SHORT-LIVED BUSHRANGGERS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2676, 4 December 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

SHORT-LIVED BUSHRANGGERS

SERIES OF SENSATIONAL STORIES (By Charles White, Author of' “Australian Bushrangers,” “Old Convict Days,” etc.)

(Published by Special Arrangement.) £ The following constitute the stories: ■ I. The Chinese Highwayman. i 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 his ; Cheques. 1 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. XI. The Murder at Diamond Creek Station. XII. A Sequel to the Mudgee Mail Robbery. XIII. The Bushrangers and the Carrier.. . XIV. The Mail Robber and the Cheques. XV. Amongst the Bogan Stations. Chased for 300 miles and shot down. XVI. A Constable whose Pluck atoned for his Folly. XVII. Another Policeman’s Mistake. XVIII. A Saturday Night’s Raid. XIX. A Sharp Encounter. XX. Practical Jokers and the Sydney Pressman. XXI. An Unresisting Victim. XXII. A Big Haul and a smart Capture. XXIII. Shot Down on the Highway. VII.—A HARMLESS DUEL WITH RIFLES. During the early part of 18S6 a bushranger named Hunter, alias Russell caused no small stir 'in Queensland by robbing Her Majesty’s mails. The last to be held up was the down mail from laicoom to Condamine, on which occasion Hunter took the whole of the letter bags away with him. Before leaving he did a peculiar thing. He handed to the mailman a letter addressed to the editor of the “Burnett Argus,” and with it a number of crossed cheques,- .representing a value of £4500, which he had taken from the various mail bags previously rifled by him. • When the mailman reached Condamine with the news the local police saddled up and went out to look for Hunter. They could not find him or get on his tracks, although they remained searching for several days. Three weeks afterwards, however, he was seen by a squatter at Wallan, about thirty miles from Condamine, and word was at once sent in hv a black boy to the police station. Next morning the Condamine police started out, Sub-inspector Elliott and a black tracker taking the Tarcoom road, while two of his men and a black tracker tcok the Roma road.

At Wallan, Elliott was informed that the bushranger had disappeared, having stolen a favorite horse from the .head station; and taking a black boy from the station to assist in tracking ho started off in the direction in which Hunter was supposed to have gone. For twenty miles a wrong track was followed, but then Elliott’s hoys were fortunate in striking the right one, which led them to an out-station on the Wallan run, cabled Ejagjandilla, and from the son of the overseer they learned that a horseman answering Hunter’s description had called two days previously enquiring the way to Dnlacca. and Bendemere. Some blacks camped on the run also stated that a man had passed up Bendemere road and had turned off to shoot some plain turkeys.

For Bendemere, therefore, the sub-iusp-ector headed, and made the place at noon on the following day, with horse quite knocked up. The manager of the station, Mr. Swan, had seen a man like tli-e.bushranger at a bark gunyab, about a mile distant, the night before, and volunteered to guide the police to the spot.

Alter a hurried meal the pursuers again set out, Elliott having obtained a fresh mount. Swan was unarmed, but Elliott carried a Terry breach-loader and a revolver, while the two black boys carried a carbine each, one of them (Jacky Lister) having also a revolver. As the party came ’• into- view they saw a man walking towards the creek with a saddle on his head and a double-barrel carbine in his hand. “That’s him!” cried the black! boy, George, who had seen Hunter at Wallan. “Shoot him, Mr. Elliott!” At the same time the sub-inspector called upon the man to stand and surrender, but Hunter, for this proved to be the man they were looking for, coolly turned and said, “What for?” following up by another question: Have you got a -warrant?” at the same time edging towards tiie nearest belt of trees. Elliott didn’t care to approach too near, seeing that the bushranger held his grin convenient for firing, but ho ‘'rapidly unslung his rifle and shouted: “If you don’t surrender at once FlI fire.’’ , ' As he spoke Hunter dropped the saddle from his head and ran for the trees. Elliott fired, bht the, shot wont wide, and from the cover of a tree the bush- ■ ranger returned the fire immediately, ; the bullet striking the ground and throwing the mud up into Elliott’s face; ; One of the black boys, Georgy, seeing; that there was likely to be warm work, hurriedly dismounted and made for a ■ safe-spot in the creek, but. his companion, Jacky Lister, pluckilv stood his ' ground, while the sub-inspector and the bushranger repeatedly fired at each •Xp,W. .W «... iirrf. exchinso Elliott /^mounted-and Sred ovor the »addlo,

keeping the horse between him and the bushranger; but lie .was soon deprived of that shelter, for the fourth shot from Hunter struck the horse in the forearm-, and caused it to break away. At \his juncture George’s horse- strayed ncai to Hunter, who dodged from tree to tree with the idea of seizing the animal, but was cut off by Elliott, who had also sought oover behind a tree. The duellists were at this time about eighty yards apart, and 1 Eliiott called that if Hunter would come out into the open ahd have a talk with him ho would not fire.

