READ'S CONFESSION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 4770, 22 January 1887, Page 3

READ'S CONFESSION.

In the written confession made by Head, and opened after his execution, he says : — " On Sept. 9 I went out fora walk with another young man, and wo proceeded towards Randwick. I saw a number of young fellows with a girl in the scrub. She was lying down, and one of three young men was with her ; the remaining two were standing a few yards away. I went towards the young man and woman, and as I approached they changed their position and set down together. The girl did not struggle (she may have cried out— l believe she did), and the young man did not offer her any violence, and the other two young men who were standing near did not interfere in any way. 1 went near to the group, and spoke to the young men. While J. was standing there she cook her dres3 oft and gave it to one of tho young men who were with her, and he went with it to the creek to wash it, as also her stockings, which she took off after she took her dress off. I said to her, ' This is a dirty place, you had better come away, 1 or words to that effect. She replied, * Yes, I'll go with you ; you are a nice young man,' and at once came after me as I walked away from the scrub. She went with me towards the drain, where her dress and stockings were being washed by one of the young men who Lad been with her. The girl and I sat down together on the side of the drain on a clean grassy bank ; and while we were sitting there the young man finished washing her dress and stockings, and put them on a tree near by to dry, and came and Bat down with us. The two other young men who had been with her also came and sat down near us. She cried a little about her dress, that it had got torn and muddy, but did not say a word about anyone having outraged her. Two of the three young men whom I had first seen with her then left, and Hill and Wenman and O'Connor left soon after- | wards, leaving Dutfy and me alone with the girl. She put on her stockings and boots, and Dutfy was smoking ; and with the match with which he lit his pipe he set fire to a small bush. Shortly afterwards the police came in sight. I said, " Here's the police coming,' and as I said this Dutfy and the girl got up, and she pulled her dress on over her head and the whole three of us ran away. Duffy and the girl seened scared, and seeing them scared I took fright, and so it happened that we all three ran away together. As we ran I said to the girl ' They must catch you, but if you sit down here they might not find you.' We had reached the scrub. She sat down., and after speaking a word or two with her Duffy and I ran off together, and I never stopped till T reached home. On the following evening I read in the newspaper of the arrest of Hugh Miller. Believing him innocent, I got frightened myself, so I thought of going away, but was persuaded not to go. However, on the same evening I happened to meet Boyce, and he thought that as he waa not working he also might be arrested, and so we agreed to go away together. [The document then recounts how the pair were arrested in Queensland.] I desire in the most solemn manner, now that I am about to moet my Maker, to declare that I am entirely innocent of the charge upon which lam about to suffer death. I know nothing of what was going on near Mount Rennie on the day of the outrage. I did not go there with any bad intent. I took no part in the fighting. I did nothing whatever to encourage any outrage upon the girl. The above is a true statement of how I came to go to the scene of the outrage, and of what I did and saw there. 1 am very glad that Keegan and Miller were reprieved, and I am equally glad that Newman and Hill are now reprieved, because from what little I know myself, and

from what 1 have heard the other condemned men say, I fully believe them to be all innocent. The girl could have proved my innocence had she chosen to do so. The witness Smith swore falsely when he gave evidence that I was fighting with Stanley ; that I swore and said that I would give it the ' big bastard ;' sinrl that I told him (Smith) that I had ' pulled tho girl out of the cab.' But from my heart ! I freely forgive them all, as I hope to be forgiven, and hopvs that God will not punish them for what they have dono to me. I would like to live, if it were the Lord's will ; but lam quite ready to die, and appear before my God to give in my account. I have a clear conscience as to this dreadful business, and I put my whole trust in the Lord Jesus Christ my Saviour. I am grateful that my mother and sister havo gone before mo. I hope my father will lead a better life than he has led, and turn to the Lord. I say farewell to my undo and all my other relatives, and hope to meet them in heaven. When I had no home to go to after my mother's death, good Mr and Mrs Patrick Fahey took me to their home, and ever since have been a true father and mother to me, and their sons and daughters have been affectionate brothers and sisters to me. May God reward them all ; I bid them good-bye, aud hope to meet them above. I desire to thank from my heart the Revs T. J. Curtis, F. J. Henderson, and J. M'Neil, and my barrister and solicitor, and all who have befriended me. In saying farewell tw my companions, I would give them tho parting and earnest advice to attend tho house of God, think much of religion, quit evil ways and company, for they arc never safe while in such company, though they themselves may be innocent ; and they will then have God's blessing, and feel happy when they come to the end of life. I yield my soul to God and ask Him to receive it to Himself for my Saviour's sake ; and I desire my body to bj given t>> the Ruv T. J. Curtis and Mr and Mrs Patrick Fahey, to bury it with the mortal remains of r.iy mother and sister.

*' P'»3tcript. — The above statement was again all read over by the Rev. T. J. Curtis to me the undersigned, Robert George Read, and in the presence of llevs J. F. Henderson, and J. Mac Neil, on this 7th day of January, 1887, just beforo the hour of my execution, and I desire again most solemnly and sincerely to declare every word of it to be true."

" Second Postcript. —At the last moment I would like to say I am very sorry I did not stay with the girl until the police came up, instead of running away, because then the girl could have cleared me of guilt."