BUSHRANGING.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 17, 9 July 1864, Page 3

BUSHRANGING.

Ben Hall's G-axg at Bang Bang! re-appearance of gilbert. (Erom ilie Burrangong Star's Extraordinary). It is with extreme regret that we have again to record thefact that the Southern district continues to be the favorite seat of action of bushrangers ; aud to deplore that the notorious Johnny Gilbert, Gardiner's favorite " lieutenant," has once more made his appearance on the road. It appears that shortly after five o'clock on Friday afternoon, Mr. Ayliffo, tho owner of one or two race horses, and some other men were sitting under the verandah of the hotel of Bang Bang, when three men splendidly mounted rode down towards them, and, covering them with their revolvers and carbines, ordered them "to throw up their hands," after the orthodox fashion of bushrangers in tius year of grace, 186 4. This they did as a matter of course, and while Ben Hall, who was well known to one or two of the party, guarded them — together with the members of the household and others about tho premises to the number of twenty — the other two, namely, Johnny Gilbert and the " old man," who has before now been concerned with Ben Hall in some of his exploits, took their position at a gate leading into the yard, where senior (mounted) constables Scott and Macnamara, were standing beside then - horses. The constables were on special duty, and were in uniform : the horses at the time were feeding, and of course unbridled. They had left Bathurst on the previous Tuesday — had reached Carcoar that night — passed off to Canowindra on the following day, and thence to Cowra, where they pulled up outsido tho racecourse on ' Thursday. Not getting any orders from their head-quarters at Cowra, they determined to escort whatever race-horses were about to proceed from Cowra to Burrangong races a short distance along the road ; and accordingly on Friday morning they left Cowra, accompanying Mr. Alexander Wilson's Dick Turpin and Jemmy Martin, Mr. Skillcorn's Duke of Athol, and Mr. Harry Croft's Hollyhock and Bergamot, tho whole of which were fl rst-class horses. Shortly after the race horses being stabled, the police were standing behind their own horses, while they were feeding, when Gilbert and one of the others (supposed to be a fellow named Long White, a ticket-of-leave mau), showed themselves at the gate leading from the road to the stables, one of whom presented a carbine, and the other a revolver, and called out, " Leave them horses!" The troopers not immediately complying with the request, one of the bushrangers, -flourishing his revolver, again exclaimed, " I say, once more, leave them horses !" On tliis, Scott and Macnamara put their hands to their belts to drew their revolvers, when Gilbert said, " Take your bauds out of that, you wretches, or I'll blow your brains out ;" and immediately fired three shots but without eli'ect. The troopers, •who were only armed with revolvers, returned the fire ; and after receiving seven shots in tin's manner at a distance of thirty yards they advanced towards the bushrangers (who had never dismounted), two of whom, Hall and the old man, slowly retreated, while Gilbert continued a cross fire from the fence. On the police reaching the fence, however, Gilbert joined the old man, and wliilo Macnamara kept these two at bay, by standing at the gateway leading into the yard where the horses were, Scott pursued Hall up the road, both parties firing at each other at intervals, «. .1 Isill firing shot* after shot from his revolver, resting it on his thigh after each lire, and the trooper deliberat -lv aiming at tlie bushranger by resting liis weapon on his left arm. One of Scott's shots appeared to have taken elHvl ; at least the hat of lhe bushranger was knocked oil', a.nd at the same instant lie put liis hand to his head giving expression at the moment to an execration. - Hull having now got out of reach. Soott returned to the house, when the old mau, who with Gilbert had been hovering round, dismounted at the back of a fence al a distance of nbout 350 yards, and with the greatest coolness imaginable, pointed his carbine at Scott and tired, saying as loud as he could speak, "Take that you wretch." The ball struck tlie ground close to where the constable was standing, and ricoehetted into tlie public house, but without doing any injury. The bushranger now retreated to a distance, and after firing a final shot, left altogether. They had fire. l between twenty-live andthirty shots, during the encounter, and the troopers, who reserved their ammunition for closer quarters, only nine. On leaving, Hall called out that they would come again directly, and tliis the police fully expected they would do after re-loading their pieces. They therefore made every preparation for giviug tliem a warm reception, barricading the doors, and loading with slugs the only available weapon in the house — an old double-barrelled gun — and as early as possible despatching a message to Cowra for assistance. A vigilant watch was kept until midnight, when Sir Frederick Pottinger arrived, with four troopers ; but as nothing further occurred during the night, two of these were sent back in the morning. Shortly after daybreak the two troopers, Scott and Macnamara, proceeded to Young with the racehorses, where they arrived in safety at five o'clock in the evening, while Sir Frederick scoured the bush in the neighborhood, in the hope of meeting with the gang, but without success. On the news reaching this station, Inspector Singleton at once dispatched a party in the direction of the scene of action, aud an intimation having been received that a visitation from Messrs. Hall and company might be received any hour, at the racecourse, for the purpose of seizing some of the crack horses, while taking their " breathings," a detachment of police was told off to do duty on the course, up to the termination of the race meeting. Such is actually the state of the Southern district at this moment, that a race horse caunot be removed from one townsliip to another, a few miles distant, without au armed escort! The bushrangers were well dressed, well armed, and well equipped. Hall was well known to several of the parties bailed up, and Gilbert's youthful and foppish appearance could not be mistaken. They were armed each with three revolvers, besides a carbine or a ride each. Gilbert wore a black sac coat, black hat, and breeches. The old man is described as about forty-five years of ago, has a most villainous countenance, and by his style of aiming at his opponents, and his terrible execrations during the encounter, would neither hesitate at murder nor any other crime. I The conduct of troopers Scott and Macnamara is stated be those who witnessed the affair as being deserving of all praise. The bushrangers rode splendid horses — Hall a chesnut, with one white foot, and tho others a black and bay. Not a shilling was taken from any one of the parties stuck up, Hall and party being completely worsted by the unexpected presence of tho polico.