Maungatapu murders

The Maungatapu murders were the events surrounding the murders of five people on the Maungatapu track in two separate attacks, near Nelson, New Zealand which occurred on 12 and 13 June 1866. Four people were charged with the murders, three were hanged, and one was pardoned after giving information about the murders and information which allowed the other members of the group to be convicted. The group of four have been named the Burgess Gang after the leader Richard Burgess. The gang was composed of Richard Burgess, Joseph Thomas Sullivan, Philip Levy, and Thomas Kelly (birth name Thomas Noon). The victims were James Battle, George Dudley, John Kempthorne, James de Pontius, and Felix Mathieu.

The leader of the gang was Richard Burgess. Burgess was born in London on 14 February 1829. He lived with his mother and was never sure of his biological father as he was born illegitimate. Burgess in his early teens was seduced by the pick pocketing and robbery trade. He was arrested several times and was sentenced to transportation to New South Wales, Australia in 1847. He preyed on gold miners in Australia and was arrested a number of times. Burgess then followed the gold rush to New Zealand. Burgess landed in Dunedin, New Zealand on 6 June 1862. He then followed the gold miners from Dunedin, to Hokitika, to Greymouth, and then finally Nelson. Burgess met Thomas Kelly and Joseph Sullivan in Greymouth. Both of these men had been convicted of previous crimes. Sullivan had a wife and children in Melbourne, Australia. They became partners in crime. Burgess had previous business with Philip Levy in Australia and New Zealand. In Greymouth Burgess and Levy became closer as they did more deals. The group set sail to Nelson and landed on 6 June 1866 with the objective to rob several banks in the area, however for various reasons these goals were abandoned. The gang ended up in a nearby village called Canvastown which is east of Nelson and was reached through the Maungatapu track which was the only route.

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