Chap. XU. DISGRACE OF MR. MURPHY. 305 
the acquaintance of the person in question. But after 
many weeks the affair got abroad, and a loud call was 
raised in all quarters that an inquiry should be made. 
I need hardly say that the evidence of the two gentle- 
men was conclusive, and that the culprit was expelled 
by ballot at a general meeting of the club. This was 
towards the end of the year. It afterwards turned out 
that some persons who had been honorary members for 
a short time had observed equally dishonest tricks a 
long while before, but had not thought themselves 
bound to report what they had seen to any member. 
A dereliction of his public duty soon afterwards 
necessitated the resignation and total banishment of 
Mr. Murphy. To serve purposes of his own, he had 
been accustomed to send a married constable, who lived 
next door to him, to the gaol, with a note to the gaoler 
to keep all the constables he could get or find on gaol- 
duty until four o'clock in the morning — in other words, 
to lock them up till that time. The constable, sus- 
pecting something, read the note which had been left 
unsealed, and returned to his bedroom in time to find 
the Police Magistrate going in, and to give him a sound 
thrashing The cause of the numerous robberies which 
had lately occurred was now apparent ; and the unpaid 
Magistrates assembled to request the Police Magis- 
trate to resign, or to expect the result of their applica- 
tion to the Acting Governor. He resigned. 
It remains to be told, that the Acting Governor 
sought to place the culprit in a subordinate situation 
at Nelson, when he visited that place after coming to 
Wellington, and was only prevented by the indignant 
remonstrance of the settlers. Even the doubtful society 
of Auckland scouted him on his arrival, and he dis- 
appeared. It is only to be hoped that he has changed 
his name, and gone far from the society of man. I 
VOL. II. X 
