Glasgow Courier. — 1853-12-20 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

THE GOLD ROBBERS IN AUSTRALIA. MELBOURNE, SEPT. 22.—The ringleaders of the daring gang of mounted highwaymen who stopped the arlver gold- escort and plundered it of nearly £lO,OOO of treasure, in July last, have at length been brought to justice. They turn out to he notorious London thieves, who had been transported to the colony, and were known by the names of George Melville, George Wilson 1001 William Atkins. The trial, which excited very great interest at Melbourne, took place on the 18th instant, at the Criminal Superior Court, before Mr. Justice Williams, the Attorney-General of the colony prosecuting, and occupied two days. They were severally indicted for attempting to murder, by shooting anTI robbery on the highway. The guilt of the prisoners was mainly established through one of the gang turning I approver. Ills name is John Francis—a ticket-of-leave I convict, teansported from Sheffield in 1347, and the sohI stance of his evidence was as follows:—' On the 26th if July last, he, yi ith the three prisoners awl two others, let; the Nl'l vor gold .fields for a place called Kignetou, where they proposed to attack the gold escort on its way from the diggings to Melbourae. The plans were arranged some days previous. They all of them had horses, each I man beiug Well armed with revolvers. They succeeded in reaching Rigneton at about nine o'clock at night; haying seen to the loading of their revolvers o ith bullets and duck shot, they cut large boughs off the trees and stuck them in the road, upright, so as to screen those at:alined behind. While this was being done, the prisoners WilSOll and Melville rode off to meet the escort, and returned in about half an hour m ith the reefs, ' it's coming.' They then concealed themselves, arranging the moment the escort came to fire upon the troopers and shoot the horses. On the advance troopers reaching the spot they espied the prisoners behind the boughs in the read, and instantly fired at them. Witness and the rest if the gang immediately rushed forward, and a volley onpoured npoa the escort, they returaing the fire. Two, f the troopers then turned their horses' heads and galloped away. The prisoner Wilson and witness fuller, ed, but were unable to overtake them. The fight with the escort became general till those in charge of it were wounded. The boxes of gold were then seized mid taken from the cart, and the prisoners, and the rest of them made off through the bush for a distance of seven miles, to a place called Tiers Range, where they encamped and divided the gold equally among the six; it was measured out in a powder flask. They then separated, taking various roads for Melbourne, where the uitnese had a house. Ile reached home on the Sunday night following, the prisoner Wilson and Atkins meeting him there by appointment. They evaded the vi,„eilance of the police until the 11th of August, when he, with the prisoners, was apprehended. One of the other men was a brother-in-law ; his nape was Francis; he 'bad since committed suicide. The biTtit Woo named Gray; be had not been taken. The last time be saw the prisoner Melville was on board the ship Collooney; he said he was going to the Mauritius; he was subsequently apprehended on board the Madagascar, bound for London. Witness and his brother-in-law, with Wilson, had also arranged to leave in the same ship. 'D A boxes of gold on board was the produce of the rolsbery• Francis added that he knew eotliiiie of the 1500 reward which the government had offered to the man who would turn approver, and had not seen any of the bills that had been posted to tide effect in Melbourne. He made the confession for the love of justice, and not to allow an innocent man to suffer. The escort stated that the gang consisted of more men than had been described by Francis; they were not, however, nice, but but thought they amounted to twelve, mid 100 six. These who remained were shot don I. by the gaol, and were wounded. Some of their horses were shot dead. Two of the escort picked out the prisoners. Melville and the approver Francis, out of sixty men, as two of the song. Several of the witnesses identified' lumps boxes, die., of gold' found in the prisoners' boxes as being their prosgothldenarendeoffradneldrafte for /I,2iYiN perty, the produce of the diggiag on Wilier gold fic:.l. The amount of gold found on Wilson was £540. In ee miles and in those belonging to Atkins 1800. At the close of the evidence Mr. Justice Williams proceeded to sum lIP. and the jury, after forty minutes' deliberation, returned ; verdict of guilty againet the whple of the prisoners. out no hopes of mem/. the judge holding