The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1912-07-18


What do you say, Nourse to changing
places with me and letting yourself be arrest
ed if it comes to that?"
Il had been thinking of that very thing"
he replied Il don't care much what hap
pens to me, but / am not exactly hungry for
a long term in Pentridge. If this thing is
no worse than you say it is though. I'll swap
places with you and see it through for two
hundred pounds
accepted his terms without argument
As soon as we reached Longwood we ex-
changed clothing even down to our under
wear socks and shoes.
We had just finished dinner and were sitting
alone in the hotel Office, rehearsing the part
Nourse was to play, when sergeant and two
officers, who had got track of us at Seymour,
rode up on horseback
The orders Of sthe officers called for the ar
rest of only one man, so l was not interfered
with. / did not return to Melbourne on the
same train with them the next morning, but
went down by the one that followed it. The
first thing l heard was that Joe. who had taken
the train ahead of me- had been captured at
Albury, and was on his way back, in charge
of an officer to join Leigh and my counterfeit
presentment behind the bars.
at once engaged Purvis, the best barrister
in Australia, to defend them, and later en-
ployed elliot Snowden. another high-cass
firm, to assist him.
Nourse was as game as hornet and played
his part we'll
The trial was held before Judge Williams
and resulted in a conviction. i had expected
no other verdict for with the option-ofpur-
chase clause missing from the charter, 1T was
a clear case.
Nourse and Wilson were sentenced to seven
years and Leigh to three and one-half years
in Pentridge Prison. With the time deducted
fov hob !, ic mt Gx ord
three months for Nourse and Joe and less than
three years for Leigh. When the case as
sumed more serious aspect than | had be-
lieved it would when / bargained with Nourse
to take my place l sent word to him that
would pay him well if he would play the
string out" and as soon as left the town |
deposited $4,000 which was to be paid to him
when he was released. l spent some time and
considerable money in an effort to secure
pardon for my companions, but when found
that was impossible I returned to England,
with promise to be back in Australia by the
time their terms expired.
With my return to London in the early eigh-
ties the old lure of the West Indies, with their
continuous riot of revolutions, came over me
so strongly that l could not hold out against
it, nor did try.
was much interested in reports which
reached me, through contraband channels. that
and that there was prospect of trouble in
Hayti and even in Venezuela
| took the first ship for Halifax and went
from there to ST. John New Brunswick, where
| bought the fore-and-aft schooner George V.
Richards. I took her to Bridgeport. Connecti-
cut where | loaded up with old Sharps and
Remington rifles and lot of ammuniCon and.
after burying them under sixty tons OF coal.
sailed for Venezuela to see what was going
on in Guznan's absence.
found that General Alcantara was acting
as dummy President. while GuzyaT WAS en-
joying himself in Europe, and | soon satisfied
myself, from remarks dropped by bis friends
in response to my guarded inquiries that ne
was ambitious to become the ruler of Vene-
zuela in fact as we'll as in name.
The movement to overthrow Guzman was.
in fact taking definite form, and sold part
of my arms to Alcantaras friends.
Guzman had heard Of what was going on
and as I subsequently learned. he returned
to Venezuela few months later, before the