DYING CONFESSION OF JIM GULPIN, THE ROBBER.
"If you please, sir, Jim Gulpin is dying, I think, and wishes to speak
to you," said one of the policemen, with a military salute.
I found Jim breathing with extreme difficulty, and already the moisture
of death was on his brow. His eyes were set, and presented the peculiar
appearance characteristic of a sudden demise.
A cloud of insects was hovering around the poor fellow's head, and many
of them had alighted upon his face, and were sucking his blood as
eagerly as though they knew they must improve their time. Gulpin was too
weak, or else unconscious of their stings, to make an effort to drive
them from their feast; and as for the police, they were too busy in
dividing the gold found in the secret cellar to pay any attention to the
dying robber.
I sent one of the men for a pail of fresh water from the spring near the
house, and the only place where water could be had within a circle of
twenty miles, and then with a wet towel I bathed the dying man's face,
and wet his parched lips. He appeared revived, and grateful for the
attention which I bestowed upon him, and murmured some words, the
meaning of which I did not comprehend. I thought his mind wandered, and
remained seated by his side, fanning his heated face, and listening to
his respiration, which appeared to become more difficult at every
breath.
All at once the robber chief roused himself from his lethargic state,
and carefully scanned my face with his lack-lustre eyes. I met his gaze
without flinching, and perhaps the bushranger read pity in my looks, for
he merely uttered a sigh, and I heard him moan.
"Pardon me," he hoarsely whispered, extending his hand, "I have been
harshly used during my life, and what I am the laws of England have made
me. Once I was honest, and free from sin as a child, but an unjust
accusation and an unjust conviction made me a bandit. The laws warred
against, me, and I turned on them and have vented my spite against not
only those who framed the laws, but every body who lived under them."
He paused for a moment, and I again moistened his mouth with the wine
and water. It revived him, and he continued, although in a subdued
tone,--
"I will tell you why I feel this bitter hatred for my enemies, and then
you can judge whether I am entirely in the wrong. Raise my head
slightly, for I feel that I am sinking fast."
I propped his back against some spare blankets, and heard the
bushranger's story. I thought he told me the truth at the time, and a
few subsequent inquiries convinced me that such was the fact.
"I was born in the west of England," Gulpin began, "and although you may
doubt my story when I tell you that my family is rich and honored, and
the only blot upon the name was when I was accused of crime, yet such
is the fact. I am the youngest of three sons. My brothers are in the
army, and hold commissions, and are no doubt, by this time, if alive,
high in rank and power. My wish was to enter the army also, but my
father thought he could not afford to purchase me a commission, and he
had exhausted his favor with the ministry in providing for his eldest
sons. Accordingly I was sent to a banking house in London, with which my
father had correspondence, and was admitted as a clerk.
"I knew that the business was unsuited for one of my restless
disposition, and I should have left and sought my fortune in other parts
of the world without a parent's sanction, had I not been bound to my
place with chains stronger than iron, and with all my firmness I could
not break them."
The robber paused for a moment, and while I wiped the moisture from his
brow I thought a tear fell upon the cloth. He soon recovered his voice,
however, and continued:--
"Owing to the position in which my father moved in society, I was
treated by my employers, the eminent bankers, B---- & Brothers, with
considerable favor; and was often invited to the house of the senior
member of the firm. Mr. B---- was a widower, but had an only child who
presided over his palace, situated away from the noise and confusion of
London, at the West End.
"Miss Julia B---- was just one year younger than myself; and both of us
being motherless was in a measure the reason why we so soon became on
intimate terms. I know not how it happened, but I had not seen the lady
more than twice before I felt that if I could not possess her, I did not
care to live. Her father, who was subject to attacks of the gout, which
frequently confined him to the house for weeks, often desired my
presence to receive his instructions, and I never left his apartment
without trying to see the object of my passion.
