The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1912-07-05

Of having Nourse take my place.
What do you say. Nourse, to changing
places with me and letting yourself be arrest
ed, IL 1t comes to that?"
81 had been thinking of that very thing"
he replied. 81 don't care much what hap
pens to me- but l am not exactly hungry for
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"
I 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 horseback.
The orders Of the 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 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.
1 at once engaged Purvis, the best barrister
In Australia. to defend them, and later en-
ployed Gilot & Snowden, another high-class
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 conviction. l had expected
no other verdict for with the optionofpur-
chase clause missing from the charter. it was
clear case.
Noursa and Wilson were sentenced to seven
years and Leigh to three and one-half years
in Pentridge f,'San. With the time deducted
for good behavior .Sis meant five years and
three months for Noufs8 and Joe and less than
three years for Leigh. Uhen the case as
sumed o more serious aspect than had be-
leved II would when bargai7ed with Nourse
to take my place l sent word 70 him that
would pay him well If he would play the
string out" and as soon as l left the town
deposited $4,000 which was to be paid 20 him
when he was released. 1 spent some time and
considerable money in an effort to secure a
pardon for my companions. but when found
that was impossible 1 returned to England.
with promise to be back in Australia by the
time their terms expired
With my return to London m the early eigh-
ties the old lure Of the West Indies. with their
continuous riot of revolutions, came over me
so strongly that / could not hold out against
It, nor did try.
was much interested in reports which
a new revolution was shaping up in Costa RIGA
and that there was a 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
I bought the fore-and-aft schooner George v.
Richards. took her to Bridgeport Connect
cut, where loaded up with old Sharp's and
Remington rifles and a lot Of ammunition and,
after burying them under sixty tons of coal.
sailed for Venezuela to see what was going
on In Guzman's absence.
/ found that General Alcantara was acting
as dummy President, while Guzman was en-
joying himself in Europe and soon satisfied
myself, from remarks dropped by his friends
in response to my guarded inquiries. that he
was ambitious to become the ruler OF Vene-
zuela in fact as well as IN name.
The movement to overthrow Guzman was,
In fact taking definite form, and l sold part
of my arms to Alcantara's friends.
Guzman had heard Of what was going on
and. as subsequently learned, he returned
to Venezuela a few months later, before the