CHINESE BUSHRANGER

Evening Star, Issue 23129, 1 December 1938, Page 1

CHINESE BUSHRANGER

CAREER OF LI HANG CHIAK Li Hang Chiak did not belong to the coolie class of Chinese. He was a dominant figure among his countrymen, who sluiced the gravel at Lambing Flat (writes O. S. Fowler, in the Sydney 1 Morning Herald ’). Unlike them, he did not soil his hands by manual labour—he levied tribute on the toilers. He had all the arrogance of a mandarin. Even the Europeans and Australians on the field had no wish to clash with him. In stature he was over 6ft in height. He fought back viciously when the miners drove his countrymen off the field. Suddenly he led his countrymen to the Tuena diggings, and when that field ceased to pay, he trekked to Mudgee. He had seen his countrymen robbed by bushrangers of all their hard-won gold. Perceiving how easy it was for the bushrangers to get gold, Li Hang Chiak decided to emulate them. His first victim was a settler named Donaldson, living some 10 miles from Mudgee. who was returning homo after selling stock. The haul netted the Chinaman 36 sovereigns. In quick succession robbery after robbery followed. Police were baffled at not being able to find a Chinaman of his description in the district. Every robbery was committed on a lonely bush road. After making his victims dismount, ho would turn their horses loose and tell them not to look back. A bullet whistling past the head of one man showed that the Chinaman meant business.

For six months ho baffled the police, who could not even get a sight of him. He became known as the Phanton Chinaman. However, on February 1, 1864, Constable Ward was returning to Coonabarabran from Mudgee when he was informed that a Chinaman had “ stuck up ” no fewer than six persons that day. One man had watched him go into a thick scrub. Seeing smoke coming from a gully, he tied his horse and crept silently to investigate. Parting some bushes, he saw his quarry stooping to put wood on the fire. Cocking his pistol the constable came into the open and called on Li to surrender. The Chinaman dropped the wood, but instead of surrendering he fired bis pistol and brought the policeman down with a bullet through the leg. The constable returned the fire as he lay on the ground. The Chinaman fired another shot and disappeared into the dense scrub.

Making his way to a settler’s home, the wounded constable sent word toMudgee. A party of horsemen sot out after the Chinaman, and they caught him next day 10 miles from the scene of the affray. He put up a fight even when he was disarmed, and it took three men to hold him while the handcuffs were put on. He was taken to Mudgeo and tried, and convicted of

attempting to murder a policeman in the execution of his duty. He was banged in Mudgee gaol.