AUSTRALIAN BUSHRANGING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2565, 13 May 1903, Page 73

AUSTRALIAN BUSHRANGING.

By CHARLES WHITE.

[All Rights Reserved.] THE ATTACK ON GOIMBLA STATION. DEATH OF O'MEALLY. After Vane's severance from the gang, Hall, Gilbert, and O'Meally did not remain long' in theCarcoar district, but hurriedly pushed on for their old quarters in the Weddin Mountains. They knew that the Bathurst police, the men who had recently arrived from Maitland under Superintendent, Lydiard, and the Carcoar and Cowra police, were concentrating on Dunn's Plains ; and •while the police were still hunting up their trades in the country about Caloola, RockIcy, and Trunkey, the three were again creating a sensation in the neighbourhood • of Canowindra. , They entered the town just as aayhght was creeping over the eastern hills, a morn- . ing or two after the quarrel bet-ween Vane and Gilbert. Riding quietly up to the door of the local inn, which was still kept by Mr "W. Robinson, they awoke the landlord and asked if there were any police about : hear- ' ing of none they weat into the hcu-^e and had some grog. They stayed about a quar- • ter of an hour, and on going away asked for two bottfns of wine and two of Old Tom, in payment for which they offered _ a £5 note— "doubtless one of the number paid for Keightley's ransom. Mr Robinron said he could not change t>h© note, and they replied that he must do without -the payment in that case, as they had no other money; they then rode away. Mr Robinson informed Mr K. Cummings, a magistrate v/ho was stopping in the hou.se, of what had occurred, and a messenger was sent for the solitary policeman, who lived about half a mile away. While they were conversing about the affair Mr Superintendent Chatfie-ld and a party of policemen rode up to the house, heard the news, found out which way the robbers had gone, and started in pursuit, taking a black tracker with thorn. They very soon got upon the bushrangers* track*, and after riding six or seven miles the tracker sighted them, and the chase commenced. When the buslirangern were first soon a young man named Hurkett was with iihem ; and aa soon as they «vw the police they galloped off, and, according to Hurkett's account, his horee ran away with him, ~o that he could not stop for some time. However, as soon as ho possibly could, he pulkd up. and the others went on by therm-elves. The police galloped up. dismounted, and fired at Hurkett. whosn horse was shot. He had a bad time of it altogether — in fact, ho \voa handcuffed at once. When he got back to Canowindra Sir ~F. Pottinger threatened him with arrest again, and when OlVa.tfield ■ returned from a fruitlras ohase the threat wa« carried out. Ohatfield's party followed the Tmshrangers for about 40 miles, in the . diroe'i.on of Bangaroo, but as the darinifi's *cam' > on they could no longer follow Ih© track?: however, fchry went- on to Baugaroo, and on ridins up to the hut a little halfcaste girl called out, *' There somo mr>n coming." O'Meally and Hall were then in thfi hut at tea, and had to get out in a hurry and on to t-hoir horses and off again. Ball, not having time to put or bis T*oote, carried them under his arm. In ihe meantime Gilbert hail beon in an adjoining paddonk looking for some horses, and when he rode back for his mates h-3 found the police in the hut. A policeman called out " Who's thpre?" and Gilbert, turning his horse, rode away ; the policeman fired at him, but the rrijuit was nil. The bu.=hrangprs were not eeen again by the j>oli.°<\ but pn Thursday Tnorninjr breakfasted at a station of Mr 'lepvv'fi. three nvi'les below Canowindra. and on Friday morning werp- at a station of Mr Grant's, not far from Cnrcoar. So sudden was the departure of Hall and O'Meally "thai they had not timp to tako all. their thine* with them, but left a wwt belonging to Gilbert, in th". pocket of which was found, with other thine?, a basr oontninincf a quantity of revolver bullet? and a bullet mould. On the following <!av they studs, up several te-am.stnrs between Canowindra arid Tooeon?, but took nothing but some horse feed for their own nnimsi Ifi.1 fi. whioli frhev proceeded at otico to fowl. Whilo their hor=es were feedinsr the riolirfi were- observed roming up. mxl Mie lnifhraneers at oner, mounted and rode off. rsur?ufd by