Hobart Town Gazette and Southern Reporter (Tas. : 1816 - 1821), Saturday 12 July 1817, page 1


HOBART TOWN ; SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1817.

SITTING MAGISTRATE.—WILLIAM BROUGHTON, ESQ. Assize of Bread.—Wheaten, 8d. ; Household, 7d. per Loaf.

The gang of bush-rangers appeared in the vicinity of Black Brush on Saturday, and were tracked on the following morning by Serjt. McCARTHY, of the 46th, with his party. On Monday the bush-rangers were at a house at Tea-tree Brush, where they had dined ; and about 3 o'clock in the afternoon Serjt. McCarthy with his party came up. The bush-rangers ran out of the house into the woods, and being eleven in number and well covered by timber and ground, the eight soldiers could not close with them. After a good deal of firing, Greary, the leader, was wounded, and fell ; two others were also wounded. The knapsacks of the whole, and their dogs, were

taken. Geary died the same night, and his corpse was brought into town on Tuesday, as were the two wounded men.

The remaining eight bushrangers were seen in the neighbourhood of the Coal River on Wednesday ; but, as they must be destitute of provisions and ammunition, sanguine hopes may be entertained of

their speedy fall.

Dennis Currie and Matthew Kiegan, two of the original bush-ran-gers, surrendered on Monday, and are now in prison.

On Wednesday a Coroner's Inquest was held on the body of James Geary, who died of the wound received in the affair at Tea-tree Brush.—Verdict—Homicide in furtherance of Public Justice.

We have to correct an error in our statement (last week) that Parker, the bush-ranger, had been sentenced by the Bench of Ma-gistrates to receive 50 lashes and to work in the gaol gang ; it being Hatfield, the crown servant who lately escaped from gaol, that

received such sentence.

We also beg to observe, that our statement as to Col. DAVEY'S having to preside on the Court of Enquiry, about to take place, was

erroneous from mis-information.

During the heavy rain on Monday night the stores of Mr. LEW-IS, in Liverpool-street, was broke open, and property to a consider-

able amount carried off. By the vigilance of the police early the following morning several suspicious characters were apprehended as being concerned in the robbery:

On Monday there fell a very heavy and incessant rain, which con-tinued till nearly day-break on Tuesday ; when the weather assum-ed an unexpected and favourable turn. No damage has however been sustained in any part of the colony, that we have heard of. One morning, a few days ago, whilst the overseer of Capt. JEF-FREY'S farm, at Pitt Water, was kindling a fire, which he had the evening before gathered together in the chimney, round a small log of wood, to his great surprise discovered a large snake under the log. Shortly after, having occasion to move his bed, he found another concealed under it ; they were both immediately killed, without doing any injury.