Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-01-17

station hands, and was able to inform
the police that this outlaw, at any rate,
had not yet put in an appearance; the
police must have missed them in the
bush and gone ahead of them.
The sergeant had Just sat down on
small form on the left front OF the bar,
placing his rifle within reach against the
counter-the other constable was stand
ing beside him-when two men rode up,
hitched their horses to the veranda
posts in front of the inn, and without
warning the foremost-Ru Rutherford
entered the room, and covering Shearer
with his revolver, uttered the formula
80 much dreaded at the time in Aus
tralia, "Bail up l''-the doorway at the
same timo being occupied by the other
man, Pearson, also revolver in hand.
Finding themselves in such close prox-
unity to the police was no doubt most
unexpected surprise, but Sergeant Nc
Cabe's challenge "to surrender had
no other effect than to cause Rutherford
to wheel half round, alter his aim, and
fire, McCabe, as it appeared, receiving
the ball as he was in the act of leaning
forward, and though without time to
bring bis rifle to the shoulder, discharg-
ing it in that attitude at Pearson in the
doorway. The scene of confusion was
indescribable-the small room was dense
with smoke-six shots, it is believed,
having been exchanged in almost as
many seconds at such terribly close
quarters.
The bushrangers rushed for the horses,
which had broken away in the melee,
caught them, and decamped; but Pear
son was seen to drop his revolver and to
be staggering, and, as was subsequently,
discovered, was ehot through the wrist
and the shoulder. McCabe was down,
mortally wounded, and the first care
seems to have been for him, circum-
stance which explains the almost unmo-
Tested escape of the bushrangers.
1t was at this juncture that the over
seers, McNall and zouch, came upon
the scene, and, without further delay,
armed themselves with poor McCabe's
rife and revolver, and, accompanied by
the unhurt trooper and his native boy,
went in pursuit Following the tracks,
they reached the head station, Belaile,
where they learned that Pearson and his
mate had been before them, had helped
themselves to two of my best horses,
abandoning their own, and, leaving the
road, had struck out due west across the
bush. This occasioned some surprise,
as Rutherford, who knew the ground,
must have been aware that such a route,
if persiBted In, would necessitate seventy
miles without water, and that, too, with
a wounded comrade.
Occasionally across the wide plains the
fugitives were sighted, riding leisurely
along, little suspecting how closely they
were followed; and our men had to
check their pace, as their tactics were
to keep them in ignorance of pursuit,
with the hope of being able to take them
by night surprise, when, as was nat
urally expected, they would "go into
camp" NcNall has described to me
how, on one occasion, where the plains
were smaller and the clumps of timber
more frequent, they were able to gel
within rife-shot, and he was sorely
tempted to show them as little consider.
alton as they had shown the poor SER
geant, and fire; but Zouch, who, before
he came to my employment, had been 8
sub inspector of police, and had had
much experience in hunting down bush.
rangers, was bent on taking them alive,
and would not risk the chance of long
shot. These cooler counsels prevailed,
and they steadily and stealthily followed
on. They were doomed to disappoint.
ment in the end; for, almost incredible
as 1t may seem, with wounded man to
endure such heat and fatigue, these
hardy desperadoes made no halt. As
night came on our men, on the other
hand, were obliged to camp, as they
could no longer follow the hoofmarks Of
the fugitives' horses without risk of los.
ing them altogether. So soon, however,
as the moon was up they were again on
their tracks, and followed them till soon
after daylight, when, worn out with
thirst and fatigue, they reached Mr..
Vincent Dowling's Yantabulla station,
on the Cuttaburra river. Here they
we're mortified to find that the bushrang.
ers had again been too quick for them,
had run the station horses into the yard,
helped themselves to fresh ones, and
were away with some hours clear start.
1t was then decided to abandon the pur.
suit. There were at that time few sta.
tions further west, and sooner or later
starvation would compel the runawayt
to return to inhabited parts. The troop
ers were left to watch and endeavor to
pick up further information, while Nc
Nall and Zouch had reluctantly to return
and look to their station duties.
At the time when bushranging wal
rife in Australia there were parts o.
the country where, among certain
class of small farmers and publicans
sympathy was shown for bushrangers
and what the police had to encounter
before they ultimately succeeded in ex
, tirpating the evil was the great Difficult
; ty in getting reliable information of tn
, movements of these marauders, who OF
/ the other hand were themselves KEEP
posted in the movements of their pur
| suers, and the " office" being given
: were b arbored or assisted to escape b,
| secret allies, who seemed above suspi
, cion. In the far, interior, where we los
sight of Pearson and Rutherford, thi
| was fortunately not the case; here the
. would find no "cover either from th
4 nature of the country or the disposition
| of the inhabitants. They could no
= hold out long outside the occupies
' country, and when forced to return
population was SO scattered and sympa
y thizers none, that hopes of escape wer
s slight. Added to this, the excellen
t police force of the colony was o
d the alert, and border patrols active an
y vigilant. Notwithstanding, for upwar
q of month there was no sign; till on
Il day Pearson was sighted on foot in