the- police. Several shots were exchanged. In crossing a swampy ' fla-t Rail's hcvse got bocreed. and the polier>. had thoy pn«l»pd on, inicht have made Hall prisoner O'Meally a.nd Gilbert nulM up and came to his .awiß-tance. and the police, • ohw-rvincc thi«. piiHwJ up and cmnmencorl roloaclintr This nrovpd so tedious ?.'i operation that bftfern it wa« concluded the horse \t,?r got out of his difficulty, and the three buslirancrers cVarp-d 'iff, punned at a respectful distance by the police. On the nisilit of Thursday. November 19, at about a quprter to 9 o'e'ork, the three bushrangers rodo up to Goimbia, about 32 ir.ile-s from Fcrbe=. .Mr Campbell, the station owner, had made no secret of his abhorrence of the freelworera. and on ore opon-sion had out in pursuit of them, accompanied by n few of hla immediate frier.ds. Mr KpJsrhtley b.-ul been paid out for his auda-cily; vow it was Mr Campbell's turn. The firsf nclifir^t'on !•» had of their presence wa-s the sound of fcot=te.'is under th© front verandah of ihe liou=-e. Suspecting the true cause of the sound, he sprang towards the chimney corner, seized one of two double-barrelled fowl-injr-pieoee which were ready loaded there, and ran into the next room, where he confronted one of the bu«hiange.ro, v.-ho stood at an outer door of the same room that oii^ned upon th«> verandah. After an ineffectual exchange of shots the fellow rejoined his -mates, who proceeded ideliberately to set fire to the barn and stabling, which formed two sides of a quadrangle. As Hi© barn eontined a largo quantity -of bay, the whole structure- was quickly in flames, which raged so fiercely that the premises :n tho immediate vicinity were brilliantly illuminated : and a favourite horn© of Mr Campbell's was roasted to death. In the meantime Mrs Campbell had tfith great bravery and at the risk of her life secured the second fowlingr-piece and some ammunition, luckily unhit by a volley which t.he gang fired at her through the window. She and her husband then posted themselves in the- passage leading

from the h-cue-e to the kitchen, where they j could command all approaches, the lady , reconnoitring every now and then. Presently she reported that a man with a cabbage-tree hat stood watching th© flames. Mr Campbell rushed round the home to the front corner, took deliberate aim at the fellow's throat, fired, and returned to load his gun. Just befcra this several shots had been fired, but now the-re was a dead silence. At half-past 11 he cautiously approached the spot whera the man had stood, and on the opposite side of the fence found a carbine and cabbage-tree hat. At daylight he and a constable who had arrived followed a track into the oaks, and discovered th© body of the man, who was wounded in the neck. Early en tho following morning word was sent to the police magistrate at Forbes, who at once started for the spot to hold a magisterial inquiry over the body. Mr Campbell was not yet certain whether it was O'Meally who had fallen before Ins fire. As Saturday dawned upon the smoking ruins the place presented a melancholy spectacle. Everything combustible inside and around tbe tottering walls and barns and stables had disappeared, and the charred remains of the, dead horse, swollen to nearly double its natural size, lay inside the enclosure. No vestige of nearly £1100 worth of property remained save the crumbling shells of the two building?. Under the verandah of an outbuilding h:-.rd by lay tho disfigured corpso of the dead bushranger, the body covered by part of a woolpack. and the face l;y a towel.' It was clad in a pair of rtrapi- .1 breeches, high boots with spurs, and throe Crimean stnrU, and underneath the neck lay a white comforter. The frame W3S athletic the arms muscular, the hands as small and delicate as a lady's. The,, lower limbs were light and apparently well knit, aud the figure as a whole gave the impression of activity and strength combined in more than an ordinary degree. It was at first intended to remove the remains to Forbes for interment, but the heat of the weather rendered this impossible. They were interred at Goimbla, on tho uear bank of the Kugowra Creek. Subsequently, however, they were removed by relatives "and friends to Forbes and there interred amidst much ceremony, as though, they were those of a hero who had lost bis lif© in the