Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-06-20

though az yet we were free from molesta'
ton.
About twelve months after jim Curtis
trial We heard that he had been seen
about Wyalla cattle station. And news
came, too, that Mary Lawson had left
Mrs. Hayes employment rather suddenly,
and that lady had little doubt that the
girl intended TO carry out her intentions,
of marrying the dashing ex stockLan,
despite all that had happened. But We
visitors to Wyalla had some more mport-
ant matters to discuss than the vagaries
of a servant girl. Bushrsngers were here
in our midst. Mail after mail had been
struck and robbed on both sides OF the
border, the robbers besng a tall man and
boy, and as a climax q bank had been
entered in broad day, in the main street
of neigh5oring township; two men had
walked in, bailed up the accountant with
a revolver, found the manager in his bath,
and, without giving him time to dress
made him open the safe and hand over
a noble booty in notes and gold, the while
a man had guarded the door and a boy
stood holding the horses in the street.
Then the party had vanished into the air,
leaving not trace behind. The leader
of the gang became known as Thunder
bolt the name was in the mouths of grea at
and small, and the men who had seen
MIN said that Thunderbolt was no other
than Jim Curtis, late stockman at Wyal-
la.
Some time had elapsed since these
events, three months or so, during which
we had heard little of the bushrangers.
Many people thought that they had clear
ed ont of the country, which was patroled
in all directions by mounted police be-
longing both to New South Whales and
Queensland-the latter reinforced by
black crackers from the border force,
wild fellows, keen as kangaroo dogs, but
uncomfortable, except by their own Of
ticers. Stu, horses disappeared mysteri-
ously, and Thunderbolt and his boy
we're said to have been seen at different
and relatively far distant points.
One blazing hot afternoon at the end
OF that summer l was riding quietly
along a mountain track. 1t was so hot
that the very flies ceased from troubling
my horse and myself, and the black
crows, perched in tree near the carcass
of dead bullock, we're sitting with open
beaks and dropping wings, | was over
taken by a couple of police troopers,
fine, dragoon-lIke fellows, well mounted
and armed with heavy revolvers. One of
them, McKane by name, sergeant and
lat of the Irish constabulray, / knew
well, tall, good looking fellow, the beau
ideal of cavalryman, The other l had
never seen before. l was glad OF their
con- pany; they were bound TO our station,
so our ways lay together We pulled u =,
lit our pipes, had drink OF cool water
from the water bag | carried slung to my
saddle, just favored with something from
my flask and we logged on together. OF
course, We began to talk about the bush
rangers. The sergeant told me that they
had taken a man who they were tolerably
sure had been a mate OF Thupderbolt's
on the occasion of the bank robbery; he
was in possession of stolen horses, and
had a sus picious plumber of sovereigns
about him, tut as TO Thunderoolt hi nself,
they were at fault. The small free selec-
tors and farmers wCCld not, or dared
not, give any informatiCui the bush tele-
graph WAS actively at work Thunderbolt
and his boy were in all probability com
fortably hidden somewhere in the ranges,
certain of timely in form alton should the
pDllCb Etb upon lntlI tIdNhs bplu M
that three of our best horses had myster-
iously disappeared; one of them, the
Doctor, winner of certain stockman' 8
purses, and hack races in particular, was
well known to him, and 20 most people
in the district, and We had little doubt as
to who had taken them. The Doctor WIS
slashing chestnut, with great staring
white face, like Blair Athol, an animal 90
be recognized mile off amid thousand
others.
SO we rode on, yawning, mile after mile
under the hot sun, intending, when We
got off the stony track on the plain, where
the going was good, TO canter on, so as 10
get home about the setting of the sun.
We rode over little stony rise and down
on TO a grassy fat, on which was feeding
little sorubby flock OF sheep, belonging
to one Peter White, who kept bush pub
lie house and store a little further down
the road Here, on the dusky track, we
very soon noticed, the Sergeant and |, the
hoof marks of three horses, one of them
shod and quite fresh; then they had evil
IDENTITY only just come on to the road, or
else we should have noticed them sooner.
The Sergeant rode over 20 the boy who
was mnding the sheep, but the convict
bred cab, with the THORN dislike of his
race 10 policemen, was sulky, and said
that he had seen no one. This was lie,
for the horse tracks were on top of the
tracks of the sheep where they had cross
cd the road on their way TO water at the
creek which ran down the middle of the
fat. SO we pushed on bit, thinking to
hear at Whites, mile ahead of us, who
the travellers might happen to be, We
rode across across'a shallow ford, starting
great mob OF white cookatoo5, which
we're drinking and bathing in the clear
water, and as We rose the opposite bank
came in sight, quarter of a mile from
us, of the clump of bush buildings which
made up Peter Whites establishment
"a long low verandaed slab house, its
iron roof shining in the western sun. and
few bark and shingled huts, kitchen,
store and stable behind It, all lying snug
~ at the foot of the forest covered hills,
just where they touched the plain.
As we c9ntered up to the place, every
thing about it aeemed silent and deserted,
save that, at the saddle stand in front of
the public house versnda stood three
horses, one carrying a pack-saddle on to
which tairhaired BOY was busy In
stamping swsg. And one of the
horses was the Doctor