"You smile," the robber continued, as he caught my glance at his bearded
face, blackened skin, and hard hands. "I was not always as I am now, and
once would hardly let the sun touch my cheek, for fear it should mar its
whiteness; Many years have passed since then."
The bushranger paused and remained silent for such a length of time that
I feared his spirit was passing away; but after a while he rallied, and
continued:--
"I will not tell how I contrived, by one pretext and another, to get
speech with Julia, and how rejoiced I felt to see that my arrival was
hailed with real satisfaction by the fair girl; nor need I tell how we
had stolen interviews, and exchanged vows, and swore to be true to each
other, until one day we were surprised by Mr. B----, who, pale with rage
and indignation, ordered me from the house, and his daughter to her
room.
"I left his presence without a word, and for two days I did not go near
the banking house; but when I did, I was ordered to the presence of the
man who of all others I dreaded most to see.
"For three years I have roamed the plains of Australia, and dared death
in a hundred different ways, but I never felt so timid as when I was
called before that weak, old man, whom I could have struck senseless
with a blow, and crushed as easily as I and my gang have crushed an
escort with gold dust under their charge.
"I was received with a lowering brow, and an expression that boded me no
good, and I nerved myself for harsh words and reproaches, determined,
let him say what he pleased, I would not lose my temper.
"'I need not refer,' Mr. B---- said, 'to the base ingratitude of which
you have been guilty in seeking to compromise my daughter's honor and
happiness. I do not wish to upbraid you; and to give you an opportunity
of showing that I can forgive an indiscretion, I offer you an honorable
position in our house at St. Domingo; the junior manager has vacated his
situation, and we have concluded to give the berth to you, knowing that
a few months will cure you of the foolish passion which you now profess,
and that a few years' time will place you at the head of the house, and
at your disposal a handsome fortune.'
"'Then there is no hope of my seeing Miss Julia once more?' I faltered.
"'Foolish boy, read that article and see,' the banker said, tossing a
copy of the Times towards me.
"I read, and my brain grew wild while I read. I felt the hot blood
tingling in every vein, and boiling as though it would burst its bounds,
and all the time that the paper was trembling in my hands--they shook as
though I was under a fit of ague--I knew that the banker was
scrutinizing every gesture with his calm, cold eyes, calculating the
effect which it would have upon my love.
"'You do not read,' he said, at length, reaching out his hand to take
the paper.
"He spoke the truth, for, although I had glanced over the Times, I did
not exactly comprehend the meaning, and I was staring at the banker,
with his cold eyes, as though I read in them triumph at my confusion.
"I mechanically handed him the paper, when he adjusted his spectacles
with his usual precision, and in a calm voice read;--
"'We understand that the Hon. Fitzroy Summerset Howard, second son of
the Earl of Paisley, is soon to be united in marriage with the only
child of the rich banker, Mr. B----. A fortune of one hundred thousand
pounds is to be her dowry.'
"'That latter clause is the bait that attracted you, no doubt,' the
banker said, with a sneer; 'but luckily your project is defeated.'
"'I solemnly swear,' I exclaimed, with sudden energy, 'that I love Miss
Julia dearly--better than all the world, and that if you will allow me
two years' time to win her, you may keep your fortune, and bestow it
upon whom you please."
"'Pshaw!' he said, with an expression of contempt; 'I but waste words
with you. In one week my daughter weds, and to benefit you, and rid her
of an annoyance, I have offered you a position at St. Domingo; will you
accept it or not?'
"'And fall a victim to the yellow fever in a month after my arrival,' I
said, with a taunting smile, for I felt the devil rising within me, and
I did not care to suppress it.
"'Perhaps,' was the laconic answer; and the cold eyes gleamed like those
of a basilisk.
"'Then hear me, and know that I too have firmness. Your daughter and
myself have pledged our mutual faith--we have exchanged vows which soar
above your money bags, and as long as I possess my reason, my liberty,
and health, so long will I endeavor to see the lady, and hold her to her
word.'
