Short-Lived Bushrangers.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 271, 13 November 1909, Page 17

Short-Lived Bushrangers.

BY CHARLES WHITE

.Aathor of "Austratiaa Bushrangers," Convict Days," Etc»

JV— HOLDIXG-rP THE GOLD ESCORT. With fields yielding gold in almost fabulous quantities, in ooth New South Wales •eg Victoria, particularly in the last-named colony i«hich. by the way. was separated from New South Wales almost simultane onsly with the discovery of payable sold theceiE'- properly equipped ascorts for con Teyis? thp previous metn! to the metropolis were recognised -as one of tiie first requirements. Tet the authorities werp most dilatory in matin;: the necessary provision, and even when they aid make It, many of the successful diggers elected to convoy Ihelr xrn winnings, although their work was; both difficult and dangerous. They sm-ght gafety in cumbers, however, and until the resnlar Government enmps on the fields with its gold escort therefrom became a properly established institution, the diggers faced both difficulty and danger with tolerable success. Tne one great danger to which they wer» exposed was. of course, the bushrangers, who generally formed gan2s. each member of which was well trmed and mounted for operating on the nrain roads: and rations were the schemeadopt?d for securing a safe passage for the precious metal. One of the first Government officials to be sent to any field proving payable and promlsins permanency was the Gold Commissioner, a gentleman invested with highest ma!rJst«Tial powers, and a dignity and importance greate-. perhaps, than attached to any other officer nf the Crown. The goo 3 man in this position was honoured by the diners, who cheerfully submitted their disputes to him for settlement, having faith in his fairness, and yielded him prompt sen ice in any case <>f emergency. The bad man was held in detestation by all and, as far as persrtnal safety would permit wa« treated with undisguised contempt. The Commissioner established a more or lt-ss substantial camp, and on the more important rields had a strong force of arme.l constables at n:s rorumand. whose duty it was to preserve order, see that every digger heid a license, hnnt down sly-grog sellers and carry out the multifarious obligations attaching to the wearers of the "Queen's uniform." The Commissionpr and his men had a busy life, and their work was not always finished when they retired to the camp at the Close of the day, others relieving them in the open as night patrols, for it was to the camp that lucky diggers generally brought their day's winnings, lodging the precious dust and nuggets With the Commissioner for safe-keeping until the escort started, and choosing the hours of darkness for their visit, beins wishful of keeping the matter secret if the turn of fortune's wheel had brought into their possession something particularly good. As a rule, the guards at the camp were old Imperial BOidier pensioners, sturdy veterans, and most reliable, in whose care the diggers knew they could safely leave their treasure. The men for escort duty were, however, of a different class, being chiefly smart young fellows, good riders and safe shots, the preference, other things equal, being force. The main escort left the principal fields weekly or fortulphily as the bulk of goid deposited at the bank required. The vehicle used was a light strong waggon or s coach similar in many respects to the vehicles used by Cobb nnd Co. for the conveyance of mails and passengers. The escort <-cmsis'.ed of four or six mounted troopers, one of whom rode in advance and the others abreast of the coach, or just behind it. On parts of the road considered dnnaerous a couple of the men wcnld be ont sis scouts in advance, to gu£rcl against ambush, and as a rule nil the men rode with their loaded carbines at hip ready for instant action. The sold was carried In specially made boxes. Tfcosp first used were heavy wooden bo-tes. and when the gold was deposited therein the Government seal would be affixed in several places on lids and sides: but as the*e were found inconvenient for handling, especially on the road daring or after wet weather, when the coach bogged upon the nswly-made bush tracks and ?iad to be lightened before it could be dra-.vn out on to r-oiid ground, a more convenient round iron >ox was brought into requisition, having a l;d which could be clamped and screwed down. That strength was re qtiiied in both boxes and coaches will beadmitted by the reader when he learns that as much as two tons of gold have been conveyed from a field to the metropolis In one trip. This was in the "roaring" days of the Golden Bra: and one Is not'surprised that the men of the highway should cast longine eyes at the treasure, and be tr-mpted to deeds of daring and devilry, iimilar to the one hereafter to be recorded. When the diggings at the Ovens (VlctoriaD side of the border) broke out, large numbers of New South Welshmen flocked thither froui the earlier opened fields on that side, some to make their "piles." others—the majority— to return to their tomes poorer than when they started. For come reason not difficult to guess, those of tiie "Sydney siders" who were fortunate on that field preferred to have their winnings taken to Sydney, and did not make use of the escort to Melbourne. On one occasion they combined and formed an escort, of their own. and. on one fine day in December, 1552. the unusual spectacle nas furnished on the field of tlfty-five men, all well armed aud mounted, surrounding a dray upon wLich had been placed loolbs weight Of gold dust (about £7000 worth), and starting wlta it fnr Sydney. It would have gone hard with any bushranger or gang of bushrangers had he or they essayed to steal tfcat gold, for each individual in the escori haa s. .share in it, and was prepared to defend it with his life. The party crossed the border into New South Wales, and in flue course arrived In Yass. where the majority turned and rode baok in the Ovens to resume their work, leaving eight of their companions to finish the journey to Sydney, which they did In safety. Subsequently a Kaiited liability company was formed in Sydney to provide a properly equipped escort between that city aud the Ovens, iailug the money to the field to pay the %sers for their gold on the spot, and then Mnreying the gold in safety to headquarters. The Sydney-side diggers agreed to Sold their treasure until the company's escort came for it. and they did so for a time, until the visits of the escort became too irregular for them. The company's first Weort of coach and mounted men was sent oT frcm Sydney amidst great eclat. A big demonstration was Ueld. and amongst the More prominent men In attendance thereat his Excellency the Governor, wiio made a speech and wished the venture "the Sreatest possible success." Evidently the Profit? made by these expensive trips vrere »ot sufficiently large to please the shara™>laers, and, after running for some time. toe escort was abandoned. m the earlier days of Bendigo there was *c notorious gang of bushrangers, headed H a ruffian nnmed Black Douglas, which th e roads for snme time, defying the Mice and terrorising all civilians who ha-1 '"nhing O f m i , le to i ose Qn one occasion ,3" attacked a camp of diggers who were to Melbourne with their precious ■we, acting as their own escort; but the

