SHORT-LIVED BUSHRANGERS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2652, 6 November 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

SHORT-LIVED BUSHRANGERS

SERIES OF SENSATIONAL STORIES (By Charles White, Author of “Australian Bushrangers,' 7 “Old Convict Days,” etc.) (Published by Special Arrangement.) lI.—TWO, BLOODTHIRSTY «‘BREAK-O’-DAY” BOYS. The following constitute the stories: I. The Chinese Highwayman. 11. Two Bloodthirsty “Break-o'-Day” Boys. 111. A Raid with a Tragic Ending. IV. Holding Up the Gold Escort. V. The Chinese Shepherd and liis

Cheques. VI. Young Bendigo’s Gang and the

Diggers. VII. A Harmless Duel with Rifles. VIII. A Night Raid Frustrated. IX. Held up for Seven Hours. X. Turning the Tables: A Bushranger Killed by. Chinamen.

The discovery of gold opened up tc the banks altogether new avenues foi high-interest-carrying business, safe speculation in the. purchase of gold.

and other money-produceng transactions, and the banking authorities wei\ not slow to avail themselves of the openings on the different fields. In their anxiety to secure business the different banks engaged in the keenesi rivalry, establishing branches on every promising field and sending out buyers sometimes considerable distances, with cash in packet or bag, to purchase golu dust and nuggets from mines on fields where no branch has been opened. It goes without saying that these excursions were attended with considerable risk, and the managers and sub-mana gers who undertook tbs missions literally carried their lives in their hands, having to traverse country that was infested with human birds of prey, who would not scruple, to take life in order to secure the gold or notes carried by luckless or venturesome travellers. The competition between the hanks as gold buyers was natural enough. They made a double profit from this

branch of business —first, the actual profit on the metal, and second, the premium on the exchange by sending it to London. Besides which, increased note circulation and higher deposits

went as a rule to the bank that obtained the most gold. But in not a few .cases the game was not really worth the risk run playing it. Let me give in proof one case that occurred in Victoria in the fifties. The Bank of Australasia had an agency at Smytliesdale," a mining township, some ten or twelve miles from Ballarat, a pushing agent named Burke being in charge, and B.urke was in the habit of driving once a fortnight to another small mining centre at a considerable distance, a pi aCe called “Brea'k-o’-Day,” in order to purchase the gold won at the Break-o’-Day Company's mine. As a rule he took a companion with him in the buggy, and invariable put up near the mine at a public house kept by a man named Searle He made the trip several times without molestation, yet was always alive to the danger that lurked on the highways and in the bush, in the shape of footpads or mounted robbers; hence his

habit of taking a companion. On one a occasion, however, Burke' was induced to break this rule by one of the directors of the company! who happened to be in Smythesdale, and who promised that if Burke drove him to the mine his (the director’s) brother would make the return trip with; him, so that he would have the necessary protection on both journeys. Burke yielded, but for some reason the director’s brother did not return with him, and he was compelled to take the journey alone. It was the poor agent’s last trip, for on a lonely part of the road he was waylaid and treacherously murdered. It should l bo mentioned that ' the country between Smythesdale and Break-o’-Day was rather hilly, and that

all vehicular traffic had to make a considerable detour, although equestrians and pedestrians could cross the hills, and thtis “save” several miles on the trip. Searle, the publican, ‘knew that Burke ■was returning alone, having with him a considerable quantity of gold', and he at once formed the design of attacking him on the road and stealing the gold. There was staying at his hotel a man named Ballan, who, some time previously had been discharged from the mine for gold stealing and had been loafing about the place making what money he could at billiards, cards, and pigeon-shooting matches, he being an excellent shot; and' Searl© arranged with him to assist him in this hellish work. The two men did not start from Break-o’-Day for some time after Burke had entered upon his return yourney, knowing that they would be able to intercept him by crossing the hills, and when they did start, in -order to. avoid suspicion, they ostentatiously announced that! they were going to look for wild cattle in the' I Tanges. Ballan carried his gun, ostensibly for use upon the mystical wild cattle.

