BUSHRANGING IN VICTORIA.

Southland Times, Issue 597, 28 November 1866, Page 3

BUSHRANGING IN VICTORIA.

CAPTURE OJ 1 UtniKE. (From the Illustrated Melbourne Post.) Since the daring robbery of the English and Scottish Bank in Fitzroy, for which Woods and Carver paid the penalty of their lives, the neighborhood of Melbourne has been remarkably free from outrages of any kind, and although a few highway robberies have from time to time been reported to the police, the promptitude with which the perpetrators haV6 been brought to justice has prevented anything like organisation on the part of the dangerous classes, and this colony has been a stranger to the crimes of violence which have disgraced New South Wales and more recently South Australia. Becently, however, an event has occurred which has,fearfully shocked the sense of security in which the public have been so long reposing. That portion of the county of Evelyn which lies between the Kangaroo ground, the Caledonia goldfield, and Whittlesea, is more thinly populated than any other locality so near the metropolis. The country is densely timbered, and a very small proportion is under cultivation ; a few miners gain a livelihood in the gullies, and some promising reefs are being worked on the hill-sides; but the roads are bad, and the means of intercommunication so imperfect, thatalthough Diamond Creek is not twenty miles from Melbourne, a gang of bushrangers could \ scarcely find any district in Victoria which would afford them a better field for their nefarious operations. Some persons of the name of Hurst occupy a small station on the banks of the Diamond Creek, about four miles from the main crossing-place, and about eight from Greensborough. A portion of the family kept a store, and the remainder resided at a hut abont a mile and a-half from it. Young Mr Hurst arrived in this colony about twelve years ago, from the neighbourhood of Weymouth, Dorsetshire, and his father, mother, and sisters followed him some time afterwards. About 7 a.m. on the 4th instant, a young man came up to the hut and asked if he could have some breakfast, adding that he was on the look out for some horses. He was invited to sit down while some food was being got ready for him. At this time Miss Hurst was alone in the hut —a man named Herbert and a boy being employed milking about 100 yards away. Young Hurst came in a few minutes afterwards, and seeing a stranger sitting down called his sister on one side, and asked her who he was. The reply was that she did not know, but that he was looking for horses, and that perhaps he might buy one of theirs. Hurst went in again, and looking at the visitor noticed that although there was nothing remarkable in his appearance —he being a tallish young man, with a fair complexion, and having the appearance of a Btockman —he had two revolvers stuck in his belt. Hurst said to his sister that he did not like the look of this, and having asked her to get him his gun from the inner room, returned to the kitchen, and entered into conversation with the stranger, who said that be had walked across from the neighbourhood of Eitham that morning. All of a sudden be jumped up, said " I'm not going to answerany of your questions. I'm Burke, th c bushranger, from the Sydney side, so just bail up," and drew a revolver. Hur st at once sprang upon him, and Burk c fired. A deadly struggle ensued, Hurst grappling with his antagonist, who dragged him out of the kitchen and into the open air. Hurst received three bullets, ono in his stomach, one in his side, and the other in hi 3 breast, while Burke got one bullet through his ley,. Whether this was done by himself accidentally, or whether by Hurst's gun, is not quite clear, but the latter appeared to be the impression upon Hurst's mind in the statement made by him shortly before his death. Herbert and the lad hearing the noise ran up, and although too late to save the unfortunate man, they were enabled to capture Burke, who was much exhausted by the fight with poor Hurst. The bushranger was secured with ropes, and tne wounded, man undressed and laid upon the bed. It was evident that he was mortally wounded, and that life was fast ebbing, the nearest medical man, Dr Eonald, of Whittlesea, was sent for, bnt no assistance was of any avail, and the only thing that the doctor (who is also a magistrate) could do, was to take the poor fellow's dying declaration. The general belief in the neighborhood was that Burke had companions close at hand, who would avenge his capture and endeavor to rescue him, and information was at once sent to all the police stations in the district. With remarkable promptitude troopers from Eitham, Whittlesea, Queenstown, and even Heidleberg arrived upon the spot, and Mr P. H. Smith, the inspecting superintendent, who resides near Greensborough, with a large mimber of the stalwart yeomanry of the neighborhood scoured the country all round, but no strangers or suspicious characters could be discovered. Burkes wound was dressed, but he was not removed from the station until Hurst had expired, which melancholy event took place about 5 p.m. The prisoner was then taken to Greensborough, where he remained that night in Mr Iredale's public-house, in the charge of the troopers, and early the next morning was conveyed to the lockup at Heidleberg, from whence he was brought to Melbourne Gaol in the

