BEN HALL SHOT DEAD. Forbes, May 6 h, 9 a m.

Evening Post, Issue 87, 20 May 1865, Page 2

BEN HALL SHOT DEAD. Forbes, May 6 h, 9 a m.

Ben Hall was shot yesterday ; his body was brouyht here in the mi die of the night, and now lies at the police barracks. The police' Magistrate will hold an inquiry over him this morning. Sub*inspector Javidsi-n, Sergeant Condell, and f..ur troopers ciinc upon him at his camp yesterday (Friday) morning, between five and six o'clock, in

the Bi libong Creek. Mr. Davidson and Sergeant Condell tired first, and hit him,*? The troopers then fired a volley, eyery ba I it is belkved hitting him. lie fell completely riddled, and died almost immediately. Gilbert and Dunn were not with him The police start at once in se<arch of them, and are hopeful of success. An inquest was held at Forbes on the 6th May, James Henry Davidson dt posed : [ am sub-inspector of police, stationed at Forbes. On last Saturday morninif, April 29, I left the police-camp with five men and two trackers, and started in pursuit of the bushrangers — Hull, Gilbert, and Dunn. On the evening of the fifth day from leaving Korbes we came upon two horses hobbled in the scrub about twelve miles from Forbes, near Billiboug Creek. We watched the horses for ahout half-au-hour, wh-n we saw a man approach who uaught the horses, and 1 d fiem awuy about 100 yards This was about 10 o'clock in the evening. We did not rt cognise the man. He took the horses about 100 yards, aud hobbled them ngain. Shortly afier, a tracker, Hilly Dargan, informed me thai he heard the man he saw lead away and hcbble the horses, making a noise among the dead leaves, as though he was preparing a bed for himself. I then placed five of the men in my charge where we were standing and went with sergeant Condell and Billy Dargan on the other side of the man, with the intention of attnck"ng him in his camp should we discover that he was B n Hall. We could not get within 100 yards of the man in consequence of his horse snorting a*, our approach. I then determined to wail until daybreak. About half-past six in the morning, I saw a man with a bridle in his hand, about 150 yards from where I was, approaching the horses. By this time the horses were feeding on a plain bordering the STub, and when the man was about half way from the border of tlie scrub to the hxses, tm self, Sergeant Condell, and Billy Dargan ran after him. After running about fifty ytirdo the man became aware of our presence, and ran in the direction where the five men were posted. By this time I identified the man as Ben Hall. 1 several times o.dlud on him to stand. After running about a hundred yards, I got within foity yards of Hall and fired at him. 1 shot with adoubleb.n reled gun. Hull, after my firing, jumped a little, and looked back, and from his inuveiiK ins 1 have reason to believe that 1 hit him. ¦ Seruoant Condell and Dargan (the iraukei) tiled immediately afterwards. They were running a little to the left of me, an I not far away. From the manner of i i ul', I have reason to believe that ilwndel 1 and D.irgan'* shots took i fleet. From thai time he ran more slowly towards a few saplings. Lliuflvu poiioe who were stationed bovoai him iiu iiuilLtte'ly ran towards him .aitl fireJ. 1 nulled Tro »per llipkiss firing at Hall with a rifiV, and i.nmediitely afterwards the belt holding his revolvers fell off him. At. this time In' hell himseif up hy a sapling ; aud upon receiving Ilipkiss's fire hegrudiiilly fell bau.v wards. Several other HUols were fired af.erwirds. Tliere were about; thirty shots fired in nil. li'iil then cried out, *' lam wounded : sli ml me dead." I then wei.t up to the body, and noticed that life wa-t extinct. 1 also otiserved that the bullet tired by llipkiss passed through his body. There was £74 in notes in two chamois leather bags, one in his trousers pocket, the other in his • oat breast, three gold chains and a gold watch, a portrait of a female, three revolvers, and a number of bullets in his pocket, and a gold ring keeper on his finger. Along with his saddle was a quantity of wearing apparel. There was also two single blankets. I knew the bo ly to be that of Ben Hall. His clothing 1 observed to be pfeffofAtfed with bullets. We caught the horses, aud fixed the body of deceased o.i the saddle, and in this manner brought him to Forbes -Empire, May 8.