To this the bushranged replied: “All right, I’ll come out if you pledge your word not to take an advantage of me, and not to fire again until I have got back; and I’ll pledge to do the same by you.” “Agreed,” said Elliott, and the two men went into the open and stood face to face at a distance of ten paces. Here Elliott reasoned with •him and tried to induce him to surrender quietly, assuring him that it would be in his favor if lie did so. Hunter at first seemed inclined to yield, and asked if he surrendered would he be allowed to ride without handcuffs and carry- his gun, but Elliott would not agree, to this, and then the bushranger said: ‘‘Well; I won’t surrender. I have robbed three or four mails, and I suppose I would get twenty years—l’d sooner be shot.”

Later ilie said: “You’re-a plucky fellow and I wouldn’t like to shoot you. You have clone enough for your credit, and I’U tell you what you’d- better do. You can fire ovtr my head; I won’t fire at you, but I’ll pot those two blacks, and then you can let me bolt.” Elliott could not seo this at all, but he could see in the distance two men, one of them Mr. Swan, hurrying up from the direction behind the bushranger, each carrying a gun, and he said temporisingly: “Well, Hunter, as we can’t ■ come to* terms we’d better fight it out ; so you go back to your tree and I’ll go back to mine;” at tlie same time himself commenced to retreat, but keeping his face to the foe. Hunter kept his gun grounded and called cut. “You needn’t distrust me; I’ll keep my word. You can turn your back on me with perfect safety. See! I trust you”—and with that he turned round and walked quietly back to his cover. Then the duel was resumed. Elliott was the first- to fire, the bullet striking close to Hunter’s head, which had been for the moment exposed for tlib purpose of taking observation. Hunter jumped out to return the fire, discharging one barrel at Elliott and the other at Jacky

Lister, but neither of the shots took effect, although Jackv made a bound in the air as the bullet whizzed past his thigh, cutting a hole in the skirt of his jacket, and, Hunter called out: “Ha! that caught you, you black devil!” “Bail yet!” cried Jacky, “close up, though. By !me slioot- ’em you d’rectly —my word!” And it wasn’t his fault if lie didn’t succeed in carrying out his threat, for he blazed away as fast as he could reload, until his ammunition was exhausted, and Hunter dared not show out to reply. The division which the sub-inspector had been expecting occurred just here, and Hunter was surprised to hear two shots in his rear, and realising that he was between two fires he ran to another tree which .afforded partial cover from his new- antagonists, while Jacky shouted to him: Ha, make you run, you plurry wretch! You see plenty masters the other side the creek.” The relief party consisted of Messrs. Ewan and Arnott, from Bendemere. The former had galloped back to. the station as soon as the fight commenced, and called Arnott, and the two, having armed themselves, hastened to the scene, approaching the belt so as to take the bushranger in the . rear. Before any further firing could take place Elliott stepped out and urged the .bushranger to give in, as he must see the game was up, in reply to which Hunter shouted: “You stop those fellows firing and I’ll talk to you.” He then came out and walked up to Elliott, who asked: “Do you surrender?” “No, I don’t want to surrender,” answered the bushranger. “You shoot me;” at the same time turning his head aside. But after a little persuasion he dropped his X'ifle, and held up his hands, saying dramatically, “There’s a wrist a handcuff was never on before.” After he had been handcuffed, Hunter said lie would not have surrendered if lie had not put his last two bullets in the carbine. On'the way to Condamine he told Elliott that his name was not Hunter, and that he would never divulge his real name. He further said that he had intended sticking up the Roma mail on that very day and that he was on the lookout for another good horse when the sub-inspeotor came across him: In due course he was brought to trial under 'an indictment of highway robbery under arms and. received’ a heavy sentence. Elliott, was highly-/complimented by his superiors for the energy and pluck displayed by him in Hunter’s chase and capture; but had he been a better shot there would have been no need for a trial and! his own life would not have been so tong exposed to danger. (To be Continued.)