History of the Australian BushrangersBoxall, George
History
History of the Australian Bushrangers
Boxall, George
Bushrangers -- Australia
Gilbert also took a racer out of Mr. Hammond's stables at Junee. He
stole the racers Chinaman and Micky Hunter from the stables of Mr.
J. Roberts at Currawang. When leading Micky Hunter out of his stall
Gilbert patted his neck and said, "You're the---- cove we want." Old
Comus and several other horses were taken out of Mr. Iceley's stables
at Coombing. The old horse had had a good career on the course, and
had been set apart for stud purposes, and Mr. Iceley offered a large
sum to the bushrangers to leave him alone, but Gilbert said, "There's
a good gallop in him yet," and led him away. But the bushrangers did
not devote their whole time to capturing race horses. Robberies on
the highway continued as frequently as usual. The police, however,
were not idle. In August, Sergeant James Stephenson, Constable Herbst,
and Detectives Camphin and Saunderson traced Lowry to Thomas Vardy's,
Limerick Races Hotel, at Cook's Vale Creek. When asked if there were
any lodgers there, Vardy pointed to the door of one of the bedrooms
and replied, "Yes, one there." Stephenson knocked at the door, but
there was no reply. The sergeant knocked again and called out "Come out
Lowry, it's no use." As no answer was returned, the sergeant placed
his shoulder against the door, and tried to burst it open. Immediately
some one inside fired a pistol, the bullet from which passed through
the panel of the door between the two policemen. Stephenson again
called on Lowry to come out or it would be "the worse for him," and
the bushranger replied "I'll fight you, you----. All of you." He again
fired through the door, and the bullet wounded one of the police
horses tied to the verandah. Sergeant Stephenson called on Vardy to
take the horses to a safe place, and when they were out of sight, he
and Constable Herbst again tried to force the door by leaning their
combined weight against it. Suddenly Lowry threw the door open, and the
sergeant almost fell into the room. The bushranger shouted "Come on,
you---- I'll fight you fair," and fired. The police returned the fire.
Stephenson, who was inside the room, took steady aim and pulled the
trigger. The robber fell, saying "I'm done for! Where's the priest?"
The police arrested Vardy and all his family, as well as a man named
Larry Cummins, who was in the room with Lowry, but who took no part
in the fight. When this ceremony had been completed, Lowry was made
as comfortable as circumstances permitted while a messenger was sent
off to the nearest town for a doctor. For more than an hour detective
Camphin sat by Lowry's side reading prayers from a Catholic prayer-book
which Mrs. Vardy lent him. The robber gradually grew weaker and died.
His last words were, "Tell 'em I died game." The police borrowed a
cart from a farmer who lived about a mile away from the hotel, and the
body was placed in it, covered with a blanket, and started away for
Goulburn, where this extraordinary funeral cortège arrived the next
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account