THE CAREER OF POWELKA

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 34

THE CAREER OF POWELKA

STRANGE AND EVENTFUL. PASSIONATE NATURE AS A LAD. (Manawatu Standard.) By the arrest of Joseph Powelka on Sunday week a new chapter was added to a strange and eventful history, which it will be of interest to recall. He was born at Oxford, in the South Island, on August 1, 1887. With his parents, who are respected residents of the district, be arrived in Kimboltdn when five or six years old. He attended the local school and was considered a very smart boy by the master. He left after passing the Seventh Standard. As a lad his nature was very passionate, and even when a very small boy his morose moods were a subject of comment. Ho eventually became a butcher by trade, and last year had a very severe illness. It kept him invalided for ei|*»ht months, and it was expected lie would be longer getting over it. Ho was in the Paliuerston public hospital for five months. Ho was taken into, the institution to be treated for typhoid fever, and, as previously announced, while he was there it was found necessary to operate on him (o remove a growth from one of liis lungs. Three ribs and a portion of the lung wore taken away. It was not expected that ho would get well again, but it seemed impossible to kill him, and lie' made an extraordinary recovery. Ho was. it is believed, given two more years to live, and it was thought that he wojald never be able to work for his living again. It was his. twenty-first birthday when, he entered the hospital, and he came out on December 23, and was conveyed to Kimbolton, where his mother was to nurse him for six months. However, he was out of her care in three months. On September 30 last he married Miss Wilson, of A.shurst. - His married life was unhappy. He first came into contact with the police authorities in December in connection with an attempt ,to commit, suicide while •engaged at the Palmerston abattoirs. The first reference in the Standard to the man who afterwards became notorious Avas on December 13, 1909, and was as follows:—" Joseph Powelka' Cp remand for attempted suicide, was before Mr A. D. Thomson, 5.M.,, this morniing. Mr Cooper, ofi his behalf, explained that the young man had had a series of severe illnesses recently in the hospital, and these had affected his health very considerably. -He wias ordered to come up foi sentence when called upon, and also ordered to pav costs of treatment, £2 5s 6d. A separation was also mutually agreed on, Powelka to pay costs (£2 14s) and 10s a week." For two months previous to this complaints had been made from different quarters of the town of the wholesale stripping of houses whose owners were away on holiday, and the matter was soon connected with Powelka in a peculiar fashion. As our readers will remember, on the morning of February 25, in consequence of a disturbance, in Powelka's house between himself and his wife. Constable King went there at about 8 o'clock. The constable en-dbavoured to smooth over, the difficulties, having found that nothing had been done to justify any action being taken against ' Powelka. Later in the morning—between 11 and 12 o'clock —Mrs Powelka went . to the police station to complain about her husband, andi was soon followed by the latter. They were received in different rooms by the constable on duty, and Sub-Inspector O'Donovan was informed of. their presence. As will be remembered from the reports published at the time, the sub-inspector, having interviewed both, informed them that their troubles were matters for adjustment by the magistrate. Mrs Powelka intimated her intention of leaving the house, and requested that a constable be sent to protect her while she was removing her personal effects. The request was not acceded to, but she was informed that Powelka. would be detained sufficiently long for her to get away. Mrs Powelka left the police station without her husband's knowledge, and the latter was asked to remain until both got into a cooler frame of mind. This he voluntarily agreed to. Later in the day, and during a conversation with the sub-inspector, Powelka admitted having a revolver, but said he had left it at home. On being informedl that a constable would go with him to the house to get it he pulled it out of his pocket and gave it to the sub-inspector. The latter then made up his mind to detain Powelka, and Constables King and Barry were sent to the house to secure' the revolver cartridges believed to be there. In searching for the cartridges the constables noticed pictures that had been reported as having been stolen from Mr Kidd's residence. The constables returned to the police station, and reported the results of their search to Detective Quirke, who took the matter in hand, and his investigations led to the charges of housebreaking and theft against Powelka, who stands committed for trial on six of these while he is on remand on a seventh charge. For about a week prior to his arrest Powelka was under the observation oil' Detective Quirk. On the seventh charge he was remanded for a week. Before the week was up—on March 12,—however, he escaped from the Palmerston Gaol. He was in the prisoners' yard, and when the gaoler's back Avas turned he scaled the Avails and got clear away. He placed a couple of buckets against the wall, and must have jumped l from them to the top of the wall and so into the street. Then he stole a bicycle and made for the country, but was recaptured by Cor.stables Barry and. Sullivan after three or four days. For safety be was taken doAvn to the Terrace Gaol, Avhenee he Avas taken to Lambton quay (Wellington) police cells on March 23, to be brought before the court and remanded to Palmerston North to answer the charges still to be made

against him. From the cell, however, he made his escape, and has been at large ever since until his recapture on the 17th.