BUSHRANGING DAYS.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1917, Page 7

BUSHRANGING DAYS.

INTERESTING MEMORIES. HALL, DUNN AND GILI'.ERT. (Sydney Sun). Hale and hearty at eighty ■four, Mr. Charles Jones maintains bis mental powers. He has filled many positions since lie arrived, with his parents, in New South Wales, sixty-three years ago. The greater part of his life,' however, has been spent in the southern area—first, as an assistant to Mr. Edwards, a wellknown surveyor, afterwards as gardener to Mr. Hamilton Hume, the explorer, and later on, as butcher in Yass. Mr. Jones has seen much {hat went to make. Australian history. He was a young man when the Lambing Flat riots oeeur. red. All the gbld came through Yass, as well as that from the rush at Kiandra and the minor goldfields that sprang up everywhere.

In the last fifties and early sixties Yass was an important centre. It was the headquarters of the. bTishranging gang that kejjt tlie State in terror for three nr four years. Gardiner, Gilbert, O'Mally and Lowry were casual acquaintances of Mr. .Tones, while Ben Hall was well known to liirn. Mr. Jones was one of the tenants of Mr. Macansh's Kitty'oarra property when Hall and his gang stuck up the homestead, and kept all within the house in a state ot terror. It was' in 1803 that Gardiner made things lively around the Yass district. Lowry's death in August of that year and the exhibition of his body at Goulburn caused mucK excitement. He was sliot, Mr. Jones states, at Vardy's Hotel, Cook's Vale Creek, Hall had been,- working a pitch of his own for some time previously, and it was generally supposed that he was wounded. He made a sudden recovery after Jewry's death, and became very busy round Burrowa and Marengo.

One of Hail's escapades at Marengo caused many a chuckle. He called on a Mr. Wilson, and expressed liis predilection for a juicy steak. As he carried very strong arguments in the shape of a full belt.of revolvers and a doublebarrelled gun, the owner of the residence complied, while Hall rested on a couch. The steak was about half done when the police were signalled. Hal! did not wait for his meal, and being, as lie always was, well mounted, soon outdistanced the police. Hall's favorite ground at this time was "The Levels* near Young, from which locality reports daily arrived of his doings. But, as Mr. Jones remarks, bushrangers were almost as plentiful as sheep in those days, and the known' men were often blamed for the deeds of the unknown. Troubadour, a racehorse owned by Mr.'' Frederick Chisliolm, received special attention from Hall. He would stick up the station every now and again, annex the racer, and ridi him to a standstill afterwards turning him loose. At this time Hall pressed a young Scotchman into his service and compelled him to fill the- duties of equerry, after rigging liiin out in the flash bush style. It was he who notified the arrival of Ben Hall and saw that the people to be levied 011 were marshalled for the ceremony. Ilall has his own idea of honor. When carrying out a raid at Murrumburrah he was disturbed so quickly that, he had to get away without his hat. Passing the residence of Mr. M'Mnmis, Hall, who was always rather proud of his personal appearance, "borrowed" a hat, promising £0 return' him a new one ati soon he he had a chance to "buy" on* Bon was a man of his word. The hal was returned, in , substitute, but whether it was bought the relator 1 of the story did not sny. • It was returned "with Mi'. Hall's compliments "

11l the early months of 1805 Gilbert Hal! nml Dunn waited on Mylora station (Mr, .T. Garry's). Ben wanted to get hold of a racer (Willy-tbe-Wesel). which was credited with an extra turn of speed: but he was unsuccessful, and had to be contented with friphteninff the people in thci house by indiscriminate revolver practice (the shot marks are still there) and annexing a few light trifles. Hall came to grief a little Inter, having gone 011 a visit to the Forbes district. In May of the same year Gilbert followed suit, meeting his dentil while visiting a Mr. - Kelly, who. lmil a selection about two miles from Binalong. On the principle that the safest place for a criminal is to live next door to a police station, the house occupied by Mr. Kelly, where the "bushrangers made a temporary resting place, was only a couple of hundred raids away from the residence of Mr. R'tc 1 man. a magistrate and land commissioner! GILBERT'S END.

The death of Gilbert, as described by one who was in close touch with the event, is interesting. It undoubtedly led to the filial extinction of the band lhat for years had levied 011 the travel- . lprs' purses. 011 a Friday n.ght (May I I, 1.• the Binalong' police were informed that the rangers were paying a dutv call, or something of Die kind, at Kelly's. Senior Constable Hales, who was in charge, went out to Kelly's place and kept a close watch 011 the hut (a dab building of two rooms) until 2 a.m. As nothing happened they returned to Binalong (leaving, it is said, llie house unwatclied), and came back at eight o'clock. By a stroke of luck the pair were still in the house when the police returned. A few outhouses screened the approach of two constables (Tlales and King), who had also the advantage of a line of fencing. Constable Bright was in a position which allowed him to control the back of the house, and Constable Mill covered the right of the building. Constable King manoeuvred round and watched a small window at the end of the hut. Shots were exchanged. Two bullet holes were afterwards discovered in the partition, one evidently having been fired within the room, and the other having penetrated from the outside. Gilbert and Dunn got out of the small window and ran across some ploughed ground to some scrub, where, they had evidently left their horses. They turned in then tracks, and fired briskly at the pursuing police. King being hit in the ankle. '">"1111 w n - also hit. Gilbert made for the creek, but apparently changed his mind n-ii van along the bed of it for twev*'- 'liirty yards. Senior-constable H l " 'right had eome up at this v from the bank at Oil- !• n ' ]!o fell, It was afterwards disj ''it one of the bullets had eni 1 bis left shoulder-blade and , > A : s heart, death being in- ! ;v? IV,inn crossed the creek, 1 .' -J- votinded and on foot suej listancing the police, who ' .' for two miles Dunn the . a stuck up Mr Julien's 1 .n't ten miles from Binalong, 1! a horse 1 , saddle and bridle, v .'.ht (a Bathurst native)

got the credit of firing the shot which, killed Oilbert. Ab the testimony of one wlio was 011 the spot a few hours after th<> shooting, this should he interesting to parly settlers. Mr. -lones well remembers the Lambing Flat riots and the arrival of the military, with artillery and baggage waggons of condemned Sydney 'buses. Nor does he forget the effects of the raids made by the soldiers oil Mr. Plume's and other orchards. The placing of a cannon on the Yass Plains and its filial withdrawal with the aid of a team of bullocks caused many (i smile. The diggers lm<l the sympathy of the majority of the residents as against the influx of the Chinaman, and although the British regulars had not much to complain of in the way of treatment it was not as cordial as it would have been had the nature of their visit been different. \