BUTLER.

Timaru Herald, Volume LX, Issue 2357, 31 March 1897, Page 2

BUTLER.

> + Per Electric Telegraph— Copyright, Pbb Press Association. Sydney, March 30. The Crown Law Department have re- * ceived from Captain Lees, chief of the San Francisco detectives, a lengthy statement m reference to Butler's career, the result of extended enquiries from former shipmates who identified him. He gathered that Butler as Eichard Ashe joined H.M.S. Sultan at Ports- * mouth m January, 1882 ; that he was with * the Mediterranean Fleet at the bombardment of Alexandria ; that after returning J to Portsmouth, still under the name of Ashe, he joined the war-ship Liffey, f which from 1883 to 1886 was stationed on '' the coast of Chili. He is supposed to a have deserted there, as m 1885 Captain r Leps discovered that he joined the -North-' c west Mounted Police of Canada, and m 8 July of the same year as John McKnight " joined the United States cavalry sta- ' tionedat Fort Walla Walla, but deserted ' m September, 1886. In February, 1887, as George Anderson, he enlisted as a private at the Vancouver Barracks m the second regiment of cavalry, but m May, r 1887, again deserted. Under the names i of Newman, Ashe, and Weller, he traces . Butler's career as a seaman on the various ships and his wanderings m America as already known up to the time of the i arrival of the Swan Hilda. Captain i Lees points out m his investigation's . that the name Ashe most frequently I occurs, and he believes this to be the prisoner's true name. He ascertained . that Butler was a West of England man, . and adds that his enlistments m the American army are verified by letters from headquarters.