The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1895-10-24
THE BUSHRANGERS
BY GALES HUNT.

Of the following authentic events in
| connection with two notorious AustrEl-
ian bushrangers, Pearson and Ruther-
ford. may be read with some interest.
The scOundrels had a short and not
very brilliant career, but the details
which | learned from eye witnesses.
the facts that came ont in the police
court. where | had the painful duty
| to sit as one Of the committing magis
trates in the case of one Of them, and
the subsequent awful fate of the other
together make up record of crime
not unworthy o. reproduction; and
should this story reach the eyes of any
Of those who were concerned in it,
they will pardon me for adhering SO
scrupulOusly to the bare facts and in
cidents that [ have not even suppres
sed their names.
During the terrible drought in De
cember, 1863, Of which Australian
| 'squatters" will have a lively but bitter
recollection. 50 great were my straits
that | had directed two Of my over
| seers. James McNall and Henry Iouch
to brand and prepare some twenty
thousand sheep for the road" to trav-
el in search of grass and water, now
scarce in my own country. The
drafting yards were at Cons Hut"
an out station about seventy miles
from Fort Bourke. Half a mile up
the Warrego 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 habitation
broke the dreary monOtOny Of what Is
termed in Australia The Bush" but
what in reality consists of a success
sion of bare and parched plains, in
tersected at long intervals hy narrow
belts Of timber or occasionally pine
ridges. Suddenly the men were disturb
ed in their work, as they afterward
told me, by the sound of several shots
fired almost simultaneously in the di-
rection of the public house. To catch
their hobbled horses, saddle them,
and gallop off to see what was up at
Billy Shearer's" was the work Of a few
minutes.
Now what did happen at ''Shearers"
| will describe by giving, as near as
memory will serve me, the substance
Of his evidence at the trial. He stat
ed that at about noon on this Decem
ber dav 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 mounted police,
McManus a trooper Of the Queensland
force, and their black boy, the native
''tracker." rode up, and having alight-
ed 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 concern
ed. and had been tracked to that 10
calitv. Shearer knew Rutherford
from his having 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 appearance; 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, plac ing his rifle within reach
against the counter-the other con
stable was stationed beside him
when two men rode up, hitched their
horses to the veranda posts in front of
the inn. and without warning the
foremost Rutherford entered the
room, and covering Shearer with his
revolver, uttered the formula so much
dreaded at the time in Australia,
Bail upm the doorway at the same
time being occupied by the other man,
Pearson, also revolver IN hand. Find
ing themselves in such close proximi-
! ty to the police was no doubt an IN
expected surprise, but Seargeant Nc
Cabe's challenge Ito surrender had
no other effect than to cause Ruther
ford to wheel half round after his aim,
and fire. McCabe, as it appeared, re
ceiving the ball as he was in the act Of
leaning forward, and though without
time to bring bis rifle othe shoulder,
discharging it in that attitude at Pear
son in the doorway. The scene of con
fusion was indescribable- the small
room was dense with smoke-six shots
it is believed, having been exchanged
in almost as 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 Pearson was seen to drop his re
volvpr and to be staggering, and, as
was subsequently discovered, was shot
through the wrist and shoulder. Nc
Cabe was down. mortally wounded.
and the first care seems to have been
for him, circumstance which explains
the almost nnmolested escape of the
bushrangers.
1t was at tins iuncture that the ov
ersaers. NcNall and Xouch. came up
on the scene. ana. without further de
lay. armed themselves with poor Nc
Cabe's rifle and revolver, and, accom-
panied by the unhmat trooper and his
native boy. went in pursuit. Follow
ing the tracks they reached the head
station. Balaile. where they learned
that Pearson and his mate had been
before them, and helped to two of my
best horses, abandoning their own.
and. leaving the road. had struck out
due west across the bush. This occas
stoned some surprise. as Rutherford,
who knew the ground. must have been
aware that such q route, if persisted
in. would necessiate seventy miles
without water, and that, too, with a
[ ,r1r1DIa3 nomrsIn
Occasionally across the wide plains
the fugitives were sighted. riding
/ liesurely along, little suspecting how
closely they were followed: and our
men had to check their pace. as thier
/ tactics were to keep them in ignor-
ance of pursuit, with the hope of be
ing able TO take them by a night sur