PAWELKA.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 19, 7 September 1911, Page 4

PAWELKA.

Since Pawclka escaped from the Wellington gaol on August 27th, Ids whereabouts has been a profound mystery, and not a few favoured the idea that this now notorious criminal had succeeded in getting out of the Dominion altogether. This theory is not far-fetched when it is considered that. Pawclka must have had more than one friend at his back to enable him to so successfully elude the police, and also from the fact that one who has such strong attractions in the Manawatu—more especially at Palmerston—has failed so far to make his actual presence known in that district. When he last, ran the gauntlet at this town he was like the proverbial cork—bobbing up everywhere —and no matter what happened' Pawolka was the man who had to take the blame. Granted that lie was responsible for many misdeeds laid to his charge, there is the probability that some of the charges were false, opportunity being taken by others of the undoubted scare that existed to “perform deeds,” the blame of which it was so easy to shift on to other shoulders. That Pawelka is a dangerous man there can be little doubt, and his persistent endeavours and successful attempts at obtaining- his liberty afford ample proof of this. His adventurous doings in Palmerston before sentence to twenty-one years’ imprisonment was passed upon him were directly responsible for the death of two persons —Sergeant McGuire and Quirke—and it would be well to bear this in mind in the event of the escapee again making his appearance in that or any other locality. News comes from Palmerston North of mysterious fires at Ashhurst and Longburn, and also of the disappearance of four horses from a paddock at Terrace End, and the inference is—judging from what one of the local papers has to say of the Ashhurst fire—that Pa Welle iis about. If that is so then it may be assumed that he is armed, and on this occasion he will have less hesitation in using gun or revolver on any man, unless stealth is met by stealth, and capture is effected by a complete surprise ( -,i-