COACH DRIVER HELD

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 259, 20 July 1918, Page 8

COACH DRIVER HELD

ATTEMPT.TO STEAL THE MAILS

Armed with a revolver, and wearing a mask, a mounted bushranger stuck up the Pleasant Hills (iN.S.W.) mail coacii home days ago, and when tho driver, I'red Kleinke, displaying splendid courage, refused to puh up, he fired live shots aitcr him.

Xlemke started out ou his lonely journey from Pleasant Hills at G o'clock in the morning, and carried the Osbornc, Urangeline, and Lockhart mails. Tho country through which he had to drive is rough. The road is a lonely one. and as it bordered on either side by heavy scrub, it is ideal for a robber to operate. But Kleinke had been over the road fio often that he did not suspect danger, and cveii when the sticking-up took place he refused to take u serious view of the situation. The highwayman appeared when about four miles of the journey had been covered. The spot is a particularly lonely one, and there is no more uninviting . piece of country between Pleasant Hills and Lockhart. Covered by Revolver. Ivlcmke had his horses travelling at moderate puce, and was singing to liimdelf, when suddenly a horseman emerged from the scrub a short distance ahead oi illi! coach. Biding along leisurely, tile highwayman, who was mounted on u sturay bay animal, kept his head down until he was getting to the coach. Then he straightened himself up, and, producing a revolver, flourished it in the air. Presenting it at tho driver, ho demumled that tiie maiis should be handed over to him. ','lialt!" he called, Kleinke tightened the reins on, his team, ami brought them, to a walk. "Hands up!" the robber, who was showing signs ol' impatience; continued. "Hand over the moil-bags." Klemke smiled. The seriousness of the situation did not appeal lo him. As a matter of fact, ho thought a joke was being played on him, and he was about to <isk what tile game was when the highwayman..snapped at him again. ■ "Come on," he demanded in an angry tone. "Give up the bag?." The.revolver w«S poinicd menacingly, and Klemke realised that he was in a, tight corner, and that it. was time that ho looked after himself. Instead of obeying the robber he whipped his horses inco a gallop.

lii a few seconds he had passed' tho horseman, who wheeled quickly and galloped after him. Five shots were fired alter the fleeing coachman, and several of theni went unpleasantly and dangerously close. Tho first went wide of the murk, but tlie second struck the iron of one of the splashboard* and bent tlie framework. 'I he third wont through tlie buck of the sent within a few indies or the driver. Meanwhile Kleiiike, who hud his horses uilder the whip, had wurked them into :v mad gallop, and on tlie rough, road the coach rocked dangerously. A fourth bullet whirled tliroii','h the air, and the filth tore a hole through Hie mail-driver's hat. By this time Klemkb had secured a good lead, and the bushranger, realising the futility of maintaining tho cliu.se, turned oil' into the biish and galloped away. When Klcniku sirrived at Osborne, whui't ho usually changes horses, lie told tho story of the, stieking-up, but notwithstanding that lii.i horses were in a lather and done up, lie ivfuscd iu delay. Ho Was too agitated to give q desi'rijitioii of the man who had held him up, but when ha arrived .at,Lockhart ho drove straight to the police station. Mounted troopers wore turned 1 out without delay, and a start was made to scour the country. They wont out in all directions, biit (lie robber had secured such a good start as -.0 render an early urresL extremely unlikely.