"I turned to leave the room, but the banker recalled me with a word.
"'Is that your firm resolution?' he asked, with as much unconcern as he
could assume.
"'It is,' I answered.
"'Then I must try other means,' he said; and as he spoke, he touched a
bell.
"A door leading to the outer office was instantly opened, and a clerk
made his appearance.
"'Is the officer still in attendance?' asked Mr. B----.
"'Yes, sir.'
"'Let him enter.'
"I did not suspect any thing unusual, and was about to pass out of the
room, when I found myself in the embrace of a police officer, and before
my surprise was over, a pair of handcuffs was slipped over my wrists,
and I was a prisoner.
"'What is the meaning of this, sir?' I demanded, indignantly.
"'Be quiet,' the man said; 'it's only for a bit of forgery.'
"'Forgery!' I gasped, astonished beyond belief.
"'Take him away, officer,' the banker said; 'he has confessed every
thing to me, and made restitution of a portion of the money, but an
example must be made. Forgery is too common, nowadays, to go
unpunished.'
"The police officer almost carried me from the room, I was so
overpowered by the unexpected, cruel, and unjust accusation; and as I
staggered from the banker's presence, I saw the smile which I had
remarked more than once upon his features during our interview, change
to one of satisfaction, as though he now saw his way clear, regarding
his daughter's marriage."
The outlaw paused for a few minutes, closed his eyes, and breathed hard,
as though trying to suppress his emotion; but in spite of his firmness,
I saw tears trickle flown his haggard cheeks, as though the revival of
his ill usage was too much for even his rugged nature to bear. At
length, he opened his shirt collar, and exposed a gold cross, of rare
workmanship, upon his bosom, and confined around his neck by a gold
chain.
"This cross," he said, raising it to his lips, "was presented to me by
the only woman I ever loved. I need not tell you that her name was
Julia, and that through all the changes which I have passed, I have
retained possession of it. See, I press my lips to it, and solemnly
swear that I never committed forgery in my life, and that I was innocent
of crime until after I was transported. I have but a short time to live,
and do you think I would commit perjury upon the brink of the grave? Do
you believe me?" he asked, earnestly.
"Most sincerely I do," I answered, for I saw that the dying bushranger
was in earnest.
"Then I am satisfied that I can trust you, and will continue my story. I
was taken to prison, and confined in a dungeon, as a forger. I asked the
amount of money which I stood charged with obtaining, and the turnkey
laughed in my face, and told me that I ought to know better than he the
sum of my villany.
"By a liberal expenditure of my scanty funds, I was enabled to send a
letter to my father, informing him of the circumstances of my arrest,
and vowing my innocence. I received a reply, that I had disgraced his
name, and that he never desired to see me again.
"I sank under the blow, and for hours I lay senseless; but at length I
rallied, when a letter was placed in my hands. It was in the handwriting
of Julia, and with eager haste I broke the seal, and scanned its
contents. It was but another species of torture, but more pointed than
the accusation of crime.
"Her letter was worded coldly, and contained expressions which I little
thought she would ever use to me. She believed me guilty of the crime
with which I stood charged, considered that I had taken an unfair
advantage of her father's kindness, and concluded with a hope, that if I
lived to serve out my sentence, I would always remain in exile, and
never distress my family with my presence.
"Twice did I read that short, heartless letter, before I fully
comprehended its meaning; and when I realized that I was discarded,
believed guilty, I sat down, and bowed my head upon my breast, and shed
tears of agony. I cared no longer to live, and almost wished that
forgery was, as formerly, punished with death.
"During my grief, I was summoned to the court, placed in the prisoners'
dock, and heard, for the first time, that. I was charged with forging
Mr. B----'s name to a draft for a thousand pounds, and that I had
confessed the crime, and made restitution of most of the money which I
had obtained, and that on that account I was entitled to mercy, and that
the liberal, patriotic banker would have spared me, if he had thought I
would have sinned no more.