All unsuspectingly., poor Burke drove quietly along the road, and was eating an apple as he drove, when suddenly he was confronted by Searle, who had been concealed behind some bushes at the side of the road. Burke expressed astonishment at finding the publican there, as he had left him at his own house, and he had not expressed any intention of going out when he bid him good-bye; but Searle blandly explained that he had suddenlyy decided to ride out into the ranges to look for wild cattle that he had heard were there. Ballan, at this time, was -hidden, on the opposite side of.„the road, and while Burke was talking to Searle, from his seat in the bush the

armed ruffian was awaiting a favorable opportunity to shoot him. . : Suddenly the sound of a shot rang out, and poor Burke toppled over dead, but without falling from the buggy. Dalian had fired from his ambush, and the bullet had entered under the unfortunate victim’s left ear and passed dirough the head, coming out above the right temple. The cowardly wretch had justified his reputation as a “crack shot.” y

The two murderers then unharnessed Burke's horse from the buggy, and dragged the vehicle off the road into the thickest • part of an adjacent sap-' 1 pling scrub, into which they took the horse and tied 1 it by the reins to a tree. This done they pulled the valise from beneath the seat upon which the body of their dead victim rested, and having rifled 1 it of its contents, they mounted, their horses and rode off hurriedly, taking a sinuous course to a wayside blacksmith’s shop, the owner of which they knew was not himself unacquainted with “crooked” work. They informed the blacksmith that they had been engaged in a little “cattle duffing” (stealing) and desired to have their horses’ shoes reversed, with the object of preventing the police from tracking them. The blacksmith readily complied, and the reversion having been made, Searle and his companion rode off, taking a circuitous route through the bush back to. th e main road. Before entering which they wrenched the horses’ shoes off altogether and concealed them in the bush. They then proceeded leisurely home, and after hiding the stolen gold in the stable commenced to play billiards with the utmost nonchalance, chatting with others in the room on various tonics.

Meanwhile the night settled down, and an anxious woman—all unknown' to herself a widow- —watched in the house at Smytliesdale for the husband who would never return to her. As the hours passed and there was no appearance of the absent one, her anxiety increased, for she was aware of the risks attendant upon these periodical gold-buying missions. Midnight came and passed, and still the poor woman, with some sympathising friends, waited expectantly. Then, as one o’clock was striking, the horse which 'Burke had been driving, dashed into the yard with portions of the harness dangling at its heels.

That some evil liad befallen the hanker was now beyond question. AH sorts of suggestions were made as to what had happened, and at first the utmost confusion reigned. But speedily there was a rally; all lanterns available in the place were procured, and there was a general move along the road in the direction of Break-o’-Day, Mrs. Burke, now quite distracted with, anxiety and fear, persisting in accompanying the searchers. But the night was a very dark one/ and as no traces of the missing man could he found,.the party returned. The search was renewed at dawn of day, the searchers being assisted by dogs which had been used to tracking, hut still no success; and at last black trackers were employed, and shortly after noon the horrible truth stood revealed. The buggy wheels were traced from the road to ! the scrub, and there the vehicle was found. The body of the murdered man was on the seat, the arm resting on the elbow-rest, and The head gently resting on the uplifted hand. The blood which had run down from the bullet wound in the head, was sufficient in itself to indicate that there had been a tragedy, and no second glance was needed to show that Burke was dead or to explain the cause of his death. There was a gentle expression jn the face, pallid and rigid in death though it was, his end having come too

suddenly and too unexpectedly to admit of any change in feature. On the bottom of the buggy lay the apple with teeth marks in it, just as it had dropped from the poor fellow’s hand. No time was lost in removing the vehicle, with its gruesome load, back to Smythesdale, and the usual formalities of inquest and finding of murder against some person or persons then unknown were observed, the search for some clue to the murderers being meanwhile/diligently prosecuted by the police. The blow to Mrs. Burke proved nearly fatal. For a long time she was a raving''" lunatic, and' even after her mental balance had been restored she continued physically weak. Time passed, and fears were expressed that Burke’s murderers would escape detection, -when whispers arose and grave glances were turned to the hotel at Break-o’-Day. Eventually Searle and his boon companion were arrested, and charged with murder and robbery, and the cowardly nature of the instigator of the foul crime was further manifested by an acknowledgement of guilt, made in the hopes that his own neck would be saved if he turned Queen’s evidence. But confession did-not save him, and both wret- | ches were brought to the scaffold. During the trial the prisoners had to be separated, for Ballan would have made short work of his leader and companion in crime if he coxdd have got his hands upon his throat, as he denounced him as a “double-dyed traitor” in having first led him into the commission of the crime, and then having “Peached,” in hopes,of saving his own life. On the scaffold the men faced death differently. Ballan met his fate with a great show of bravado, but Searle fainted on the steps, and had to be held up while the executioner adjusted the fatal-noose.: By the execution of these two coldblooded ruffians, the death of Burke was avenged, but the travelling agents of- the different banks did not feel one whit more secure, knowing that, despite the extra precautions taken after Burke’s murder, they were liable

