zealand murderers, Mr Sullivan ; or may any day be face to face with any one of the ruffians who will be lefr loose upon J« in a jfetp days. -^Western Adr