performance, of a noble duty. The following letter from Mrs Campbell to her mother after the occurrence will further illustrate the fact that the danger which threatened her and her husband on that awffll night was exceptionally great ; and it will also show how e-inpty was ths boast made by the bushrangers and their friends that in all their raids Hall's gang were caTeful to treat females with the utmost consideration and respect. Writing on November 21 Mrs Gampbeii said : — " You will bo anxious till you hear direct of our safety. It is indeed owing 1o the i great mercy of God that tho lives of David and William are sparer. So many people have been here taking notes that I doubt not you will read a most truthful account of all in the papers. I need not, therefore, weary you with another. We had no timefor fear. The most dreadfiri part was the burning of the. barn raid stable. They are .not much farther from the hou.-o than your stable; and at pn-c part an outhouse, which is connected with the main building, is only divided by a road. You cannot imagine my agony while the Same; were towering above us. Had the wind only blown towards the house all must have gonel The ground between the st.ible and outhouse was strewn with straw from tiio haymaking; thera were also a large heap of woolpacks and a cart, all of which were , sc.t on fire. I was in such deadly fear of its catching at this point that I rushed out and succeeded in getting the road cleared, with the assistance of tlie cook. By this time the roofs had falle-n in, so that the danger was past. I imagin? the ruffians had alfo retreated. Mr C.impbi-11 had ventured out to the spot where he had eimed at the man. He found his gun and hat, but not the body, for his mates had dragged it some cIL-tancs away; and his idea at ihe time was that the man had merely Iwn wounded, and would return for his things A short while aftrr we heard a rustling as of someone creeping stealthily through tlie oats, and were afraid to go out again lest the bushrangers should be lying in ambush. The men in the huts had now recovered from their panic, and came up to see what was going on. David stationed them at various pests, ar.d tliey watched till morning. It was by this tim<» 3 o'clock. I was very tired, we-nt to bed and mar aged to sleep a little ; but w.is awakened before dawn by tlic arrival of the polif-a. Thoy found the body, and I cannot docrib» to you tho state of my feelings whi-n I heard of it— heard that the unhappy man had been shot by the li^ht of the fire ■ which he had helped to raise, for at the j moment he fell the country round was ps j light as day. It appears tlie niffians retreated to one of the hut?, where they were cursing and swearing in a im>-t fearful manner that they would yet have revenge; and I am grieved to add that a female servant heard one of them rc-jrre-tting not having shot the woman— meaning. I suppose, myself: but his comrade called out to him to hold his tongue ar.d mirid what he was about. When the alarm took plaoo William rusliod to the back door, not knowing that Mi Campbell was in the house, and that the phote had been fired at him. William there received a charge of slugs in his breast, four wounds in all. but fortunately not dce-p. Stan led, he staggered on, got outside of the placs, and could not find his way hack, He i^: now all rii/ht." As soon as the excitement had somewhat subsided the public began to ilUvuss how best Mr and Mrs Campbell's bravery could lx? rewarded and their lo^e= maue good. Public meetings were held. lau'.!atcry speeches were made, and subscriptions were raised. The reward of £1000 offered by the Government was. of cour. c, handed over to Mr Campbell, but tlie va-ue of the property destroyed by the fire raised Ly I the bushrangers was estimated at nearly I double that amount ; and, although a goodly sun- was raised, and evpry ropufable perscn in the colony applauded them to the echo, the response was really not at all what it ought to have been. Mr Campbell did not count the cost to himself, however, when single-handed he defied the common enemy, and he earned the gratitude, poorly expressed though it may have been, of every | decant man and woman in New South | Walo--. ! Tho two remaining members of the gang | maclo no attempt to avenge- the death of j their comra'le. but stripped the body of its valuables and disappeared in the clarkne.=fi, making haste to reach a place where the

