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Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 191, 11 March 1868, Page 3

Mail Robberies.—The Armicale Express gives the following account of two mail robberies - :—The mail wbich left Armidale on Monday for Tamworth was stopped and robbed on Tuesday morning, at half-past one, about eight miles above Tamworth, and seven from Moonby. It appears that a man. and a boy, armed, came from behind a large rock at the side of the road, and the man called out several times to the driver, "William O'Dell, to bail up. The driver said there was a guard in the mail, when the man fired a shot in the air, apparently to induce the guard to show himself, and the boy galloped off. The bushranger accompanied the coach for a short distance, when, finding no guard show himself, he obliged the driver to stop, and told him to give him over the bags. O'Dell refused, so the robber took them out himself. O'Dell endeavoured to secrete the bag from : Bendemeer, which was heavy, but the robber said he did not think he had got all, so he struck a match, searched the coach and found the bag mentioned. The only passenger was the Rev. Mr. Sturton, from whom he took three half sovereigns, and remarked to the driver, " Oh, this is your mail-guard, is it ?" The coach was detained in all about a quarter of an hour. The robber rode off with all the bags, so that both letters and papei'S went. Fortunately, from Monday being a holiday, there were less letters than usual from Armidale. The man was about five feet seven inches in height, had a sore eye, and wore a light tweed coat and Californian hat. He rode a chesnut horse, with a hind foot white, and like a blotched M on shoulder. The boy was about twelve, and rode a chesnut horse. The mail which left Armidale on Thursday, with the same driver, was stuck-up the same night about 10, six miles below Bendemeer, by two armed ineu, one of whom was recognised as the robber of Tuesday morning. On this occasion also all; the bags were taken. There were two passengers ; one had a £1 note and a gun taken from him. From the guarded mail going down on the previous day, it is believed that there were but few cheques in the letters. The police believe that Thunderbolt, for whose apprehension a reward of £2OO is offered, was one of the robbers.