NEW SOUTH WALES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 382, 12 March 1863, Page 6

NEW SOUTH WALES.

(From the Sydney Morning Herald, Feb. 25.) ATTACK UPON THE WESTERN ESCORT.

Intelligence was received yesterday morning, by telegram, that a daring attack had be'en made' on the previous evening, near Hartley, upon the armed gold escort from the Western districts. Fortunately, the attack was not attended ■With any serious injury, and 'no attempt was made to rob the gold. The escort party arrived safely in Sydney last ni^ht, and from them-we have learned the fol16wing particulars of the attack :—The Westera Escort,; in charge of Sergeant M'Clure, with about 2,300 ounces of gold, arrived in Little Hartley on Tuesday evening^ and started thence a little after nine o'clock for Big Hartley, a distance of three miles. The road between the two Hartleys being >yell populated, the sergeant considered it safe, and accordingly dispensed with the attendance of the mounted men. The escort consisted of the sergeant and three constables, two of whom were in the coach, and one on the box.with the driver. About threequarters of a mile on this side of Little Hartley, while driving at a rapid pace along a macadamised road, the coachman observed some logs thrown acros3 the road, and uttered an exclamation of alarm. The leaders stumbled at the obstruction, but by the prompt use of the whip the coach was pulled oven just as the driver was whipping the horses, a succession of shots were fired from the left side of the road. The shots were seven or eight in number, and appeared to have been intended for a volley, but were not fired, quite -simultaneously. After proceeding afco'ut eighty yards beyond the logs, one of the, leading horses dropped down dead. The coach being thereby stopped, the escort got out, and on examining the horses, found that two of them were' wounded. Under the orders of Sergeant M'Clure (whose face had been grazed by one of the shots) the men took 'up a position on the opposite side of the road to that from which the shots had teen fired, the men being under cover of, stumps. . They remained in that position for nearly three-quarters of an hour, but notnore shots Svere fired. While thus waiting, they could hear a low whistling in ■the direction from which the firing had come, and immediately afterwards they heard the barking cf the settlers' dogs, indicating that some people were running past. It was siipposed that there must have been at least five men in the gang, as, in addition to the wounding of the sergeant, the killing of one horse, and the.wounding of two others, the driver's coat was pierced with a bullet, and a shot went through one of the lamps. The gang /were, in ambush, and as none of them could ■be seen., "no.shots were ftred by the police. fToe escort; reached Big Hartley, without further obstruction, remaining there on Tuesday ilight,. started early yesterday morning for Penrith, and arrived in Sydney with the gold 'by the last train. It should be stated that it was the same escort that was attacked a short time ago ; it was not then, however, in charge of Sergeant M'Clure, he having shortly before received some injuries by the breaking down of the escort coach. Nothing has yet transpired to give any clue to the identification of the rascals, but it is conjectured that Lowrie, who last week made his escape from the Bathurst Gaol, was one of the gang.