diggers showed-fight, and managed to beat, off the gang, although one of their number was shot dead during the encounter, and tiiree others were badly -wounded by the bushrangers' fire. The same night they rode r.p to another similar camp, but the diggers were prepared for them, and, seeing that a warm reception awaited them if they attacked, they rode off in the darkness. On the following night the gang was surprised by troopers -when "holding up" a roadside hotel, and all of the members, with the exception of the leader, were captured. Had they successfully attacked the diggers at the second camp they would not have made much of a "haul," for most of the precious stuff was hidden where they would never have thought of looking for it. Before starting on their journey the diggers had taken off one of the wheels of the dray upon which their "belongings" were packed, and with a chisel had cut four chambers in the wood of the axle, placing therein the chanlois leather hags, containing the gold, and afterward fitting lids to the chambers and plastering the joints over with still clay. Each digger kept out a little locsu .sold to hand over as a blind if the bushrangers surprised them on the road. In July, 1553, another daring gang of bushrangers, headed by a man named Gray, engaged in a most sensational escort robbery at the Ilia Mia, between Kyneton and Hclvor. This escort also was a private one, and was proceeding from Mclyor to catch the main Beudigo escort on its way to Melbourne. The treasure under guard consisted of 2300 ounces of gold, valued at between £8000 and £9000, and over £SOO In cash. The escort was a strong one, and consisted •of Superintendent Warner (in command). Sergeant Ruins, and Troopers Fookes, Davis, Beswater and Morton —Bums riding in front of the vehicle, and the others beside and behind it. As the party reached s. bend of the road by the Mia Mia, Bulns saw that a tree had been felled across the track, and his sushis hands he shouted "Halt!" to the others, who were following fast upon his tracks. The word had barely passed his lips wheb several armed men jumped from behind the bushes on the side of the road, and fired a volley at the advancing escort. They were evidently out to till. Each man had clearly chosen his mark, and Fookes, Davis, BeswateT and Morton fell before their fire, each seriously wounded. Davis was in the act of unshipping his carbine from the holster when a bullet struck him In the neck. The - horse ridden by one of the other troopers was shot dead, and, falling, pinned his rider to the ground. Sergeant Bulns at once dashed his horse through the barricade formed by the lopped branches of the fallen tree, and was met by a volley from horse-pistols, which the bushrangers carried as well as their guns. Two bullets lodged in the flanks of his horse, brt he escaped injury, and returned the fire, as also did Warner, the two exebangin? shots with the gang until they had expended their ammunition; but the firing on their side was not effective, and. when Warners horse had been shot In the jaw and rendered almost unmanageable, Bums turned and galloped to the nearest police station for assistance. -Whilst .this tiring was proceeding, those of the bushrangers who were not j engaged r In it were busy with the gold, wthlch they seized from the stationary vehicle, and rode away with through the bush, leaving the others to follow in manner previously arranged. The four troopers had been so badly wounded by the first volley fired that they could do nothing to assist their comrades, and they lay where they fell until attended to by the driver after the gang had departed. The news of the shooting of the troopers and the stealing of the gold created the greatest excitement on the adjacent goldlields and in Melbourne, and there was a general uprising of volunteers among tie diggers, who, whether acting in conjunction with or Independently of the police, were determined to run down the robbers if they were anywhere in the locality. No less than four hundred men are said to have entered upon this wort, and within a few days of the outrage the bush was being scoured in all directions. But although a number of suspicious characters were arrested, the search was fruitless of good results. Then one search extended farther. The punts on the Goulburn and Murray rivers were closely watched, every known resort of ex-convicts on the fields was overhauled, and the Government offered a reward of £3000 for the apprehension and conviction of the offenders. The whole colony was agitated, and that agitation Increased as the impression strengthened that the robbers had got clean away. At last the police obtained a clue, and following it up, they arrested a man named George Francis. This arrest led to others, until, after smart movements on the part of the authorities, the whole of the other members of the gang, with the exception of Gray, the leader, w-ere captured; for although rumour placed the number of the gang at ten, twelve, fifteen and twenty, it was subsequently shown that six constituted its full strength—namely: Gray, George Francis nod his brother John Francis, George Melville, William Atkins, and George Wilson. The manner of the arrest of the four last-mentioned will appear in due order. Having secured fJeorge Francis, tho police at once set out for Melbourne with their prisoner, who made no pretence of Innocence, but surprised and pleased his custodians by confessing his guilt and turning informer. This he did, evidently, without any hope of saving his own life, for on the rotid, when resting temporarily at a wayside inn, he managed to get hold of a razor, and, while still handcuffed, cut his throat and died. Anxious to act upon the Information given by tire robber suicide, the police made all baste to Melbourne. John Francis they arrested In a cottage owned by him on Collingwood Flat, and he followed his brother's example by "peaching" upon his companions in crime, pivlngr their names and indicating where they might be found. Like his brother, he also was an ex-convict, and once before had turned Queen's evidence. Wilson was found on board the ship Madagascar, which was lying In Hobson's Bay and oc the eve of departure for England. A complaint having been lodged against him of creating a disturbance and flourishing a pistol, the police made this the excuse for his arrest. On the way to the shore he asked that the boat might be taken under 'the stern of another ship, the Cullooney, aiso about sailing, her destination being the Mauritius, as he wished to ask a man named Melville to look after his wife. This was playing right into the hands of the police, who next day boarded tha vessel and arrested Melville, finding In his trunk two bags of sovereigns, totalling over £700, and upon his person £100. Atkins was discovered in a store in Melbourne, having In his posession a bank draft for £400, while upon his wife .were found £80 In cash and a draft for £700, the latter being sewn into the lining of her fixess. The prisoners were placed upon their •triali the charge • against them being rob-

