The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1900-06-13

NV1 N<<EZ4Y snip WIN an
" H other lad Of his
age, who was
exactly opposite to him in character,
tastes, and pursuits, but, neverthe-
less, they we're inseparable "mates,"
and all Bills people hoped that the
influence Of this very quiet, sedate
youth would in time tame Bills wild
and lawless nature. As the boys
grew into their teens it became the
question Of choosing a career, and the
luiet boy always said he wanted to
get into the police. That was his
great ambition, and more promising
recruit could not be desired. Itcame
out afterwards that when the lads dis
,ussed the subject, the embryo police
man often observed "If you don't
Iook out, Bill, and alter your ways,
ri be always having to arrest you" J"
Bill.laughed this suggestion to scorn,
not that he had any intention of
amending his ways, but he could not
believe that any one, who knew his
great physical strength and utter reck-
essness, would dare to lay hand on
him.
The strange thing was that, in spite
Of strong instinct for plundering,
Bill was universally acknowledged to
be splendid "bushman"--that is,
,ne familiar with all the signs and
common objects of the forests. He
would have made an ideal explorer,
and could have lived in the bush in
plenty and comfort, under conditions
in which any one else would have
starved or died of thirst.
Time passed on. and one of the boys,
at least, got his hearts desire and was
enrolled in the very fine police force
Of Fremantle. Just about this time
one OF the neighbors imported q spe-
cial breed of fowls, which Bill forth
with proceeded to torment in his
leisure moments. One Sunday even
ing, Just at dusk, Bill was hanging
about the poultry yard with evil in
tent, when he suddenly perceived his
friend in uniform and on duty, the
other side of a low hedge. The
owner of the fowls had asked for q
constable to watch the place, and, as
i'll luck would have it, Bills friend
was sent. The two boys looked at
each other for moment, and then
the policeman said:
"Now, Bill, you had better come
along quietly with me; there's war
rant out against you, and I've got tC
take you to the police station"
''If you come one step nearer I'll
shoot you Dead" answered Bill.
That's all nonsense, you know,
the poor young constable replied, ant
began pushing the hedge aside to gel
through II. Bill drew his revolver
aud shot the friend and playmate o
his whole life dead on the spot. H,
then rushed back to his own place
and, hastily collecting some food an'
cartridges, was Off and away into tn
nearest "bush" or forest, the firing
of which almost touched even tn
principal towns in those days.
1t is hardly possible to imagine tn
state of excitement into which thi
crime threw the primitive little com
munity. Murders were Comparatively
rare, and was told that they were al
most always committed by old "lags,
men who had begun as convicts per
haps thirty-five or forty years before
and had generally only been let out
short time before on ticket-of-leave
But this catastrophe was quite fres
departure, and called forth almost q
much sympathy for the relatives G
the wretched Bill as for those OF hi
victim. The native trackers set I
work at once, and picked up Bill
trail without any difficulty but tn
thing was to catch him. No Will-o
Wisp could have been more elusiv,
and he led the best trackers and tn
most wary constables a regular dane
over hills and valleys, through dens
brush and scrub-covered sand, da
, after day. News would come of th
police being hot on his tracks thirt
miles of, and that same night stoi
in Fremantle would be broken int
: and two or three of its best guns, wit
suitable cartridges would be missing
As time went on the various lardel
in Perth were visited in the same III
!. kexpected manner, and emrtied
thc;r contents. Bill never took an,
D thing except ammunition, food an
tobacco, but whenever the polio
r came up with his camping-ground-
often TO find the fire still smoulderir
! they always found several newsp
= pers Of the latest flates giving partic
. lars Of where Fs' supposed to b