INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 155, 10 January 1867, Page 3

INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

The Sydney Morning Herald, of the 25th lilt., contains the following latest particulars of the rush at Weddin Mountain, or Emu Creek, by telegraph from their special correspondent: — "I have just had two days at the Emu Creek rush, and from what I have seen I should most earnestly beg persons who may be thinking of going there to- postpone doing so for a month or two, until rain sets in. There is no doubt gold in good payable quantities in the two gullies now working, and in others also, but there is no water to wash the gold. Some few dams have been. made, others are making, but there is no rain, and it will not be nntil four or five fillings that they will hold water. No gold has been washed in such quantity as to give a fair criterion of the yield of washdirt. All is, therefore, conjecture. The miners are very hopeful, and have large paddocks of washdirt stored. With the first rain a large amount of gold from the dirt now up, will be sent by escort and I would warn diggers not to let this mislead them, I will explain by letter. There is no incoming, and men have to support themselves whilst working. This they will have to do probably for many weeks to come. Only men with cpial of their own can do this. Men without money will reap nothing but misery here. Sticking-up has commenced on thj road ; two nien were bailing-up passers by on Saturday night last They have eluded the police. Robberies from the person and pilferings are finding occuj)ation for the police. Eleven offenders in this way were brought before the Police Court today. Over a hundred of some of the worst of the Sydney thieves' association are now on the Creek ; they have been quiet as yet. I forgot to mention in my last that the whole of the southern district looks most beautiful, the feed being everywhere more abundant than it lias been for some years past. There are about 6000 souls at present on Emu Creek. A great many who reside in Forbes, *Young, and other places near, have left for the Christmas holidays. This has reduced the population temporarily.-" The Emu Creek Miner, December 19, reports; — OnS'indaylast news was brought to the camp that a man was robbed and fatally wounded three miles from the rush on the Lachlan road. The police magistrate, with praiseworthy promptitude, immediately despatched two troopers to the scene of the outrage, who had the man conveyed to the township in a cart, Ws wounds having been previously dressed by Dr Frame, who had Jiastened to the scene. From the details of the outrage gathered from the wounded man, it appears that he is a German, named Charles Schafft, recently arrived from the direction of the Darling. Having been attracted to these diggings, he was nearing his journey's end, when he was accosted by a man with a bridle over his shoulder. They entered into a conversation, during wliich the ruffian said he was looking for his lost horse, and would show -the German a short cut through the bush to the diggings. Naturally enough this apparently kind offer was accepted, and they proceeded on their way ; they had not travelled far until the new acquaintance dropped behind the German. After walking a short distance in this fashion the fellow closed upon liis victim, and ere the German was on his guard the cowardly scoundrel plunged a knife into Ins right side, penetrating completely through the cartilages of the ribs, and slightly touching the lung. The German staggered a few yards and dropped, and his assailant then rifled his pocketsiof L 24 in notes and some silver. The German, recovering from the suddenness of the attack, encountered his would-be-murderer, but got the worst of it. The fellow then coolly said that he was sorry for what he had done, but did not intend doing so, but he ' had a w.ife and family starving ; and being a water carter and having lost Ms horse, he had to rob. He offered if the German would say notliing about it to give him back half of it,, but changed his mind and refused. The German now, with the aid of a stick, . was feebly endeavoring to hasten into the diggings to have liis wound dressed, it having bled a good deal, when his assailant again followed him, and aimed a heavy blow with a sapling at his head, but missing the head struck his shoulder. Another encounter then ensued, and the wounded man was getting the worst of it, when he became exhausted and was again at the mercy of the ruffian who, being afraid to murder his victim outright, left him, taking his swag away with him. The wounded man after a

short rest then tried to make to the diggings, and came across some men, who immediately attended to him, and reported the affair to the police. It was feared on Sunday night that the man was dying ; but the medical man attending him states that he is hopeful of his recovery, though the escape was a narrow one. The police are in , active pursuit of the perpetrator of this, one of the most cold-blooded attempts at murder ever known. A thunderstorm which visited Dunolly on Wednesday evening, 28th ult., was most severe at the Bet Bet. The inmates of Mr. Donald Grant's Hotel were alarmed about nine o'clock by a terriiic crash. Next morning it was found that a large boxwood tree, standing at the rear of the garden and distant about 100 yards from the house, had been shattered by the lightening. The tree, which is fully four feet in diameter, was split through the centre from a fork about forty feet high right to the earth, and the ground for 100 yards round was litterally covered with the debris. One piece, four or five feet long, was thrown within a few yards of Mr. Grant's house, sti iking the ground at the foot of a young cherry tree, completely rooting it up, and throwing it three or four feet from where it stood. Another large piece was found amongst the potatoes, more than seventy yards from the shattered tree ; the garden was | strewed with smaller pieces. Such a severe storm has not been witnessed on the Bet Bet for many years. Very little rain fell.