Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), Thursday 21 July 1825, page 2


BUSHRANGERS AT THE COAL RIVER.

On Friday the 1st instant Mr. Reid brought Mr Jacob's shepherd before Captain Allman and Mr. Close for neglect of duty, and for being deficient four wethers, which he could not in any manner account

for. In consequence of which these Magistrates sen-tenced the shepherd to receive a corporal punishment of 50 lashes and to be returned to Government employ. On his way to Newcastle he effected his escape from the constable who had him in charge, and that night or early next morning stole three mares and two colts from Mr. Reid's yard, on the Monday morning at seven o'clock, just as Mr. Jacob's men had been ordered to the different employments on the farm, and, all of them had gone excepting two, this shepherd (by name Reiby) and these two rushed into the house, seized the overseer, tied his hands behind his back and then to one of the verandah posts, one of them holding a large knife over him threatening to run him through the body if he made the least noise or resistance; and after having secured him they seized two musquets and a sabre that were in the house, and proceeded to where each of the other men were and tied, them one by one to trees, and then plundered the house of blankets, provisions; and every other article that could be of any service to them, very fortunately, however, one of, them got himself, disengaged in the course of two hours and: then liberated the rest; when the overseer immediately ran over to my farm and informed me of the, whole occurrence. I did not lose a moment, in arming some of my men and pro-ceeding after these freebooters, and after some hours was enabled by the assistance, of some native blacks, to trace the horses to the top of a mountain about eight miles distant, where we found them. tethered and almost the whole of the articles plundered from Mr. Jacob's concealed under fallen trees, and many other articles, such as ammunition, crucible, picklock, skele-ton key, tinder box, matches &c. so that it appears these gents were prepared for all sorts of mischief; we traced them from that mountain past Mr. Reid's farm and night coming on prevented us from follow ing them further. Next morning we received intelli-gence of their having proceeded to Mr. Harris's farm and robbed his premises of a quantity of arms, ammu-nition, clothes, &c. after securing his men the same as they did Mr. Jacob's; and from the same source I received information that they intended robbing all the gentlemen's houses in the neighbourhood. There have been some military and two constables after them since; but last night they robbed Mr. Maziere's overseer of two musquets and all the am-munition he had and also all his provisions. At that time they were four in number, another of Mr. Jacob's men having joined them the preceding night and they informed Mr. Maziere's men that they expected many more tq join them very soon, so that we are all in a complete uproar in this part of the country, there being no Police whatever to protect us. They now have six musquets, a blunderbuss, six pistols, and a fowling piece, besides a sabre, to my knowledge; and it is hard to say how the affair may terminate, if they are not secured before, others of the same cast join them. It is melancholy to see such an extent of country and so' much property left unprotected, for want of even the ordinary Police in other parts of the country. It is however to be hoped that this may

open the eyes of Government, and be the means of, at any event their affording us the same protection as the rest of the Colony. July 9, 1825. (Another Account.) On the first inst. I had occasion to take two men of Mr. Jacob's to Mr. Close, the. J. P. one for neglect of the sheep, he was sentenced to receive 50 lashes, and the constable was directed, to take a number of pri-soners to Newcastle; he escaped, returned and took two horses from this. On the morning of the 4th he and two other men of Mr. Jacob's' entered the house of their master, took two guns and a sabre, tied the overseer and men, plundered the house and made off. One man was so fortunate as to untie himself and he liberated the others; the overseer immediately re-ported it to Mr. Macleod, his neighbour, who as-sembled two free men in his employ, and the natives, accompanied by Mr. McIntire, traced the runaways, found the horses on the summit of one of the highest hills; they then continued to track thcm, until the dusk of the evening put an end to their pursuit. That, night the three men robbed the hut of Mr. S. L. Harris, and obtained a good supply of fire arms; called at my men's huts' on their ,way back, I was prepared,' and I dare say the fellows thought it more prudent to depart. On Tuesday morning the 5th inst. I sent to Mr. Close, J. P. distant ten miles, for a soldier; he replied, ''he sent all his force' to St. Patrick's Plains, a soldier and constable, he would however send after them.' By this opportunity I received a letter from him, dated the 2nd instant, in which, he mentions the escape of Mr. Jacob's man from the con-stable, who was, as usual, without arms, notwithstand-ing repeated applications to Sydney," and concluded, by regretting he had not an opportunity of for-warding his letter of the 2nd." On Wednesday noon a party of soldiers arrived from Newcastle; I mounted and sent them in pursuit of the fellows. Government ought to establish a sufficient Police in this quarter for the protection of property. It is madness to ap-point constables without arms, and disgraceful to imagine the only J. P. for this extensive district should not have the means of sending a letter on the escape of a felon. Great praise is due to Messrs. Mac-leod and Mclntire for their exertions; I feel confident I never could have recovered the horses had it not been for their exertions - at the time this occurred I was half-way to Newcastle, but returned the moment 1 heard it. I had almost forgotten to mention one of the men presented a gun at the overseer to shoot him, but was prevented.