[ police would not be likely to look for them for a day or two. Thus it happened that j while the bush Tound Goimbla was being scoiirod by the authorities, Hall and Gilbert were many milos away laying their plans for future operations. After a few days' quiet they re-sumed operations on the road near Burrowa, in tho Southern district, and some 20 cases of sticking-up were reported in one day. About this time the gang was joined by a young fellow named Dunleavy, and a man named Gordon, generally known as the " Old Man." Of tho latter'js history previous to his association with Hall very littlo was known, and as he was captured soon after joining the gang he did not have many opportunities of distinguishing himself as a freebooter. Dunleavy was a smart young fallow, about 20 years of age, who up to the time of joining the gang had lived with his mother on a station in tho Forbes district. He wa^ well known about Bathurst, where in his youth he had attended one of the public schools, and those who knew him were greatly surprised when they he-ard that ho had cast in his lot with the gang. Thoy were engaged with Hall in six highway robberies of the usual type, tho road between Bathurst and Blarney being tho see-no of several. They then pushed on towards Cowra, stopped five, drays which wore on their way to Forbes, and ransacked the residence of Mr T. P. Grant, J.P.. soon afterwards leaving the Carcoar dif-triet for the Lr.chlan. Shortly after this the gang came into collision with a party of police under Sir Frederick Pottinger. near JTorbf*. and shots were exchanged, when both Hall and Dunleavy were wound-ed, the latter severely, having his wrist shattered by a bullet, but the forme-r not very seriously. The bushrangfrs lost their horse-3, but managed to escape. Two months afterwards the "Old Man " was pressed very closely and escaped from Wheogo to the Murrumbidge-o. and was cleverly tracked by two policemen and Billy, the black tracker, and arrested in a publichouse. He was brought back to Forbes, and it is said that Hall watched him being taken into town by the police-. He was subsrqnently sent down to Bathurst, where he was tried and convicted, and sentenced on three separate charges — for the first offence. 10 years' hard labour on theroads, the first three in irons; for the second offence 10 years ; and for the third offence five years, the sentences to be cumulative. Tho brush with tho police appears to have intimidated Dunleavy, and a report was circulated that he had asked Hall's permission to give himself up, as Vane had done, but that Ball had refused to consent. Whether this was a fact or not, certain it is that Dunleavy did follow Vane's example, and voluntarily surrendered himself to th© Rev. Father M'Guinn. who was at that time labouring ia thp> Carcoar district. He sent a message to the priest saying that he do-sired to soe> him, and tbe priest answered the call, whe-n Dunleavy said he was sick of bushrauging life and wanted him to go with him to Bathurst and deliver him over to the authorities. The two then rode into Bathurst, and the bushranger was incarcerated in tho gaol. Tho two men were called up together at tho Circuit Court in April, 1855. at which Judge "Wise presided, oncl each of them pleaded "Guilty" — tho "Old Man" to six, and Diinleavy to five charges of rob. bery under arms. These rather rapid developments from the choico of a bushranging life to surrender, trial, sentence, and the entrance upon an almost life-long term of imprisonment, formed a powerful deterrent to other young men who may have beon enamoured of the lawless life in the bush. Henceforth there were no more fresh recruits in 'the Western District banditti, and one by one the remaining members of th© gang established by Frank Gardiner came to th-o inevitable goal — the grave or the gaol for long-sentenced prisoners(To be Continued.)

A peculiar accident orcurred recently at Taradale, a few miles from Napier. A cart ladon with porse was being tipped on the gidc of a hill, when it overturned, and fell down the slopes intc a hollow in which an enormous pile of gorse was burning. Tlie horse was dragged on its back by the cart into the fire, and both it and tho vehicle were consumed by tlie flames.