to attack at any moment by one oxother of the organised gangs of bushrangers who,- shortly after this, began to infest the roads of the colony. Another! case of holding up a. bank officer may be fittingly l narrated heie, although the victim was more fortunate than Burke, and the event did not furnish such sensational items as that in which he was concerned. It occurred in Octobei', 1858, on the Mudgee side. An officer of the Orient Bank corporation, named McCarthy, had been on'' a gold-buying expedition to Avisford, and was on his homeward journey to Mudgee, on horseback, having in his saddle-bags gold dust and nuggets tp the value of between £2OO and £3OO, besides £256 in bank notes. The old style leather saddle-bags, one falling on each side of the horse arid behind the legs of the rider as lie sat in the saddle, were freely used by travellers about this time. Riding leisurely along without any apprehension of danger, McCarthy was suddenly brought' to a stand by the seizure of his horse’s bridle and the presentation of a pistol at his head, a rough voice at the same time commanding: “Hands up ! or you are a dead man.” The startled gold-buyer obeyed that order with alacrity, and also other orders given in quick succession—to dismount and hand over liis pistol, his saddle-bags, and liis coat. vETaving secured these, the footpad, for the bushranger was not mounted, -was dressed like any ordinary swagman —told his victim to remount and resume his journey, warning him, however that he must not look behind. That order Ale-

dirtliy likewise obeyed, the robber moiuiwhile smilingly watching his timid victim ride away until a sharp turn in the road hid him from view.

Arrived at his destination, Mc-Cartliy made known his troubles to the police, who straightway set out for the locality described by him. .Needless to say when' they got there. But they found there was no bushranger on the .-pot in the bush near the road the saddlebags—not empty, but containing the gold-buyer’si order book and gold calculators, which the robber bad cast aside as useless, having himself no need to take ordej-s or to study the tables of quantities and prices of gold. The notes and gold, of course, were gone. Just before the “sticking-up” of McCarthy, reports had been sent into the police of several hut-keepers and others' having been robbed in tlie district and suspicion rested upon a man named Clarke, an old Vandemonian exconvict, who had hitherto evaded all the efforts by the police to find him. The description given by McCarthy of the man .who held him up corresponded with that already in s'the possession of tlie police; and Clarke was the man they now 1 searched*' for with redoubled energy. They knew he could not have gone far as McCarthy reported he had no horse, and so Sergeant Kershaw and his men scoured the district diligently. Their efforts were at last rewarded. Seeing a swagman plodding along the Mud gee road, the sergeant hurriedly cantered up and enquired -who he was and where he came from, and as the answer to his enquiries was not satisfactory he arrested the man “on suspicion.” • That he had got . hold of the man he was in search of "was set beyond all doubt when his swag came to be overhalued. Tlie first tiling found therein was a double-barrelled pistol. The next thing brought to light was a bundle of the stolen notes and the whole of the missing gold—the former hidden in the folds of an old, sock, and the latter neatly sewn into the sleeve of a dirty shirt. On being taken to Richardson Point and confronted by-Mr. McCarthy, the bushranger turned to the sergeant and said: “You’re on the right lay, old man. That (pointing to the pistol) is what I stuck him up with; but he would have done the same' to me if he’d had half the chance, only my cabbagetree hat deceived him.”

After lying in gaol four months, Clarke was placed- upon his trial before Chief Justice Stephen and convicted. It then transpired that lie was an old offender in the same line of business, having previously served .a long sentence for bushranging, which sentence had only expired a few months before he committed the robbery on the Mudgee-Avisford Road. The judge remarked upon this fact when Clarke was called up for sentence, andi closed his address to the prisoner by saying that it would be useless to give such a man another chance, he intended to pass a sentence that would preclude the possibility of his ever again returning to such practices. That sentence was—“to be transported beyond the seas for the term of his natural life.” Whether Clarke was ever taken “beyond the seas” the records do not show; but he certainly was taken . over the mountains, and the Western district knew him no more.

(To be Continued.)