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


Is how, on the shores Of Paradise there shall bs
DO more sea-
All the Year Round.
THE BUSHRANGERS.
My story has one great merit; it is
true. A simple narration, therefore, of
the following authentic events in con-
nection with two notorious Australian
bushrangers, Pearson and Rutherford,
msy be read with some interest.
The scoundrels had short and not
very brilliant career, but the details
which learned from eye.wltnesses, the
facts that came out in the police court,
where l 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 a 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 so scrupulously to the bare
facts and incidents that have not even
suppressed their names.
During the terrible drought in De-
cember, 1868, of which Australian
"squatters" will have lively but bitter
recollection, so 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 " 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 a bush
public house, kept by one William
Shearer, fifteen miles further my Belalie
head station. For many miles no other
human habitation broke the dreary
monotony 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 timber or occasional pine
ridges. Suddenly the. men were dis
turbed in their work, as they afterward
told me, by the sound of several shots
fred almost simultaneously in the direc-
ton of the public house. To catch their
hobbled horses, saddle them, and gallop
off to see "what was up at Billy Shear
er's" was the work of few minutes.
Now what did happen st "Shearer's"
/ will describe by giving, a. near AZ
memory will serve me, the substance of
his evidence at the trial. He stated that
about Aoon on this December day he was
standing behind his counter in the bar,
a small room about ten feet square, when
party of men, consisting of Sergeant
McCabe, of the New South Wales mount
ed police, McManus, q 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 bushrangerA 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 buta 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 q
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 Rutherford entered
the room, and covering Shearer with hi
revolver, uttered the formula 80 much
dreaded at the time III Australia, Bal
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 chat
lenge "to surrender" had no other effec
than to cause Rutherford to wheel hal
round after his aim, and fire, McCabe
as it appeared, receiving the ball. as h,
was in the act of leaning forward, ant
though without. time to bring his rih,
to the shoulder, discharging it in tina
attitude at Pearson in the doorway. ;Thl
scene of confusion was indescribable !
the small room was dense with smoke.
six shots, it il" believed, having been ex
changed in almost as many seconds =
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 t,
be staggering, and, as was subsequent,
discovered, was shot through, the wris
and the shoulder. McCabe was down
mortally wounded, and, the fifSt car
seems to have been for him. ! circnn
stance which explains the almost ,,nrnii55
Tested esstpe Of the bushrangers., :. q
It was at this juncture that the over
seers,, McNall aud Couch, came upo,
the scene, and, without further detay
armed themselves with poor McCabe'
rifle and revolver, and, accompanied b
the unhurt trooper and his native boz
went in pursuit. Following the track,
they reached the head station, Belail,
where they learned that Pearson and b
mate nad been before them, bad helpe
themselves to two of my best horse
abandoning their own, and, leatinx tth
road, had struck out due west acroes Cd
bush. This 0ocasioned some ia11rrbriae..1
Rutherford, who knew the rronnd: ~,
have been aware that such - ror,t1 1t
persisted, In would necessitata ssvsnt
miles without water, and that, too. Vt
wounded comrade. Il III 49, 800 t
Occasionally across the wide: ,.plaiin1
the fugitiyes were dghted, riding leisur,
y along, little. suspecting how closel
they were followed; and our man had
eneck their pace, as their tactics were
neeP them in. ignoranee 81 pudIygu1it, VIII
t9o nope OF being able 10 take thsur BY
nlgnt eurprise, when, % was natural]
expected they would go ipto camp,
- - ...- - - g !.