custody of Superintendent Nicolson, Detective* Williams, and Trooper Bevell. Upon information of the outrage reaching Melbourne, Dr Barker was dispatched by the authorities for the purpose of affording medical assistance to poor Hurst, but upon arriving at Greensborough, hearing that his patient was dead, he went no further. Upon searching Burke a number of cheques upon banks in the neighborhood of Goulburn and Yass, amounting in value to nearly £300. were found in his possession. This, taken in connection with his own admissions, leaves very little room for doubt that he is identical with the notorious Bobert Burke, a native of Dublin, about twenty-five years of age, who, for some months past, has been committing robberies under &rms in the southern districts of New South Wates. Judging from the reports in the " Police Gazette" of the sister colony, it would appear that in the latter end of August, Burke committed several highway robberies in the neigborhood of Yass, and from the records of his crimes, he appears about the commencement of September to have travelled in the direction of Victoria. On the 3rd ult. he fired at Mr F. S. Orslum, at Biakeney's Creek, robbed him of £95, and stabbed him with a bayonet. On the following day John Lyons was robbed by Burke of a horse, saddle, and bridle ; and on the 7th ult. the same offender stopped the Albury mail at Jugiong, on the Murrumbidgee, about halfway between Yass and Gundagai, opened the mail bags, and robbed the five passengers by the mail of all their valuables. Burkes description in the " Sydney ~Boh.ce Gazette " is that of a man about sft. lOin., stout build, fair complexion, and sandy hair, which tallies very nearly with that of the murderer of Hurst. Of his proceedings in Victoria nothing is known, although from the fact that a letter addressed to him in a female handwriting was dispatched from Melbourne to Diamond Creek on Thursday, it would appear that he has been for some days in Melbourne. His career of crime was resumed in this colony on Tuesday night last. About 7 o'clock p.m. he went to the house of Mr Homer, at Scoresby, between Pern-tree Gully and Dandenong Creek, and asked if he could have a bed. Upon being told that he could not, he told the master of the house that he must be taught civility, and presenting a pistol or i revolver told the inmates to bail up. Mr Homer closed the door in his face, and Burke then fired, the ball lodging in the door. He attempted to break it open, but finding it was too strong for him,, he said that if he were admitted, and given some food, he would not molest anybody.- On being let in he ate a hearty supper, and demanded tea, sugar, bread, beef, and butter for breakfast in the morning. __ He also asked for a horse, saddle, and bridle, and being told that all the horses ware turned out into the paddock, he got a light and searched the stables. Finding that the statement was correct he asked for a bed, and being shown one, said he I would fire into it first, to see _ that there was no one lying in it. Seeing that it ! was empty, he took a blanket from the bed, and laid down, keeping his pistols by his side all night. He said he was a bushranger from New South Wales, that he heard the Victorian police were very clever, but that they should never take him alive. He also added that he would never rob a poor man. He left early in the morning, saying that he was going over the ranges. Information of this occurrence was sent to the Oakleigh police on the following morning.^ The constabulary are in ignorance of his proceedings during Wednesday, but he appears to have carried out his intention of crossing the ranges, for on the morning of Thursday, he was at Diamond Creek, about twenty miles from Scoresby.