The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1898-05-05

lively denied all knowledge, and had
big George" remained in his hiding
place he would have escaped. Finding
the police at hand, and probably be-
lieying he had been tracked to the
spot, he made off down the ravine to
escape across the creek. Unfortunately
for him he was seen as he skulked
along, and the alarm was raised and he
was pursued. He led them a chase OF
three miles, and wounded two men
when he was finally brought to bay,
but they laid hands on him and he
was sent down to the coast and con-
victed and hung. He told me on the
night before the attack that he had
about $1,000 hidden away, and he in
tended to get it and try to get out of
the country. The police made every
effort to get possession of this money,
but he died defying them. Fifteen years
later it was found by the wife of a
squatter in a hollow tree, and as it was
all in gold none of it had suffered from
exposure to the weather. The police
insisted that l had given the outlaw
aid, and they made me considerable
trouble over the affair.
This was of benefit to me in the end.
however. About the time | got back
TO my flock, BLACK BiIl' and his gang
of seven men came into the neighbor-
hood. All were escaped convicts, and
all men OF the most desperate sort.
They came riding up to the hut soon
after sunrise one morning and ordered
me to kill a sheep and prepare break
fast. l was dressing the sheep,
with one of the men acting as sentinel
and the rest lying around and smoking
their pipes. "Biack Bill" said to
me:
You have nothing to fear from us,
young man. You are the herder who
took care Of Big George and it was
not your fault that he was captured
Play us as fair as you did him, and
there will be no trouble between u.s."
Each and every man had a good
word for me, but | was glad enough
when the gang departed. They were
continually cursing and quarreling,
and the deeds they boasted of kept me
in a tiutter of fear. Two days later
one of the men left me tobacco, bacon
and coffee as he rode past my hut, and
every day or two l caught sight of
some of them. Their headquarters were
in the hills, only about mile away,
and on two or three occasions. late at
night, l heard them singing and
shouting. In the ten weeks they were
in the neighborhood they robbed
score of travellers on the road, held up
farm houses, and defeated the police
in two battles, and not one of them
was even wounded. Three different
times the officers came 10 me for in
formation, being sure that must know
of the gang. On the last
occasion, about four o'clock one after
noon. they provoked me to angry re-
torts, and as they were an independent
and arbitrary force in those times,
lealing out law to suit themselves, they
threw rope over my neck and pulled
NE up to limb to teach me lesson
n humility. When they rode away
they left me half dead and fierce for re-
'enge, and from that hour all the
money in Australia could not have
empted me to betray a bushranger.
Unknown to any of us, an outlaw had
been concealed in the ravine during
he performance" and when the police
disappeared he came out and had
eW kind words to say and assisted me
% round up my scattered flock. Next
lay BLACK Bill" appeared in person
md handed me handsome gold watch
md ESQ in gold. TO have refused his
,ifts would have been to insult him.
Fhe money | retained and made Use of,
'ut year later | restored the watch
q lawyer from whom it had been
AIKEN. The end of the gang came about
through its betrayal by one CT its
members. He led the police into camp
II midnight, and the sounds of the bat
lie which followed awoke me from
ieep. Three policemen were killed
nd two wounded, and two bush
angers were killed and all the rest
aptured and duly executed.
The Red Knight" was the cavalier
+ all bushrangers. His name was
icorgc Mcknight, aud he was the son
i an English gentleman and gentle
,an himself. He had been transported |
Or embezzIemcnt and assault, but after |
erving for three years had escaped |
nd taken to the bush. He had with |
i'm at that time five men, none of
'hom were of the ruffianly type, |
hough full of courage and ready to
AXE desperate chances. The locality |
ad been clear of outlaws for weeks
hen this gang arrived, and they not
My made headquarters in the rayine
poken of. but had been there two days
efore i got on to the fact. One morn
lg the neigh of horse and the sight
I smoke aroused my suspicious. bu.
made no investigation. At about
monday the "Red Eniuhts came WALL