ATTACK UPON THE MELBOURNE PRIVATE GOLD ESCORT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume III, Issue 139, 3 September 1853, Page 4

ATTACK UPON THE MELBOURNE PRIVATE GOLD ESCORT.

The following narrative of the details of this outrage, appears in the columns of the Melbourne Morning Herald, of the 25th July. • From the account given by Mr. Warner, the officer in command of the Escort, we learn that the latter started from M'lvor on Wednesday morning, at about nine o'clock, and having been delayed •ebout half an hour on the road by a change in the order of proceding, they reached the scene of the attack at about noon. The outrage was committed at a point of the track situated about three miles from the Mi-Mi inn, between the latter and M'lvor. A log of woqd, or rather the trunk of a tree, was placed in such, a. direction as to'form an angle in the road. On the right of the road and about five yards from the. highway, there appeared to be a deserted mi-mL formed of boughs and branches of trees. This was the form of ambuscade

chosen by the murderous assailants. The undulations of the road, and the thickness of the scrub in that country, went far to aid their terrible design. The first intimation the escort received of their dangerous neighbours, was a volley from seven or eight guns, discharged from the mi-mi. Four of the troopers, including the driver, were at once put hors de combat. Their names are, T. Flooks, the driver, wounded dangerously in the knee; a ball also grazed his temple. S. B. Davis, trooper, wounded badly in his cheek, his nose also injured. J. Morton, trooper, shot in the breast. R. Boeswetter, trooper, shot in the thigh, and his arm dislocated by a fall. Three horses were also wounded and one killed. The horses of Mr. Warner and Sergeant Duins were both struck, but not so as to disable them.

Seeing four out of the six who composed the Escort, now helpless, and finding that the bushrangers numbered from eleven to fourteen men, armed mostly with double-barrelled guns, Mr. Warner, after he and the Sergeant had each discharged three barrels of their revolvers without effect, thought resistance to the present attack was hopeless, and he therefore at once ordered Sergeant Dtiins to gallop off to the Government camp, situated about three miles distance, in order to .obtain assistance. The Sergeant accordingly rode away and gave the alarm at the police station, when one mounted trooper (all the available force there), accompanied by several volunteers, without any delay moved to the place where the Escort had been attacked. In the meantime Mr. Warner watched the movements of the bushrangers. They ■removed the gold, which was contained in two boxes, into the bush, and Mr. Warner followed them as near as he could, and, as he thought, xmperceived. They had not, however, proceeded far, when some of. them observed Mr. Warner following them, and three of them fired at him. He returned their fire with the contents of the three barrels of his revolver. Mr. W. thought at first he had hit one of the robbers, but upon searching the spot afterwards, he could not find any marks of blood. Being now without any means of attack, Mr. Warner thought it better to procure further assistance, and knowing that the Sergeant's horse was wounded, he feared that he might not have been able to proceed the full extent of his journey, and so determined himself to go off to Patterson's station, where he alarmed the country. Returning with assistance, he found that a man had come up in his absence, and had placed three of the wounded troopers in the cart, and was proceeding with them in the direction of M'lvor. Mr. Warner had previously placed Flooks, the driver, in some brushwood, where he was lying down unable to move. The cart} now returned to the poor driver, who was placed in it, the wounds of the men were looked to, and an active search commenced in the direction in which the bushrangers had taken. The man (previously spoken of as havingiplaced the wounded in the cart) pointed out a track as being certainly the one taken; but in some respects his manner was so unsatisfactory that Mr. Warner thought proper to detain him, and he was ordered into custody. He said he was searching for his horses, but having a heavy swag at his back, his account of himself was doubted. Mr. Langley soon came to the spot with about a dozen mounted troopers, and the scrub was again examined by the whole of the parties on the spot. The scrub here is so thick, that a person might be fully concealed from view, even if only at nine feet distance; the soil is stony, and in parts covered with long kangaroo grass. The search was unavailing, although upwards of three miles were closely examined. Three troopers from M'lvor subsequently found three horses belonging to {the robbers. The animals were provided with packsaddles, which appeared to have been prepared for moving the treasure. But it is supposed that, seeing the sergeant ride off to the camp, they were compelled to move off without venturing back to their animals. In the mi-mi from which they fired, were found some tin pannikins, hats, two coats, a double-barrelled gun, and several trifling articles. The wounded men were then conveyed to the hospital at government camp at M'lvor, where several medical men undertook the care of them. Several of the robbers were especially noted by the members of the Escort, and their persons can . ti.e.positively- identified- _ .Tb^e.y_appsared_toJ>e. acting under the direction of a leader. They were mostly attired in guernseys, and upon the heads of the greater part of them were worsted comforters, worn turban fashion.

Death of one of the Troopers.—lntelligence was received in town yesterday of .the death of Mr. Morton* a fine young man, one of the Escort guard who was shot near the region of the lungs. It was also reported that Flooks, the driver, was no more ; but this we are informed is premature, though he is in a very v/eak condition. The prisoner Henry Hazel, apprehended on suspicion at Kalkallo, will be brought up for examination at the District Court to day, but it is supposed that a further remand will be the consequence, as the witnesses have not had time to come to town. Yesterday afternoon the detective police arrested a man named M'Quin, on suspicion of being one of the murderers, and he is now in the watch-house.

Capture of the Leader of the Gang.— It will be some gratification to learn that the leader of the gang who attempted the wholesale and cold-blooded slaughter of the private escort, has been captured and recognised, and that he admits himself to be one of the party. The wretch was taken in bed on the following Saturday, at M'lvor diggings, where he was lying, booted aud spurred. He is an ill looking fellow named Christie, about twenty-six years of age, and whose life has been one scene of crime from first to last. He had not long escaped from Pentridge stockade, and it was the lookout for him as a runaway convict which led to his detection as one of the would-be murderers. A great many other parties have been taken on suspicion, and discharged for want of identification, but it is to be hoped and expected that the large rewards offered by the Government arid the Company for the apprehension of the gang will cause a " split" among the villains and ultimately lead to the detection of all the culprits. As yet none of the gold or the money has been recovered. The government offers a reward of £500 per head for the apprehension of any of the villians; and £1000 per head, provided the whole of them be taken. Also to any accomplice giving the required information, a free pardon, a free passage from the colony, and a guarantee of protection while in it. We sincerely trust the glittering bait will be swallowed, and the entire gang delivered up to justice.— Herald, July 29.