REMINISCENCES OF BUSH SANGER.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 August 1927, Page 1

REMINISCENCES OF BUSH SANGER.

hair locks as souvenirs,

SYDNEY, Aug. 4

There are many Australian pioneers, now 80 and 00 j'ears of age, who can unfold wonderful reminiscences of days which Australia will never see again, of days when death was faced daily in dozens of ways as a- mere part of evoryday routine. Many of these reminiscences find their way into print, and others arc treasured possessions of family circles. The ranks of the old pioneers are being rapidly thinned by death, and some of these links with the days “when the world was wide” Hire becoming valuable commentaries nn tho hardships of 70 and 80 years

MEETING AVITH MORGAN. To a Melbourne newspaper recently, one of these grand old pioneers, Afrs K. Marshall, told some of her tales of day.-; gone by. Particularly interesting was her account of a meeting she and her husband had with a notorious 1 ash-ranger named Morgan. Air and Airs Marshall were then employed on Poochelba Station, near the junction of the Murray and Ovens rivers, in Northern Victoria. The news had been circulated that Morgan had been seen in the. district and one evening one of the part-owners of the station, a Scot, named Telford, was accosted by the bushranger as lie was returning from a distant part of the station with several station hands. Morgan, producing a revolver, introduced him. sol I to the party and commanded them to take him to their house. The son ot another part-owner of the • station. McPherson, opened tho door, and to

the vision's introduction, “My name’s .Morgan,” answered coolly, “Oh, walk in, Air Morgan.” All hands on the station were commanded to go to McPherson s house, where they remained for the night. No one wu,s permitted lo go to bed. Morgan sat on a. table with a revolver in his hand all night, carrying on conversation and permitting only servants to leave the room to prepare supper. One of the servants escaped and brought the police, hut they would not attack Morgan because of the danger to his prisoners.

SHOT BY POLICE. When morning came, Morgan said

“1 am going to cross the Pioneer Range, and I want a fresh horse.” AlcPherson replied : “If you w.ill come with me. I will show you whore the horse is.” Covering the men of the company with his revolver, Morgan followed him to the stables, and a.s ho turned to inspect the horse brought out for him. a waiting constable shot him fatally in the book. Recalling this happening. Airs Marshall said: “Tt- was a- cowardly thing to do, but 1 suppose- it was necessary for the man was an outlaw who would have fought fiercely if given an opportunity. Poor AlcPherson was so startled hy the •shooting that he dropped io The Ground and was ill for a long time afterwards. They took Morgan’s hodv •to the sheep-shod and covered it with skins. Ho had ltenutifnlly black curly hair, and nearly everyone snipped off a lock as a- memento of the occasion, leaving him quite bald.”