A IDICULOUS CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY.

Dunstan Times, Issue 938, 9 April 1880, Page 3

A IDICULOUS CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY.

(Bendigo Advertiser.) Four young Englishmen of respectable appeaYaflce and good connections arrived in the colony by the True Briton on her last trip. They iiitc'nde i to stay a few months in having a tour round the colonies and then return to England. Being fond of shooting and fishing, a few days ago they left Melbourne well equipped with guns and ammunition, and arrived at Castlem'aiue They had heard th6re were some hares to he had around Muckleford, and so they went out to that locality arid pitched their camp. While in camp they were rather surprised at the number of policemen in mufti who kept coming into the camp asking some questions as to whetherjthey had seen a horse of a certain color, which was the road into Castlemaine, or to such and such a place. At night two of them left the camp to go into Castlerriaine, a third went to fetch some water, and the fourth was left in possession of the camp. Hardly had his three companions left him, when the man in charge looked up and saw the camp was surrounded, and two policemen came forward and questioned him as to his name, business, where he catrie from, and where ho was going, who wore his companions, and their business,- &c, Ho was rather nettled at what he considered the imperii-

nence of these and at first refused to give them any satisfaction till they told him who they were. They asked him it he had any firearms. “ Oh, yes,” said ho, stooping down Valid picking up a gun. “ Put that down,’’yelled one of his interlocutors. Hediil so. Presently his companion Fetumed with the water, and he was subjected to the same series of ‘ questions. The police party then left? but did not seem to be quiteTjatisfled!atdth the result of their interview. We must now account "for the presence and business of the policemen at the strangers’ camp. A rumor reached Castlemaine that the Kellys were camped near Muckolford, and the news created no little excitement amongst thejcdhstabulary. But come life or death, duty must be done, and six determined men went out, armed to the teeth, resolved “ to do or die.” When within a mile'of the'locality indicated, a council of war was held, and it was then resolved to surround the camp cautiously, avhich being done, two of the boldest were to go forward and intervierf’the supposed outlaws. When the attacking force arrived on the scene there was, as we have stated, only one man in camp. After the interview the police felt to a certain extent they had gone on a fool’s errand. Nevertheless, the camp avas placed under_surveillance_all night, for yesterday morning, when the travellers were engaged in packiug'up, they observed a policeman get into a trap and drive off at a furious rate towards Castlemaine. When they arrived at the Castlemaine railway station to get their tickets for Echuca, they saw the whole station’ fuli of policemen and a large crowd of people who were eyeing them with considerable curiosity on account of a’paragraph iiqthe’Mouut Alexander Mail of that morning describing the interview between the police and the supposed outlaws ’on the previous night. Not a word was said to them-, however, and our travellers arrived.safely at the Sandhurst station. They are evidently new chums from Yorkshire, and as much unlike the Kellys as it is possible for meii to be.