New South Wales Bank Tragedy.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 300, 28 April 1894, Page 2

New South Wales Bank Tragedy.

FULL PARTICULARS OF THE CRIME. At half-past one o'clock on the afternoon of April 1 8th two armed men rode up on horseback to the Barraba branch of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney, entered the banking room, shot the manager dead, and, being interrupted, fled before they had succeeded in procuring any booty. The attempt was a daring and reckless one. It threw the township into the greatest excitement, and, the police being absent, the ablebodied residents, armed and mounted, went in pursuit of the perpetrators of the murder. The fugitives, who were mounted on splendid horses, rode along the Camp Santa Road, which would lead them into very wild country. Both constables at Barraba were absent at the time of the tragedy, but they returned later in the day, arid strange to say, they met the murderers eight miles from Barraba, but they were not then aware of what had happened, and so they passed the men. The murder took place during the dinner hour. No one other than the manager and his wife was about the bank. The manager was: at dinner with his wife in a room adjoining the bank office. When the two men entered the office the manager locked the door communicating with the dining room. Directly afterwards Mrs McKay heard loud speaking, and endeavored to enter the office, but was unable to do so, the door being locked. Immediately afterwards two shots were fired, one hitting the manager just above the left ear. The other, penetrating the locked door, struck the wall of the dining room. The bullet was subsequently found on the floor. Three or four residents, as soon as they heard shots and the screams of Mrs McKay, hurried to the scene. The murderers were just remounting, one being on his horse with a bulldog revolver in his hand, which He pointed at the people approaching the bank. He wore a slouched felt hat with a white turban. He had a full brown beard. The second man was very dark and had a full beard. It is not known whether the manager tried to use his revolver. The mounted police and black trackers from here and the outlying stations were a\\ sent in pursuit Mr McKay expired in a few minutes. Several shots were fired. Two of the bullets have been found in the adjoining room. The third bullet is still lodged in the head of the victim. The men must have been frustrated in their design, as on entering a large amount of notes and coin was found on the table adjoining the safe. The men, after the deed was done, rushed out of the bank, and a young fellow who endeavoured to send their two horses, which were tied up in front of the bank, adrift,- was threatened to be shot. They also pointed their revolvers at some of the men who were running towards the bank. Their horses seemed to be in splendid condition and of the very best kind. One of the murderers had some black crape tied over his face when the robbery was committed. There were no witnesses to the tragedy. There U no doubt that the object of the men was to rob the bank, and it it, therefore, thought by some of the officials of the head office that the robbers did notintend to kill Mr McKay. It is surmised that when the robbers covering Mr McKay with their firearms ordered him to bail up, he drew his revolver to make a fight of it, and that on seeing this the desperadoes anticipated him by putting a bullet through his head. Mr W. C. McKay, the victim of the outrage, was 28 yoars of age. He was a married man, and leaves a widow and four children, the youngest an infant. He resided with his family at the bank.