The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-09-26
THE BUSHRANGERS,

bourne went up country Win an Amer
lean acquaintance named Shaw for a
sort of vacation. l had sailed with Shaw
while he was Captain of New Orleans
ship, filling the berth of second mate to
his satisfaction, and, as I had saved his
life on one occasion, there was warm
feeling between us. He was now the
owner of big sheep ranch on the Muir
ray River, and was only too glad to get
a run ashore and see something of
country noted tor its anomalies. This
was before the days of railroads and
while the penal colony was in full blast
and the bushranger king of the road.
We were five days riding out to shaws
ranch, our vehicle being wagon loaded
with six yokes of bullocks, which were
almost as wild as buffaloes. l heard very
little about the bushrangers until we
reached the ranch, and then Shaw gave
me such accounts of the fellows as made
me hope should never be obliged to
form their acquaintance. His immedi-
ate district had not been visited for two
or three years, but they had
come in to the north and west
of him and INDUCED in many
robberies and murders. There were three
Englishmen and twelve natives on the
range, which was an extent of country
nine miles long by five broad. The force
at the headquarters house, after our
arrival, numbered three white men, a
white woman, three natives, two black
women, and four or five black children
No gang of bushrangers numbering less
than six would dare to attack US, as the
house was we'll armed and the black
women could fire musket as well as q
man. Shaw had instructed his help to
adopt peace policy. In case BUSH
ranger applied at any of the stations for
food or shelter he was to be accommo-
dated, and if they picked off sheep &C.
cassionally no notice was to be taken
of it. As said before, he had not been
disturbed thus far, but while he deluded
himself with the idea that it was an &C.
count Of the policy pursued, events were
about to occur to prove that the gentle
men Of the bush had been waiting their
own convenience.
A bushranger was, in every instance, a
desperate criminal who had made his es.
cape from prison or the penal settle.
ments. There wasn't one of them who
had not deserved the gallows before he
fed to the bush. A dozen or more Of the
most desperate characters sent to Tasma-
mia had escaped and reached the larger
island and penetrated to the interior, and
these men were particularly ferocious and
and without mercy. Shaw seemed to rest
easy, however, and so during the first
week of my stay I did not bother my
head about the rangers. Indeed new
conner had enough to do to get accus
toned to the snakes, lizards, insects and
other annoyances which kept him stirred
up day and night.
On the tenth day Of my stay Mr.. Shaw
and set out to visit one of the outlying
stations in charge of an Englishman named
Thomas. This man was about forty-ive
years old, and had deserted from an Eng
lish man of-war He had three black
men under his charge, and one Of then,
had been sent in the. day before with a
badly written note to the effect that
many sheep were being killed, ana that
all signs went to show that gang OF
rangers had settled down in the neigh.
borhood. We were mounted on good
horses and we'll armed as we rode away,
and after an hours ride We
drew near the station, which consisted OF
a stout log hut for the keeper, smother 70.
the blacks, land pens for herding the sheep.
We found the place silent and apparently
deserted, and leaving our horses in a
thicket, we cautiously approached on foot
The first discovery made was that the
blacks had been killed, and we pushed
on to the larger hut to find Thomas with.
In half an hour Of breathing his last. HI
could speak in whispers, and be told u
that seven bushrangers had appeared th'
evening before and committed the afro
cities visible on every hand. Although
be had made them welcome and prepared
supper, they had come fora different pur
pose. The blacks, one by one, had beer
tortured in the most horrible manner, ant
when the last Que was dead they hat
turned on Thomas. They had sliced of
his ears, broken his fingers, cut off thi
end of bis nose, hacked off his toes, anC
tortured him In other ways and had no
left the place until about al hour befor,
our arrival Everything of value whIcl
could be carried off was gone, end
bloody knife WAS left stickingin the door