"I was like one in a dream all the time that I was in the court room. I
was asked by the judge, in a severe tone of voice, if I wished counsel,
and mechanically I answered in the affirmative; and after I had
consulted a moment with him, I recollected no more, until I was led from
the room, and told that I was transported, for ten years.
"The next day I was sent to Liverpool, in company with house-breakers,
thieves, and men accused of all crimes, and from thence I was taken on
board of a ship loaded with felons, and bound for Australia. Even after
I was safely chained between the decks of the vessel, I did not escape
the vengeance of the man whose daughter I had dared to love. A newspaper
was thrust into my hand by some person, who directed me to read, and
then disappeared. My worst fears were realized--Julia had become the
wife of the earl's son on the same day that I was condemned.
"I tore the paper into ten thousand pieces, and then vowed, that as I
was with criminals, and classed as such, I would show a felon's spirit.
I no longer was meek and dejected. I became a leader, and planned for
the capture of the ship, and should have succeeded, had not a
treacherous hound betrayed us to punishment.
"But I was not discouraged by my failure, and when I was beaten for my
rebellious spirit, I had satisfaction, for one dark night I drove a
knife to the captain's heart, and laughed to think I remained
undetected.
"You shudder," the robber said, when he saw that I shrank from his side
at this avowal. "I grant that the deed was wicked and cruel; but I had
been trampled upon as a man, betrayed and condemned, and my feelings
underwent such a change that I was no longer human.
"After a long and dreary passage, the ship arrived at Hobson's Bay, and
we were landed. My reputation was too bad to be allowed to serve outside
of the hulks, and accordingly, day after day, I dragged my chain and
ball, attached to my right foot, after me, and performed labor that
caused many of my fellow-prisoners to sink by my side and expire, while
others would fall to the ground, and be lashed by the whips of our
taskmasters into renewed activity.
"One hope alone kept me alive--the expectation of an escape. I planned,
and sought to carry them out, but the vigilance of my keepers frustrated
my intentions, and it was not until the gold mines were discovered that
I found an opportunity. Many of our overseers then left the employ of
government, and flocked to the mines. Of course, more men were engaged,
but they were too green in the service to understand all of the tricks
which prisoners resorted to to blind their eyes.
"One dark night, a convict about my own age, and myself, resolved to
make an attempt at escape. Our chains were filed off, and knives placed
in our hands by men outside of the prison walls; these we had kept
secreted for many weeks, in hope of finding a use for them, and when we
heard the rain' dash against the roof, we resolved that the hour had
arrived for an attempt for freedom.
"Most of the sentries were under shelter, when we crossed the court
yard, with steps like those of a cat, and stood before the astonished
turnkey, who kept watch upon the inner gate. Before he had time to raise
an alarm, we struck, and he fell without a groan. We hastily tore the
clothes from his body, and I dressed myself in them, casting away the
prison suit which I wore, and then with the key of the massive gate, I
unlocked it, and continued on to the outer lodge, where I knew we should
meet with another keeper.
"The latter was busily engaged in writing when we entered, and did not
notice but that we were servants of the prison. He never probably knew
what killed him, for he fell--"
"Good God!" I exclaimed with horror, "did you assassinate him, also?"
"How could we have escaped unless we did? By the keeper's side was a
bell rope, a touch of which would have brought, a dozen soldiers upon
us, and then death would have been certain. We had been prisoners too
long to scruple at murder when our safety was involved.
"My fellow convict removed the man's clothes, even before the breath had
left his body; and while he was dressing himself, I glanced my eye over
the letter which the keeper had been writing. I saw, to my astonishment,
that it was addressed to Mr. B----, the banker, and that an account of
my health, my work, and rebellious disposition, were set forth, and a
hope was manifested that I should break down under the severe
discipline of the hulks, and that if I did not, other employment would
be found in a few weeks, which would surely end my days. A donation of
twenty-five pounds was acknowledged, and thanks were returned for the
same.
