Pages tagged with: murder

The 'Burgess gang' murdered and thieved their way around the South Island during the 1860s. Their most notorious crime was five killings over two days in June 1866, on the Maungatapu track near Nelson. Now you can read their story in a new virtual comic book.

Richard Burgess, the gang's ringleader, originally known as Richard Hill, had been transported from London to Melbourne for theft at the age of 16, arriving in 1847

For a few short months the Burgess gang embarked upon a crime spree along the west coast of the South Island that would culminate in the murder of five men on the Maungatapu Track.

Joseph Sullivan claimed to have acted solely as a lookout for the gang, and informed the police about the killing of James Battle, incriminating the others

Depositions against the gang began on 2 August 1866 and attracted great excitement. It was only now that it was revealed that Sullivan had informed on the others.

Members of the Nelson Volunteers surrounded the gaol on the morning of the execution to ensure 'good order was maintained' by the public.

When Joseph Sullivan returned to Hokitika to give evidence about the robbery of the Hokitika police camp and the murder of George Dobson, a mob called for him to be lynched

The Burgess gang photographed at Nelson gaol in 1866

James de Pontius, the American miner killed at Maungatapu on 13 June 1866

Felix Mathieu, a publican and storekeeper who was murdered at Maungatapu

In the retrial the defence case centred on the vital discovery of a shellcase which had been a key in Thomas’s original conviction. Despite these questions he was convicted for a second time.

Pauline Parker (16) and Juliet Hulme (15) who were convicted of murdering Pauline's mother in 1954

Virtual comic book telling the story of the Maungatapu murders committed by the Burgess gang in 1866

While attending Christchurch Girls' High School, Pauline Parker met Juliet Hulme and formed the friendship that was to radically change the course of both their lives. In 1954 the pair were convicted of murder in a sensational case, later dramatised in Peter Jackson's film Heavenly creatures.

Edward Te Whiu was one of the last four people executed in New Zealand. He admitted to killing 75-year-old widow Florence Smith, but his underprivileged background and childlike mental state led some to question the appropriateness of the death penalty.

The Te Whakatōhea chief Mokomoko was one of five Māori executed on 17 May 1866 for being implicated in the murder of the missionary Carl Volkner at Ōpōtiki in 1865. The government punished Te Whakatōhea further for Volkner's death by confiscating of much of the iwi's land.

Further reading and links to information about the Maungatapu murders

Lionel Terry killed Joe Kum Yung to draw attention to his crusade to rid New Zealand of Chinese people. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on the grounds of insanity.

Graham shot dead three policemen and mortally wounded two other men before escaping into the bush. One of New Zealand's largest manhunts ended when Graham was mortally wounded on 20 October.