The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-05-03

nis rlhe to the shoulder, discharging it
in that attitude at Pearson in the door
way. The scene of confusion was indie
scribable--the small room was dense
with smoke-six shots, it is believed,
having oeen exchanged in almost as
many seconds at such terribly close
quartrs.
TIE bushrangers rushed for the horses,
which had broken away in the melee,
csoght them, and decamped; but Pear.
on was seen TO drop his revolver and to
be staggering, and, as was subsequently
discovered, was shot through the wrist
and the shoulder. McCabe was down,
MORALLY 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, McNaIl and Couch, came upon the
scene, and, without further delay, armed
themselves with poor McCabe's rife and
revolver, and, accompanied by the un-
hurt trooper and his native boy, went in
pursuit. Following the traces, they
reached the head station, Eelalie, where
they learned that Pearson and bis mate
had been before them, had hei i,ed Them
selves to two of nay best horses, abandon
ng their OWL, and, leaving the road, had
struck out due west across the bush.
This occasioned some surprise, as Ruther-
ford, who knew the ground, must have
been aware that such roate, if persisted
ia, would necessitate seventy miles with
out water, and that, too, with wounded
comrsde.
Occasionally across the wide plai1s 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 naturally
expected, they would Ego into camp"
NeNau has described TO noe how, on one
occasion, where the plains were smaller
and the clumps Of timber more frequent,
they were able to get within rihe.shot,
and he was sorely tempted 10 show them
as little consideration as they had shown
the poor sergeant, and fire; but Zouehl
who, before be came to my employment,
had been q sub-inspector of police, and
had had much experience in hunting
down bushrangers, was bent On taking
them alive, and would not risk the
chance OF a long shot. These cooler
eounseis prevailed, and they steadily and
stesithily followed on. They were
doomed TO disappointment in the end
for, almost incredible as il may seem.
with g wounded man TO endure such
heat and fatigue, these hardy desperadoes
made no halts. As night came On our
men, on the other hand, were obliged 10
camp, as they could 10 longer follow the
hoofmarks of the fugitiyes horses with
out risk of losing them altogether SO
soon, however, as the moon was up they
were again on their tracks, and followed
them till soon sitter daylight, when,
worn out with thirst and fatigue, they
reached Mr.. Vincent Dowling's Ysnta-
bulla station, on the Cuttaburrs river.
Here they were mortified to find that
the bushrangers 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 pursuit. There were ut
that time few stations further west, and
sooner or later starvation would compel
the runswsys to return to inhabited
parts. The troopers were left to watch |
and endeayor to pick up further informa-
ton, while McNsll and Couch had relue'
family to return and look TO their stat4on
duties.
y x "
At the time when bushrangiDg was
rife in Australia there were parts of the
country where, among certain class OF
small farmers and publieans, sympathy |
was shown for bushrangers, and what |
the police had 10 encounter before they
succeeded in extirpating the
evil was the great difficulty In getting |
reliable information Of the movements Of |
these marauders, who on the other hand
were themselves kept posted in the |
movements of their pursuefs, and the