THE OKARITA GOLD ROBBERY.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXI, Issue 2388, 14 July 1866, Page 7

THE OKARITA GOLD ROBBERY.

By the Albion, we have later news from Melbourne, and by the Egmont, from Nelson, Marlborough and Hokitika. Our files from Melbourne are to the 4<th instant.

The papers contain American news to the 24th of April, received at Melbourne by the brig Centaur, from Australia. A dreadful glycerine explosion, had occurred at Aspinwall, on the 3rd April, on board the English steamer Europeau, destroying the steamer and killing sixty persons. The damage caused by the explosion at Aspinwall is estimated at 1,000,000 dollars. The nitro- glycerine was shipped as " G-lo-noine oil." The whole amount seized has been placed in a safe magaziue. A similar catastrophe occurred afc_ San Francisco, on Monday, April IG, at thirteen minutes pa3t nine o'clock, p.ni. Wells, Fargo, & Co., of San Francisco, received one box of nitro glycerine from a firm in New York. The case exploded, destroying the store, and killing ten men who were on the premises. Telegrams from Sydney to June 23rd, are as follows : —

The Government to-day determined that the lluahine is to sail for Panama on the 11th July. No steamer will be despatched in August, but after that a steamer will sail from Sydney on the Ist of each month. The Freak and Ellen Castle, from Tome, bring 650 tons of wheat and 120 tons of flour. Several vessels were about to leave for the colonies. The Freak touched at Tahiti. The mate of the barque Harmon, from Sydney, bound to California, was in jhil charged with having murdered the captain at sea.

The Argus of the 27th ult. says : —

The agents of the Panama line of steamers inform us that the New South Wales Government have ordered the company to send the Euahine from Sydney on the 15th of July. No steamer will leave in August, and the Kakaia (from Panama) will lake tho mail on the Ist of September— the latter date being adhered to for the following months. Tho Argus of the 29th ult. says .—

The trial of Mr. Beaney for the murder of Mary Lewis resulted, yesterday, in a verdict of acquittal, after a quarter of an hour's deliberation on the part of the Jury. A very unusual scene occurred in Court on the announcement by the Foreman of the verdict. Cheering and loud clapping of hands were heard in every part of the building, and the officers were quite powerless to check the applause. When the noise had ceased, the learned Judge severely censured those who took part in the demonstration, which, he said, he regarded as a disgrace to the colony and an insult to himself.

Queenscliff, June 27

For tho last twenty- four houi'B a strong westerly gale has been blowing at tlie heads — a heavy Bea and a great surf running, ■which have driven the Barwon still higher on the beach, and almost broadside on. The tug steamers Eesolute and Sophia could nofc get to her yesterday, and returned to Melbourne

last night, having giving up all hope of getting the ship off in the ordinary way. If she is ever got off, it must be by launching, and thnt will be a most expensive process, and will occupy a long time. The hull of the steamer is still considered safe. The last of the cargo will be out to-day.

Tho Nelson Examiner of the 12th instant, says : — A rumour has reached us, that tho Government have it in contemplation to remove to Wellington, for trial, the four men now in Nelson gaol, charged with the Maungatapu murders. Setting aside the great expense which this removal would involve — me may safely estimates it at £1,000 a- head — we cannot see the slightest necessity for such a proceeding. These prisoners would have as fair a trial in Nelson as in any other part of the colony, and to remove them to another city, would imply that in Nelson justice would not be dono them. Wo repudiate this supposition in tolo, and unless the ends of justice clearly demanded such a step, the large body of witnesses which will be called upon to appear at the trial should not be taken needlessly from their homes. The same journal contradicts to some extent the reports relative to these murders, which had previously appeared in the Colonist. Our contemporary says : — "During the time that Sullivan happened to be in the lock-up awaiting the hour when his presence would be required in the dock, during the further examination of witnesses on Tuesday last, he looked at the issue of the Colontel to which we refer, and emphatically denied that his confessions had embodied the statement which was therein made, that twenty murders had been committed on the West Coast by the gang with which, if not himself an actual murderer, he has been closely connected of late. "If those parts of his statement which have for some time been made public are to be believed, Sullivan has only been mixed up with Burgess, Kelly, and Levy for a short space of time, and the fact of his being able to certify to more than twenty murders would at once establish his guiltiness beyond those hopes of pardon which are held out to him by the confession of a certain degree of complicity in similar acts which havo lately been perpetrated in the Nelson province. At present, we believe that Sullivan has merely repeated what Burgess told him, and the statement is therefore so far worthless. His contradiction to the story, which was given at once when he saw it in print, and when he denied that he had mentioned any particular number, is sufficient for this." This morning they are again to be brought up, when au important link of evidence will be elicited from Mr. Galloway, who will identify them as having been on their road to the Maungatapu on Tuesday, the 12th June, the day of Battle's murder, and the day before the murder of Mr. Kempthorne and party. It is to be hoped that on both indictments the evidence will to-day, be found sufficient to commit the prisoners for trial at the Supreme Court.

The DisohakgJ of Wilson. — The man Wilson, taken up on suspicion by Sergeant Emerson, about a fortnight since in Marlboiough, as being one'of the murderers of Dobson at the West Coast, and afterwards charged with escaping from the gaol at Greymouth, was discharged on Saturday last, as no evidence was forthcoming as to his connection with either.

The Grey Argus says that Mr. Harry Jones, the proprietor of the Manuberikia store, has been arrested by the police on suspicion of havicg purchased some of the gold, the proceeds of the robbery of the Bank of New Zealand, at Okarita. After examination, the prisoner was remanded.