SHORT-LIVED BUSHRANGERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 37, 12 February 1910, Page 17

SHORT-LIVED BUSHRANGERS.

BY CHARLES WHiTE

Author of "Australian Bushrangers," *" "Old Convict Days," etc.

XX.- A SATURDAY'S NIGHT RAID. i' roadside publican named McSpeddon y.r S seeding behind the bax of his roadie "inn at Campbell's River one Saturw night in Maj. 1563, waiting for more when two horsemen rode up, and jjetly dismounting, proceeded to hltcli Jjjelr horses to the posts which had been ected la front of the verandah for the ' nTeclence of callers. Anxious to serve, im l cartons as to the Identity of the visit(K3 he stepped Into the verandah to give yyun the usual welcome, when he was .♦•rtiMl to hear a stern command —"Go &dt there!"—and to find a pistol held !„ uncomfortably close proximity to his lead. For a moment he stood as if dazed, but , second roughly-worded order, mixed with ED oath or two, and a threatening movement of the pistol. Induced him to promptly obey, and he went back Into the house, c'osely followed by the two men. When Oiriy In the light shed by the kerosene lamp that swung over the counter, McSpeddon did not require more than one fiance at his discourteous visitors to conrtace him that they were bushrangers, for besides being armed, they each wore a mas k made out of a red woollen "comforter" —a winter neck wrap much in vogue la the bush In those days.

is McSpeddon entered the door, closely followed by the bushrangers, two men (farmers living In the neighbourhood) rose in alarm from the corner where they bad been sitting enjoying a quiet glass and chat; bnt one of the bushrangers at once corered them with a revolver and declared te wouM shoot the first man that moved. It goes without eaylng that neither of the farmers made any effort on that occasion to be flrst man, and they both stood quietly where th«y were, watching McSpeddon quietly submitting to have his hands tied behind him by the buahra-nger who had fclm in charge. Then the order came, "Go Into that room!" —a small room leading off the bar being indicated —and that order was met by obedience that was prompt If It was not cheerfm. "Xow, look here!" said the leading bushranger. "We mean business, and if there's ear hanky-panky tricks, there will be some ihooting done. Hand over your cash!" Submissively enough the three victims turned out their pockets, but there wasn't nnch handing over of cash, for the simple reason that there was very little to hand

"Tou"re a poor lot, anyway," said the leader. "Dtrt we must have something more than this. Here, Bob" —(to his mate) — "look after these while I hunt around; and ;>op the first of them that makes a moTe while I'm away."

So "Bob" took charge, and the utheT proceeded straightway to ransack the place.

An hour after their entry the bushrangers took their departure, having loaded up a third horse with clothing, provisions, and such articles of value as they considered worth pirating.

Bnt someone had left the place before them. Shortly after their entry, a fanner named Clarfee. who was in a back room when they arrived, and saw the first part of the "atlcklng-up" process from the window of that room, noleelessly opened the essh and crawled out, ran round to the back, saddled a horse, and went away a --foot to give information to the police, who returned with him to McSpeddon's Bine three hours afterwards.

HcSpeddon told bis etory, and gave a dear description of the leading bushrsngpr, wioni he declared he had frequently seen before, the red comforter he was wearing over his head not being sufficient disguise to hide his identity. Clarke also declared that he had seen one of the men before, «ad would know him again If he saw him.

From the description given by McSpeddon end Clarke, the police gathered a clue and at once started off across the bush In file direction of Oberon, near which place a man lived who answered to the description given. Arrived here, they discovered tiiwt the person for whom they were searching had left some days before with, a bul lock team, going to Sydney for loading. Tbe task of following the dray was an easy one. for It had kept to the road, and next day dey came up with tr at Hartley, travelling In company with a second dray.

There "was no difficulty about the arrest, and Patrick McKltt and William Slattery, tie drivers of the two drays, were shortly Thereafter being escorted along the road to Bathnrst, charged with the robbery at HcSpeddon's. Both, prisoners protested their innocence, declaring that they hnd been with their drays at Mutton"s Falls on the night of the robbery and had not left the camp, which was twenty miles from McSpeddon's house.

Subsequently the case against Sfattery was dismissed, but SlcKltt was sent up for trial at the September sittings of the Eathurst Assize Court.

At the trial llcSpeddon swore most positively that McKitt was one of the two men engaged In the robbery, for he had eeen his face distinctly during the hour they stayed at the place, and he could not be mistaken. He eJso identified the hat worn by the prisoner. The two fanners wlo had been bailed np in the house with HcSpedfion would not, however, swear to htm, but the fanner who had watched them from the window and then rede ofl" to give information to the police, unhesitatingly declared that McKitt was one of the robbers.

la his defence the prisoner called several witnesses to prove that h-e was vrith the drays at Muttons Fulls on the night before and tlie morning after the robbery. Two of the witnesses were William Slottery and John Pollard, who were travelling with the prisoner, and they declared that McKltt had not been absent from the camp day or nigJrt for a time sufficiently long to permit c visit to SlcSpeddon's place.

But the jury gave weight to the positive evidence of identification, given by -M;cSpeddon and Clarke, and returned a verdict of guilty.

The jndg-e passed a sentence of ten years CD. the roads, the first year in irons, and the carrier who had been voluntarily crossIng the mountains when his Journey was interrupted, was taken over them against Sis will XXI.—AN UNRESISTING VICTIM. Perhaps one of the strangest cases of "sticking up" recorded, occurred in May, 18G6, near Gundagai; and, as the reader will •«e, the bushranger in this case was as big a crank as his victim was a meekly subserTient fool. On the night of 11th Xlny of the year name , !, a farmer named Scanlan, living at Jfangus Creek, some thirteen miles from Gucdaial, was aroused from his slumbers by a loud knocking. Unsuspicious of danger, he rose and opened the door, when he Was confronted by two men, who, without ceremony, pushed past him into the house. One of the men was not altogether unknown, to the farmer, but the other was a

stranger. This man. held what Scanlan believed to be a revolver in ills band, and, having entered, he at once assumed command oX the proceedings, vrhldh the reader must admit were most peculiar.

