THE MELBOURNE DETECTIVE FORCE.

Inangahua Times, Volume VII, Issue 1210, 20 December 1882, Page 2

THE MELBOURNE DETECTIVE FORCE.

♦ EXTRAORDINARY STORY. It will be remembered that a man named Patrick Boardman accused the detective force of Melbourne, before the Victorian Police Commission, of engaging men to " put up jobs," or tempt discharged prisoners to commit crimes, so as to enable the detectives to arrest them and get up cases. The following is the statement made by Boardman : — " I may premise that in my early youth I was wild and reckless, and that this disposition on my part was the cause of my getting into bad company, and into some trouble. In order to take me out of the way of temptation, and to place me out of the way of the detective police force who were continually following my footsteps, although they had not been able to procure a conviction, my father sent me to New Zealand, in the year 1874. Shortly after my arrival in Dunedin (about three days) I obtained employment in Mr Sargood's factory. This employment I held for nine weeks, when the manager of the factory informed me that he had received information from the Commissioner of Police that I was a convicted thief and burglar, and that my likeness and character had been sent to himself by the Melbourne detectives. I walked from the town of Dunedin for a week, with a detective dogging my footsteps, who at last informed me that the Commissioner wished to see me. I called on the Commissioner accordingly, and he showed me my likeness, which had been sent to him from Melbourne, and he infomed me that he was of opinion that I had been wrongfully treated, and did what he could to repair the wrong by giving me money and blankets to go up the country, which I did, and speedily obtained employment on a station. There I learnt to shear, and every shearing season, until 1877, I was engaged on stations in New Zealand and New South Wales. Spending the winter of 1877 in Melbourne, lam sorry to say that I again fell into bad company, and was introduced to a man named Charles Worth Britchner, whose company I kept for two or three days. I was induced by him while under the influence of liquor, and dazzled by the showy prospects which heheld out, to go into the Commeiical Bank, at Hotham, in company with two others younger then myself. On arriving there I found Britchner with a bag of burglars ' tools in his possession and the bank half entered. I had scarcely been there five minutes when Britchner walked out into the right of-way, under the pretence of seeing that all was safe, and signalled to five detectives, Hartney, Duncan, Haves, Lovie, and Nixon, who rushed upon me, and struck me with their handcuffs. Finding that the other two intended vicims had escaped, they offered to let me off with six months' imprisonment for being illegally on the premises and to drop the charge of burglary if I would give information as to the identity of the other two, and conceal Britchner's name, as they wanted him for another purpose. This purpose was that he was to find out from his former companions where they intended to sell their portion of the jewellery stolen from Mr Goldstein, Bourke street, and they secured his cooperation by threatening him that I would

inform on him for being with me at the bank. Britchner accordingly gave them the information that a man named Rowley was to buy at the house of another named Smith. I refused to do what the detectives requested, and was consequently threatened by Detective Duncan that the evidence to be given against me at the trial would be ten times worse than the charge itself ; and go I found it to be, I received a sentence of three' years imprisonment, which I completed in two years and four months, owing to good conduct in prison. On obtaining my liberty my parents despatched me to Sydney. On the third day after my arrival I was followed about by detectives, and informed by them that they had received intimation of my arrival by telegram. On one occasion, about a year end a hale ago I went to attend a race meeting. While I was there I received a letter from my father, informing me that the Detective O'Callaghan had spoken to him, and told him that I had gone back to my old way of living, and that there had been an intention on the part of some detective, whose name he did not mention, and a man named Cook, a pawnbroker, to have me drawn into another pre-arranged robbery. On returning from Sydney I made it my business to inquire among some members of the criminal class from whom I learned that a man named Charles Taylor was in the employ of Detective O'Callagean, pre-ar-ranging robberies, the proceeds of which were taken* to Cook, who gave the necessary information to O'Callaghan so that he could arrest his victims, and it is my firm belief that O'Callaghan was the person who tried to victimise me, but through my going to Sydney I fortunately escaped the trap laid for me. About five months ago I was stopped in Bourke street by Detective Duncan, who offered me three guineas a week and half the reward for any information I might give him that would benefit himself and the department This I refused. He begged me to consider, and told me in effect that I enjoy the additional advantage of robbing and plundering with comparative safety for myself and another. He sent me a list of the prisoners to be discharged during the month following, and a list of stolen goods for the previous five months, giving me, at the same time, to understand that the money to be paiH me would come from Mr Secretan through him. I told him that I would consider matters, fearing if refused that another attempt would be made to ruin me. He stopped me after this on several occasions, asking me for information-, which I professed myself willing but unable to give. On the night of the 19th of August, I went to Hotham to receive a small sum of money that was due to me, and* on the way back to Melbourne I was accosted by two men, who proposed to me to have a drink with them, and we entered the Victoria Hotel, in which were two men one of whom was singing and playing the piano. I told the singer that if he would sing a certain song I would treat him, with which request he complied. I then left the place and went to town. About an hour afterwards I was accosted by Sergeant O'Meara and Constable Coghlan, who inquired if I had been in the Victoria Hotel. I at once admitted that I had been there, and I then saw the two men who were in the hotel, and a third man whom I had not seen before. Sergeant O'Meara informed me that the sum of £42 "had been missed from the hotel shortly after I left, and desired to search me. I instantly agreed to his desire, and £4 in notes was all that was found on me, which the third man said was not his. They then allowed me to go away. f — — — — =