The Delawarean., 1900-05-12

tended that the man had been In
subordinate and even threatened his
| life, and some Of the convicts backed
him up in hopes of making things
easier for themselves, hut | knew that
1t was a false Charge. 1t wouldn't dc
to say too much to Stebbins however
Low and contcrp.i.lc us he was. lie
had a pull wi.l ta2 3 ye.ancat ald
did not hesitate 10 threaten revenge
ON me for interfering with his disci-
pline. Neither one Of us sent in Il re-
port but we were open enemies after
that.
Not one convict in thousand would
have stood the insults and degradation
put upon Back lin during the next
year. | know he tried his best, but
there was no pleasing Stcbbins. He
was always boaSting that he had gen
tleman convict and that he was bound
to "break" him. and he spent good
share of his time worrying the man. 1t
was an almost daily thing for Black
Jim to be tlogged and four-tifths of his
days We're spent under lock and key
and on Il diet of bread and water NV
interest in him saved him somewhat.
but as the weeks went by knew what
the end would be. He would either
rise up in his desperation and kill Steb-
bins or he would bolt for the bush and
join a gang of rangers. There We're
times when | felt veXed with him that
he didn't do ole or the other and show
proper spirit, although it would have
been my duty to humt him down in
either case. One day. . : was return
ing with the troop after hunting down
false alarm of bushIangers. my horse
SHE'D and threw me almost i'm front Of
Stebbins' house, and as | struck on
stone and had several ribs broken |
was carried in lie was not glad to
see me. but under the circumstances
was obliged to give me bed. Having
got settled the police surgeon would
not allow me TO be removed. The
brute Stchbns wanted to show his in
dependence of the police and persccutc
Black Jim nj the same time. and the
insults he heapcd on that convict for
three or four days made me itch to
shoot him. On the fourth night of my
accident four men and three women
arrived for an evening visit They
We're about the only friends Stebbins
had in social way, and he made them
very welcome. My being in the house
was not permitted to interfere with the
festivities. When dinner had been fin
ishcd and the drink had gone around.
Stebbins sent for Black Jim and or
dered him to dance for the amusement
of the company. The convict respect
fully but firmly refused, and his master
cried out in indignation:
''You won't dance. eh? Too much of
a gentleman to give us a hornpipe.
Mehbe this company isn't swagger
enough for the likes of a bloomin mur-
derer.'
I protested. but Stebbins went ahead.
The men gave him their assistance and
the women encouraged him. He had
had ropes ana pulleys fastened to the
ceiling long before, and it wasn't five
before the convict was fasten-
ed up l saw desperation in his face
as they laid hands on him, but he did
not resist. His arms were drawn IN
till his feet We're clear of the floor, and
had | been able to reach a pistol |
know | should have killed some one.
The man had been hanging ten min
utes, and the agony had almost
brought unconcOusness, when the door
was kicked open and four bushrangers
crowded in. 1t was a complete sur
prise. The women screamed out and
began to cry, but the men, with the
exception of Stebbins took it rather
cool. The bully and coward went white
as death and fell into a chair, and it
was almost pitiful to hear him beg for
his life. He knew those bushrangers
were escaped convicts. and he also
knew that stories of his brutality had
gone to them While three of the
rangers covered the people with their
pistols, the fourth cut Black Jim down.
Then he stepped over and took look
It me and said he had heard of my ac- |
,ident and was sorry for it. When
Black Jim had recovered sufficiently to
stand on his feet, the leader of the out
laws put a pistol in his hand, and,
to Stebbins, said:
shoot him dead in his chair. He
deserves mercy from no man."
Jim returned the pistol and shook his
head Next instant Stebbins toppled
out of his chair with a bullet in his
head, and the leader said:
Sorry TO have interrupted the fes-
Ilvities, but it was our calling night.
We were after Stebbins alone, and the
rest of you need not fear. Come, Jim:
we want you"
Two of them helped the forger con-
vict out OF tile house and upon a horse.
md that was the making of the most
notorious bushranger in all Australia.
He had career of five years and then
lied from a bullet, and it was two
years after his death before it became
publicly known that he had let the law
make convict of him in order to
shield a brother. / had always be-
ieyed him innocent of the crime, and,
knowing how he had been prosecuted
md abused by Stebbins, almost re-
oiced when the bushrangers carried
aim off to make a leader of him.
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