The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-26

wild beast, and at the settlement they
were determined to finish me of as soon
as possible"
Il have heard how you escaped, u said,
as he rose up and began walking to and
fro.
Then you know that left three dead
guards behind me. They had starved. and
beaten and insulted me till Twas desperate.
They were torturing me up To the point
| should make break and they would
have due excuse to finish me of, but they
did not know what a desperate man could
do. Had they let me alone, had they given
me fair show, would have done my
work and obeyed all the rules, They
drove me to murder and robbery, and
they may be accused for it."
You were badly used. as the story
goes, | answered as he stood looking at
me with savage expression of counten-
ance, but were you driven to this sort of
ife?''
DRIVEN INTO CRIME BY CRUELTY.
''What else could l do?" he shouted.
Gas an escaped convict could not get out
of Australia. How long could l escape
detection if had not taken to the bush
and how was / to live without becoming
rangerl The government has outlawed
me and set price on my head and if
taken I'd get the rope in short order.
There's no show for me but to keep right
on till the end comes"
you see the papers now and them"
"Yes, and l see that every murder on
the road is laid to me. I've got enough of
them to answer for without any extra,
but they pile em on. l saw by Sydney
paper the other day that the reward is
up TO Il. 600"
That's the figure, l believe"
And wouldn't you like to earn it,"
mo. l want no blood money From
what have heard your trial and trans
portation resulted from perjury. / have
been told that they used you brutally at
the settlement l don't blame you for es-
Gaping, nor yet for feeling as you do, but
you deserve hanging for some of the muir
ders you have committed"
"YeS, l have shed a great deal of
blood, " he said as he sat down again
Sometimes l am glad ofitaud sometimes
sorry. | have killed to get even with the
world, and the world must balance &C
counts by taking my life. 1t won't hap
pen soon, however. Pm good for five
years more of bush life and at the end of
that time may find chance to get out of
the country"
"You'u not last long in this part of the
country. l have never given the police
any information about bushrangers, and
it's hardly fair to post you as to their do
ings, but l may say that two new stations
are 20 be established and the governor
says he will clear out the last one of you
at any cost"
That's the game, eh2 Well, if it gets
too hot we'll have to move on, l suppose,
but Wen give them try for it. Do you
know why came here tonight"
ITO see if the herder had gone, proba-
bly,"
That's it, and | was hoping he hadn't,
so l might shoot him. l saw you through
the chinks and had my finger on tho trig-
ger twice l should have shot you if you
hadn't come to the door"
"a man must be a fiend to go about
numbering people in that way" said as
looked up at him.
"You are right, he replied, though he
first scowled freely at me. There are
times when the worst of my men gets
afraid of me and skulks away. l was in
such an ugly mood this morning that all
of them left camp Even up to the time
you gave me a pipe intended to do for
you. Can you guess what my plan was2"
81 have no idea"
81 was going to tie you up in a parcel
and roast you before the fire"
We'll, l am much obliged to you for
changing your mind, as l prefer to live
on and earn 98 per month. It's only fair
good opportunities for shooting you since
you entered the hut, but l don't want
your blood on my hands"
TOUCHED THE MURDERER's HEART
He looked at me for a minute in a queer
way and then rose up, hung the belt con-
tanning his pistols and knife on a hook,
and started to lie down in the spare bunk.
The floor was pretty well carpeted with
sheep skins, but at one spot there was an
opening caused by warpage and shrink
age, and he had the luck to set his foot
down and go through with a crash. His
right leg not only went down to his hip,
but the splintered poles caught it in such
a way that he could not pull himself up
again. Not weapon of any sort was
within his reach. He was more helpless
than any of the victims of his thirst for
blood. He made three or four tremen-
dous efforts to free himself and then
quietly said:
perhaps you'll change your mind about
that $1,000 reward now. All you've got
to do is to slip out and fasten a rope
around my ankle, or it will be an easy job
to knock me on the head with an AK"
/ got stick of wood from the heap,
and by using it as a lever he was soon
enabled to draw his leg clear. He sat
and rubbed it for three or four minutes
and then limped over to the bunk and
stretched himself out. Not a word was
said by either of us. l sat for half an
hour to post up my report book and then
turned into the other bunk, and l don't
remember to have ever slept more soundly
in my whole lite. l was up and had
breakfast ready when the bushrauger
turned out Outside of a good morning
and a word or two about the weather, we
had no conversation until we had finished
breakfast and went outdoors with our
pipes Then l said to him:
Look here, Bill, want that herder to
return here and continue in charge"
"I'll see that no one bothers him." he
replied.
"And you might hint to the boys that I
don't care to be shot at as ride over the
run"
They won't waste any lead on you"
cts against the law for me to help you
along in your career, but in case of acct
dent or sickness you'll find the herder do
ing what he can. He's pretty handy at a
broken bone, and guess he knows how to
break up bush fever"
Would We shake hands with me2"
gruffiy queried the man as he turned on
me.
eyes, 1 would, but with the hope that
no more blood may stain it. Good-by to
you"
THE RESULT WAS A FAT LEGACY.
He started off along the base of the hill
and had gone perhaps twenty rods when
he halted, turned about, and retraced his
steps. He came right up to me, placed
his hand on my shoulder, and in a voice