The Southern herald., 1912-07-26

of having Nourse take my place.
what do you say, Nourse, to changing
places with me and letting yourself be arrest.
ed, II 1t comes to that?"
Il had been thinking of that very thing"
he replied. 81 don't care much what hap
pens to me, but am not exactly hungry for
a long term in Pentridge, II 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 a sergeant and two
officers, who had got track of US at Seymour,
rode up on horseback.
The orders of the officers called for the ar
rest of only one man, so 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.
at once engaged Purvis, the best barrister
in Australia, to defend them, and later EN-.
ployed Giot & Snowden, another hlgh-class
firm, to assist him.
Nourse was as game as a hornet and played
his part we'll.
The trial was held before Judge Williams
and resulted in a conviction l had expected
no other verdict for, with the option-ofpur
chase clause missing from the charter, IT was
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
for good behavior this meant fve years and
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 1t would when bargained with Nourse
to take my place sent word to him that
would pay him we'll 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. spent some time and
considerable money in an effort to secure a
pardon for my companions, but when l found
that was impossible l returned to England
with a 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 could not hold out against
it, nor did try.
| was much interested in reports which
reached me, through contraband channels, that
a new revolution was shaping up in Costa Rics
and that there was a prospect of trouble II
Hayti and even in Venezuela.
took the FIRST ship for Halifax and wen
from there to St. John, New Brunswick. wheT'
bought the fore-and-aft schooner George
Richards took her to Bridgeport, Connect
cut where loaded up with old Sharp's ant
Remington rifles and a lot Of ammunition and
after burying them under sixty tons Of coal
sailed for Venezuela to see what was goni
on in Guzmans absence
/ found that General Acantara was actin
as dummy President, while Guzman was en-
joying himself in Europe, and l soon satisfle
myself, from remarks dropped by his friend
in response to my guarded inquiries that h
was ambitious to become the ruler Of Vent
zuela in fact as well as in name.
The movement to overthrow Guzman wal
in fact taking definite form, and | sold a pal
of my arms to Alcantara's frienda
Guzman had heard of what was going o
and, as l subsequently learned he returne
to Venezuela a few months lateg before tb