The story is as follows, as told by Scanlan when giving evidence some days alterwards at tie court before which the prlnclpai actor -was called to answer the charge of "felonious assault and robbery," tbe accused having given his name as Giles Tatlock Chippendale:—

•"The, accused told mc to get him •onxe tea and bread and meat. I D-rouglit a loaf of bread, and he told mc to cut some off It. I aid so. Hβ told mc to bring some water. I brought a pannikin, but he told mc to bring a tumbler; I did so. Ho ordered mc to drink some; I did so. Hβ then produced a small bottle with brandy In it, and ordered mc to drink some. I drank some, and he drank come himself. He then asked mc if Inspector Morrow n> not sleeping in my bedroom. I eaid no, and lie then, asked who was there. I told him that my wife and family were there. Hβ then asked the name of a person sleeping near by the flre. I told him Mt Close, of Gundagai, who was a friend of mine. He then caught hold of Close by the hair of the head, and put Mm in a sitting posture on the bed. Hβ then swore some oaths, and said to Close, Til giro you five minutes to pray for your soul!' Hβ then told mc to carry Close to the nearest waterhole and drown, him. His words were: "Take him np and drown him Iα Che nearest water-hole.' I carried Close to the bank of a water-hole, but there was very little water in it. Wtaen accused caw this, he said: 'Ton dog, your turn will come next; carry him back again to the house." There was a ten-gallon keg standIng In the corner outside tlhe house, with a hand-basin full of water on the top. Hβ ordered mo to put Close on it. I did so.

"We then went inside again, and he asked mc If I had any firearms. I said, 'Yes, I have,' and he ordered mc to bring them to him. I brought him a double-bar-rel and a single-barrel gun. He asked mc where the double-barrel gun was kept to shoot Gilbert. I told him I kept no gun for that purpose. He asked mc 11 I had any more firearms. I said yes, that the ones lie had were borrowed, but I had a doublebarrel gun of my own, which I gave him. It was not loaded. Hβ handed tihe guns all back, making mc put caps on them to see that they were not loaded. I snapped one cap, and Close another, the guns being pointed upward. He then asked mc if I had anything to drink in the house, and I said yes, some brandy. He ordered mc to bring it out. I did so; it was in a square bottle. I brought it under compulsion, as I was of opinion that he was armed. He kept his hand under his poncho, as if he had arms. He threatened to shoot mc several times, and ordered roe to go on my knees and pray for my soul, when I refused to get a rope to hang Close.

Between 12 and 1 o'clock In the morning he ordered mc to make some tea, and I said I would as soon as I could make a flre. I went out to bring some wood, and when returning with it he ordered mc to throw it down aud walk in front of him. He then said: 'It Is reported that Ben Hall is dead, but he !s not; I'm Ben Ha.ll, and I'm not dead yet.' I said: 'I don't think you are, as from descriptions published you are not like HalL He then said: 'I'm GObert's mate, and you must obey orders.' I ss/id: 'I'll do anything I can, but don't use

"A lad named Allan, who lives with mc, was present and the accused ordered him to get a fresh horse for him In ten minutes, saying: 'Come, my joker, go, get a horse; you will have to ride fifty miles with mc tonight before you sleep.' The boy replied that he had no horse, and accused Bald: 'If you don't get one, I'll blow your brains out.' This occurred outside; Close's horse was near with a bell on, and accused caught the lad by the collar and dragged him about twenty-five yards towards it, and told aim to bring it. The lad went away, and did not come back till next mom-

"When accused re-entered the house, he ordered mc down on my knees behind his grey mare. I said: 'She might kick mc, , when he replied: 'It will make no difference.' I remained on my knees for five or sis minutes, when he told mc to get up and go inelde and serve more brandy. I did so. He then asked mc if I knew him, aud I said, 'No, - when he made mc light two candles and hold them close to his face to see if I would know him. He then told mc to hold a caudle to his pipe to light it, and I did so, when he said: 'It's a fine consolation that a bushranger can make a man light his pipe, or do anything he wants.' He ordered m« to bed, and when I got into bed he ordered mc out, saying I might shoot him through the door. I gave him more brandy, and he then told mc again to go to bed. He came to the bedroom window, and told my servant to go to bed, as he would not hurt any female.

"I really thought he was a bushranger, and that if I did everything he told mc ho would not shoot mc. After a while he said: 'I have been frightening you with a pipe-case all night.' He stayed all night in the house, and left at six o'clock next morning. When he was going away, 7 asked him what he had to cay for his conduct, and he said -nothing. I did not know he was not really a bushranger until after he went away." It Is very clear that In this case the man's daring and tie ridiculous programme of performances which he imposed upon Scanlan were largely the outcome of Scanlan's childlike submission. Had he but shown one spark o£ courage, and made but the slightest show of resistance, the probabilities are that he would have completely turned the tables upon this amateur bushranger. On his own showing, several opportunities presented themselves for effective action in this direction, but all the farmer's wit and courage, if he possessed a grain of either, appear to have evaporated seated, and {he half-lunatic visitor issued his first order.

ChJppendale was arrested shortly after the mtid freak Tecorded, and was "sent up" for a term long en-ousrh to cure him of any desire to ever again try his 'prentice hand at bnshranging.