The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-03-20
THE BUSHRANGERS.

bU-hrSngers, Pearson ana Rutherford
may lie read with some interest.
The scoundrels hsd a short and not
very brilliant career, but the details
which learned from eyewitness, the
facts that came out in the police court
where I had the painful duty TO sit a.
one ct the committing magistrates in the
Csc 00 one Cf them, and the subsequent
awful fate of the other, together make
~ d record OF crime not unworthy OF
repraiuc.i.n; and should this story
rescl the eyes o. any OF those who were
concerned in It, they viii pardon me 'or
adhrring 50 scrupuiously to the bare
fac and incidents that ! have not even
suppressed th5ir names.
Uuing the terrible drought in De-
Cemier 1868, Of which Australian
"squstters" will have a lively but bitter
recollection, 80 great were my straits,
thsE l b sd directed two of NV oversears,
James McNsil and Henry Couch, to
brand and prepare some twenty thousand
she p cor the road, " to travel in sesIch
OF grass and water, now getting very
scarce in my OWE country. The drafting.
yards were st CONS Hut" an out,
station shout seventy miles from Fort
Blu Ike Half 3 mile up The Warrego
aver from this place was a bush public
hou5a, kept by one William Shearer,
fifteen miles further. my BelaIie head
station For many miles no other human
hsH-ation broke the dreary mono,ony OF
what j. termed in Australia " the BUSH
bug what in reality consists in a success
sion OF bare and psrched plains, inter-,
sec.td 1t long intervals BY narrow belts
q timber snd occasional pine ridges.
Suddenly the men were disturbed il.
Their work, as they stJerward ,old me
6y The sound o. sever i shot, fred almost
smu.-ai eousIy ia the direction of the
pubic house To catch their hohbled
hur-es, saddle them, and gsllop OF t. see
""hst ws~ up al Billy Shes,er's," wss
tb- work Of g few minutes.
NV what did happen At a." Shearer's'
vii describe by giving, a. near ~
memory gill serve me, the substanc5 O.
d evidence al the lrial. f. stated thar
about loon on this December day re
W. sanding behind his counter in the
ba. -msl room about ten feet squsre.
wt,n ? rty of men, consisting Of Ser
geaa Nc 'sb-, Of tie New South Wales
mounted police, IclIanus. q trooper OF
thg Queensland force, and their black
boy lie native uacker," rode up. end
bavug alighted, inquired II anything
p - been heard Of two bu-hraageIs, Pear
sEr sad Rutherford, adding that they
were wanted shout late site ine,up"
Csc f. which they had been concerned,
an mad been tracked to that locality.
Sde r.r knew Rutherford from his hay
iu- en but few months previously
DIE .t Inc station hands, and was Sble
G. MORN the police that this outlaw, st
alE sr- Asd not YET put II au appesr>
alc-; the police must nave missed shem
r. .- hg,a ana gone ahead Of them.
las ssr-cant I'D Just sat down On a
5u.. ta-m OF the lsfL iron. Of tie tar,
gsoa mis- rife within resc1 sgainst the
c.uu,-r-the olrer constable was stand
u- .s.le him--oLeu two men rode up.
hl..sed heir horses 10 the versuda POSTS
ga s,st OF the inn, and without warning
t. 5rsma.t, Rutherford. entered tn
I'm and covering ShesTer vita bis
re yer, uttered tie formula 50 much
dir-red at the time IN Australia, Bail
upI the doorway 81 the same time
ben occupied by the other man, Pear.
s.. also rev, liver in hsnd. Finding
thaH-eives in such close proximity TO
the loice wss no doubt most unex>
p-,t=d surprise. but Sergeant McCsbe's
Caa.t-age "to surrender" mad no other
e6a.. than to csus- Rutherford To wheel
h-# round after bls aim, and fire
MCIsbe, as it appeared receiving the
os r, be va. 10 the act Of leaning Tor
w,-a and though without time to Jring
b fe to the shoulder, dischsrging it
ia tina, attitude at Pearson in the door,
va. Inc scene Of confusion was indie
$ rsbie-the smsll room was dense
y IL suoke-six shots, it is believed,
,Eviur Oeen exchanged in almost s.
many seconds s. such terribly close
qgsrgrs.
il busbrsrgers rushed for the horses,
wb.sa had broken sway in the melee,
agGe.t ,hem, and decsmped; bit Pear.
en- was seen 10 drop his revolver and to
h staggering, and, SIS was subsequently
discovered, was shot through the wrist
and the shoulder McCSbe was down,
yuortslly wounded, and the first care
seems to have been for him, circum>
stance which explains the almost unmo-
Tested escape of the bushrangers.
Il was at this juncture that the over,
seers, McNsll and Couch, came upon the
scene, snd, without further delay, armed
themselves with poor McCsbe's rife and
revolver, ard, accompanied by the IN
hurt trooper and his native boy, went in