Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-02-20
THE BUSHRANGERS.


THE BUSHRANGERS.
My story has one great merit; it is
true. \ simple narration, I,erefo fore, of
the following authentic events in con-
nectlon with two notorious Australian
busSrangers, Pearson and Rutherford,
MI Y be read with some interest.
Ihe ScOundrels had a short and not
very brilliant career, but the details
which. | learned from eye.wltnesses, the
facts that came out in the police court,
where | had the painful duty to sit as
one OF the committing magistrates in the
case Of one OF them, and the subsequent
awful fate of the other, together make
up record crime not unworthy of re-
production; and should this story reach
the eyes Of any Of those who were con-
cerned in it, they will pardon me for
adhering 80 scrupulously to the bare
facts and incidents that [ have not even
suppressed their names.
During the terrible drought in De-
cemoer, 1868, of which Australian
"squatters' will have a lively but bitter
recollection, 50 great were my straits,
that | had directed two Of my overseers,
James McNall and Henry Couch, to
brand and prepare some twenty thou
sand sheep 80 for the road" to travel in
search of grass and water, now getting
very scarce in my own country. The
drafting-yards were at "Con's Hut" an
out.station about seventy miles from
Fort Bourke. Half mile up the War
rego river from this place was bush
public house, kept by one William
Shearer. fifteen miles further my Belalie
head station. For many miles no other
human habitatlon broke the dreary
mono.rny Of what is termed in Australia
The Bush,' but what in reality con-
sists of a succession of bare and parched
plains, intersected at long intervals by
narrow belts Of timbe or occasional pine
ridges. Suddenly the men were dis
turbei in their work, as they afterward
told nee, by the sound of several shots
fired almost simultaneously in the direc.
ton of the public house. TO catch their
hoobled horses, saddle them, and gallop
OF to see what was up at Billy Shear
er's" was the work of few minutes.
Now what did happen st Shearer's"
[ viii describe by giving, as near as
memory will serve me, the substance of
his evidence at the trial. he stated that
about noon on this December day he was
standing behind his counter in the bar,
a small room about ten feet square, when
a party of men, consisting Of Sergeant
McCabe, of the New South Wales mount
ed police, McManus, a trooper of the
Queensland force, and their black boy,
the native "tracker," rode up, and hav-
ing alighted inquired if anything had
been heard of two bushrangers, Pearson
and Rutherford, adding that they were
wanted about late sticking-up'' case
in which they had been concerned, and
had been tracked to that locality.
Shearer knew Rutherford from his hav-
ing been but a few months previously
one Of the station hands, and was able
to inform the police that this outlaw, at
any rate, had not yet put in an appear
ance; the police must have missed them
in the bush and gone ahead of them.
The sergeant had just sat down on a
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 warn
ing the foremost-Rutherfor
the room, and covering Shearer with his
revolver, uttered the formula 80 much
dreaded at the time III Australia, " Bail
up!' the doorway at the same time be-
ing occupied by the other man, Pearson,
also revolver in hand. Finding them.
selves ia such close proximity to the
police was no doubt most unexpected
surprise, but Sergeant McCabe's chal.
lenge "ro surrender" had no other effect
than to cause Rutherford to wheel half
round after his aim, and fire, McCabe,
as it appeared, receiving the ball as be
was in the act of leaning forward, and
though without time to bring his rifle
to the shoulder, discharging it in that
attitude at Pearson in the doorway. The
scent of confusion was indescribable-
the small room was dense with smoke
six shots, it is believed, having been ex-
changed in almost az 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 shot through the wrist
and the shoulder. McCabe WAS down,
mortally wounded, and the frat care
seems to have been for him. a circnm.
stance which explains the almost nnnoo,
Tested escape of the bushrangers.
r. wno r. <bio ;,,ro%,.. 10,
seers, McNall and Couch, came upon
the scene, and, without further detav
armed themselves with poor McCabe'I
rifle and revolver, and, accompanied BY
the unhurt trooper and his native bow
went in pursuit. Following the tracks
they reached the head station, Belaile
Where they learned that Pearson and hi
mate had been before them, had helped
themselves to two of my best horses
aDa9donlng their own, and. leavinp tn,
ROAD, had struck out due west across thu
bush. This occasioned some snynr;ae a,
Rutherford, who knew the ground must :.
have been aware that such a $500 =
persisted in, would necessitate seve1+, -
miles without water, and that. too III
wounded comrade. "1'1
Occasionally across the wide nla;n,
the fugitives were sighted, riding leisure
y along, little suspecting how closel,
tney were followed; and our men had t
eneck their pace, as their tactics were t,
re aSseP tnem in ignorance of pursuit, will
s!o Aope OF being able to take them bv ,
n1gnt turpr1se, when, as was NATURAL,
s@Pec'eo' they would go into camp