bery under arms. The chief Witness was the informer, Join Francis, who, In the Louise of Ills evidence, narrated the procedure followed after the escort had been robbed. They had all ridden to a dense part of the bush on the Catnpaspe River, and thrown thai* guae -Into the water, keeping only their pistols, the possession of which would not arouse suspicion, seeing that almost every person at that time wiho could afford such a weapon carried one. Tthey then divided the gold into equal portions* using a powder flask as a measure, and at once separated. Gray, who had arranged the raid, was supposed to have gone to South Australia, George Francis stayed in the Mclvof district, and the ether fou? made thei? way to Melbourne by different route*, getting rid of the gold without any difficulty, and preparing to leave the colony as soon as opportunity offered. John Francis saved his life by turning Queen's evidence, but tfhe other rthree were convicted and semtenced to death, which sentence was duly carried out Wfaen being sentenced, Melville made a ferocious attack upon the informer, but on being Interrupted by the judge, who advised him to divest his mind of malice, and prepare himself for the death that awaited him, he turned and said: "Then may God forgive mc as I forgive John Francis!" A general impression prevailed for many years that a portion of the gold stolen from the escort had been "planted" by the bushrangers near the scene of the robbery, and every likely hiding-place was more than once carefully explored by anxious treasurehunters; but noce of the searches were successful. The money found upon the bushrangers arrested certainly did not represent anything like a fair proportion of the gold stolen, and , the impression that much of it must 'have been' planted was strengthened by, if it did not have its origin in, that fact. Perhaps a more reasonable solution—it certainly is not a far-fetched one—is that Gray, the leader, got away with more than his share of the treasure. If there had been a "plant," one or other of the three men condemned to death woud surely have revealed it, if for no other purpose than to prevent" the Informer from unearthing it after they had paid the penalty of their crime.