"I ground my teeth with rage, and then added a line in the letter, to
let the villain know that I still lived, and hoped to get square with
him before I died.
"Time was too precious, however, to waste it there. Every moment was
worth an hour to us, for we were liable to be interrupted; and if seen
at large the whole city would have been aroused, and capture inevitable.
"The huge key that unlocked the outer gate was hanging on its accustomed
peg, and to take possession of it, and emerge into the street, was but a
moment's work; and then to give our oppressors all the trouble possible,
we locked the gate, and hurled the key into the river, which ran hard
by.
"The night was pitch dark, and, as I said before, the rain poured down
in torrents, for winter had set in with uncommon severity. The streets
were without light, and the gutters were like small rivers; but by the
latter we were enabled to find our way. You are aware that Melbourne is
partly built on a hill, so by following the course of the water, as it
rushed towards the bay, we gained the outskirts of the city, and struck
across the broad fields, and toiled on through the long night, and when
daylight came, no sign of house or inhabitants was to be seen.
"That day we rested for a few hours, and continued our journey towards
night, hardly knowing where we were wandering to, almost famished with
hunger, and dead with fatigue.
"I have not breath to tell you all that we suffered while getting
towards the bushranging haunts; our days of hunger and wretchedness--our
adventures with the natives, and their attempts to kill us--the
desperate risks which we ran of being captured and taken back to
prison--and last of all, our reaching this hut, which is to be the scene
of my death.
"Here is where I first met Bimbo; and as he is already a prisoner, there
can be no harm in my telling you that be provided for our wants, kept us
in his secret cellar over a week, until we were fully recruited, and
able to grasp a musket, and then introduced us to Black Darnley, as
possessing spirit enough to belong to even his gang.
"By him we were accepted; but after I had served in the ranks a short
time, I raised a band of my own, and have pillaged and murdered to my
heart's content."
The robber ceased speaking, and a spasm passed through his frame, that I
thought would result fatally; but a drink of wine restored him, and he
again spoke, but in a voice not above a whisper.
"I have a commission which I wish you to take care of," the bushranger
said, scanning my face to see what effect his words would have upon me;
"can I trust you to take charge of it?"
I promised faithfully to fulfil his wishes, no matter what he required
of me.
"This cross," he said, touching it to his lips, and uttering a sigh as
he did so, that came from the heart, "I promised to send to Julia, only
when death overpowered me. Will you take it to her, and say that the
wearer has gone to another world, where treachery and crime do not
exist, and where I hope to meet her and her father, and then disprove
the unjust accusation that was brought against me?"
I promised to obey his wishes, and a look of gratitude stole over his
dark face.
"My name," he whispered, "is engraved upon the jewel: do not give it to
the world, but know me as Jim Gulpin, the robber. I do not wish to
disgrace my father's name, even if I have been unjustly accused by him."
I also promised compliance with this request, and asked if there was any
other matter which he wished to confide to me.
"You know where the hut of Darnley stood in the black woods which you
visited?" the robber whispered, with a painful effort.
I replied in the affirmative.
"Near the hut I buried all my ill-gotten gains, and there they remain
yet; to you I bequeath them, to do as you see fit. There are thousands
of pounds' worth of gold dust there, besides jewels of value. After
searching the hut, walk in a south--"
The robber's voice failed him; he made painful efforts to recover his
breath, and during the struggle his eyes rolled fearfully in their
sockets, and his hands clutched the earth convulsively. I feared that he
would die without revealing the hiding-place of his hoard, and impressed
with this idea, I dashed a pot of cold water in his face, and poured
more wine down his throat.
"Thanks," he gasped, "I'm--going--farewell--ten paces--in a south--"
There was a gurgle in the bushranger's throat, a convulsive movement of
his limbs, and then all was quiet, and the spirit of the outlaw chief
had taken flight to a better world.