CAPTURE OF BUSHRANGERS, SUPPOSED TO BE A PORTION OF GARDINER'S GANG.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 204, 4 August 1862, Page 5

CAPTURE OF BUSHRANGERS, SUPPOSED TO BE A PORTION OF GARDINER'S GANG.

ONK BUSJIUANCKR SII^T DIiAH. _ Yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon, a messenger arrived iv Kihnore from Yea, bringing information from Senior Constable Buck, and W. L. Kerr, Esq. J.P., to Mr. Chambers, Superintendent of Police here stating that three bushrangers had been captured' one of whom was dead, having been shot, and requesting that additional police assistance might at once lie sent up. Tiie messenger started from Yea about two p.m. on Tuesday, bqt, owing to the bad state of the road, which for miies is under water, he could not reach here until the time stated. S-inerin-t'-ndent Chambers immediately started off two troopers on receiving the information. The mail which arrived to-day from Yea brought further information on the subject, ,-,/ id through the kindness of Superintendent Chambers v o are enabled to give a pretty ' correct statement of the particulars of the capture of i the men. I run the information at hand we learn that on Monday fifter;;oo:i Mr. Grant, a well-known squatter, residing na the Switzerland station, near Wi, came into the hater place and imported to Sc-nior Cnsttl.le Luck that several times durin" the previous t-u .b-vs the men on his station had seen a man of suspicious appearance, and bavin" a iiumb.-r of ]j r-es in his charge, encamp.-.d in ii very secluded an 1 unusual camping spot. On the tolh.win.: morning. Constable Luck, in company with Mr. (..rant, preceded to the encampment. . sit'iat-0,, ap-,r:i,:i of the run called Pack BulloelUat. hve or six miles from the home station, and nearly close to tiie river bank, they saw a small blanket tent, an-l went towards it. On getting near it, three men came out, and immediately be"an to move about iv rather a tharied manner.' The constable than began to interrogate them, and risked them where th.-y w.-re g.,i : .g. One reph-d "to Melbourne," and the other "to the Jordan," at the same moment. fit: •': at once rcee„oii,el a strikin" re-s-nh!:uce hetwee- the mea and the two "who wen, iep.rte.l in the daily papers to have 1.c,. n sei-n to pii-s Yvangaratvi abm* a fortnirht rco, and supp.-vd to be part of Gardner's jcirtv. Theto v.ere al.-.o two grey horses, :u ,.i a wat^rpnC.f yaii- ansA-.'-rintr the description, , ; -nr the tent, Atf-r having aii.were'l several .pa, i ,-><. the bushrangers ;us.;e(| by what authority th-y were questioned .' Luck toid them thai h- was a i...i[.--.; con-table and required them to surrender. Thereupon one- whom Hack supp is-1 to be irar-liii-r, a- liis appearance s-eeie i to tally exar-lly with a.i..-e r ;,,tion of' bim published in Uie papers-pid.c 1 <■•., ;i m-uikey jacket, but kfore he had time to p it his band to the p..-bet. Buck sprang from his hor.-e, s-.-izc { the o.at, w:\-siel ii from the bu-hraiigcr. an-l aftei-.vanls s-i/.e i th- latter by the. throat, having first taken from the pocket of the" coat a six-barred-d p-ppcrbox; u-vlver. Hu.-k tlien thrcitviiel to fire if the mm did not surrender. I'pon thi-. one of the other men to .k a Colt's revolver from another monkey ja-ket, an 1 stepping back ab.ut a dozen paces, threatened lo fire at the coi^tahl- if he di 1 not let c... The third bushrangvr took un a stick, threatening to knock Buck down if he did not 10-.o} his 1.-i.l |. The man succeeded in partia'lv fr«ei„g hirnslf, and then got hold of Buck's throat, but the pi»to! of the latter was still at the breast of the former, and was on the pwint of being fired, as was a!-, the imp held by the oth»r bushranger. The latter diaandcd that the pisf-l sliotild be given up, stating that he would tire if it were not. Mr. Grant, who was iinarine I, remained very cool, recommended Huck to give way and five up the pistol, otherwise hi* own and one of thi- others liws mitrht be sacrificed, anil the other men es -ape. Buck gave way, and he and Grant t-ode off. On reaching some scrub. oWit told Hack to <_'o to the station, s«md oue of his brothers to Kr-r's station, and bring the other*, with a gun or two: in the meantime be would remain, .and watch and follow the imshrauurrs wher-eva-r they went. In a very short time Buck returned, with Mr Geo-ge Grant and aMr Walker, and coming up with Mr. Grant, senior, learned the robbers had only just started up the river, having entered some scrub. Chase was uiven, and, after iidin» about a mile, the fugitives wire sighted, in a stockyard, as if preparimr to cross the river. They then again took flight, the supposed Gardiner lea ling;, the tallest man 1-enig in the middle. Buck called' out to them io surrender, but no notice being taken of the summons, he stopjie.i and fired at the first man, without doingmore, however, than carrying away a pie -c of the shoulder of his cont. He again snapped the trigger of" his gun, but the cap missed tire. He tben "told George Grant to fire, and take sure aim. His g lm was fired ac-OAiingly, and the second man, the tallest, fell backwards to the ground, the ball bav'ng passed iv at the back, through the heart, and finally lodged in a woollen muffler. The other two still rode on, but ou coming to a place where the bank of the river was low. the foremost went into the river for the purpose of crossing. Owing to his being much encnmliered with blankets and other things, however, be was aide to muke but little progress, and while he was attempting to free himself from his superfluous luggage, Mr. Walker got up with him, and just as the man was about to get his pistols, Walker struck him a blow on his head, stunning him, and then held his head under water until he was nearly drowned, when he was brought to shore The third"man still refused to surrender, but was finally compelled to do so, by Constable Buck knocking him from his horse with the butt-end of his gun. The two prisoners were then fastened together, and escorted to Yea, where the body of ihe deceased man was also conveyed. Walker wa* sli-htly hurt in the chin by the end"of the supposed Gardiner's pistol striking him. The coolness and bravery of Mr. Grant, sen., as well as that of Mr. George Grant and Mr. Walker, are deserving of the highest praise; and the determined pluck of Constable Buck, whose life as it were hung upon a thread., and would doubtless have been sacrificed if it had not been for the coolness of Mr. Grant, is worthy of especial mention and reward. It was thought tbere were still three other men connected with those captured in the neighborhood. Six horses were secured. — Kilmore Examiner, -ioth July.