THE STICKING-UP OF THE CUNNAMULLA BANK.

Cunnamulla, Jan. 16. As the news spread like wildfire that the bank had boen stuck up, this little community was electrified by a genuine thrill of excitement. At first the report was received with momentary incredulity, which, however, was speedily dispelledby the stern reality of the case. The facts were as follows :— This morning at 10 o’clock, a man, afterwards identified as Joseph Wells, armed with a six-chambered revolver fully loaded, rode up tothe bank, and, hanging his horse on the fence, walked in, and covering the manager, demanded his money or his life. Mr. Berry replied that he would not give up his money, whereupon the man vaulted over the counter and repeatedthe demand, but only elicited an equally ,unsatisfactory answer. The third timeof asking, backed up by the determinedattitude aud the closer proximity of thepolished steel barrel, proved too muchfor the banker, who began to show signsof perplexity, but still hesitated to handover. A drawer with a comparatively small sum of money was, however, soon placed at the fellow’s disposal, and whilst he was engaged in ransacking it the manager endeavoured to procure assistance ; but an alarm had already been given by Mrs. Granville, who had overheard the conversation between the manager andthe robber, and had informed Mr. Murphy that a man in the bank had threatened to shoot Mr. Berry, and understand that as Mr. Berry left by one door on his errand Mr. Murphy appeared at the other. Upon the arrival of Mr. Murphy on the scene, the man immediately sprang on the counter, and was in the act of decamping when Mr, Murphy seized him, on which the ruffian at once fired his revolver, the ball glancing off Mr. Murphy’s head and entering his left shoulder, inflicting two very ugly wounds. The combatants struggled and rolled over in one another’s embrace ; but Mr. Murphy, finding the revolver uncomfortably near, released his hold for a moment,when the fellow burst away, and went helter-skelter for his horse, which, being of a fiery temper flew off at a terrific gallop, leaving the tattered bridle on the fence, and the wretched Kelly imitator in a dilemma more easily imagined than described. Then followed a scene of excitement that will not be forgotten for many a day by the immediate participators. A large number of unarmed persons gave chase, notably two men with unloaded guns, raising a great noise and commotion, the men with the guns calling on Wells to surrender, and the crowd hounding on the men with the guns to shoot the bushranger, who, poor devil, was frantically trying to catch his horse, which was sailing majestically around the people with dilated nostrils and head and tail high up in the air. The hunted wretch, closely pursued by a remnant of would-be capturers, turned round to get breath, and threatened to shoot anyone who should dare to come near him—a proceeding which greatly checked the impetuosity of the pursuers, who fell back and began to disperse. The man, finding himself pretty well deserted, made the best of the golden moments by putting on a desperate spurt to get out of sight of his pursuers, and was so far successful as to obtain a couple of hours’ respite. As good fortune would have it, Mr. Herbert Gwynne was riding by on his racehorse, Vanity, and handsomely placed the turnout at the disposal of Sergeant Byrne, who set to work with commendable promptitude and pluck. In the meantime, the jaded culprit was working his passage in the loose sand with what speed he could. At this juncture a sheepdog, which had joined in the hue and cry from the first, was of great service. Being again urged on by his matter, the sagacious brute, with unerring instinct, was soon on the ruffian’s tracks, which from this time to the capture he never lost. The robber in his extremity climbed a tree of thick foliage, in the hope of avoiding detection, or for the advantageof position afforded in case of a fight. But the excited dog was on the trail, barking all the time his high disapproval of evil-doers in general, and this one inparticular. Sergeant Byrne, armed and mounted as before mentioned, had been for some time riding about in search of his game, when his ears caught the soundof the barking, and guided thereby, he found the runaway almost entirely hidden in the branches and leaves of the tree, the dog keeping watch beneath. In the Queen’s name the sergeant called to the man to surrender and throw down his arms, but he refused with an oath, he might as well be shot as hanged, and would vouchsafe no other answer to the repeated adjurations of the sergeant; but at last he descended from the tree. The sergeant acted with forbearance by abstaining from shooting the scoundrel dead, which would have been safe and justifiable under the circumstances. As the man neared the ground Byrne grasped the revolver, and in a very short time lodged his prisoner in the rickety lock-up, the outside of which was bristling with firearms in the hands of the bluecoats.Had the robber been but ones seated in the saddle it would have devolved upon me to write a far different tale ; for the horse is a splendid animal, which, together with the fact that the man is a goodbushman, indicates the trouble that might have ensued. Under the excitement and circumstances of arrest the prisoner assumed a somewhat jaunty and important air; how long this bravado will last remains to be seen. The narrative of the occurrences of this eventful day would be incomplete were I to neglect to record the general approbation awarded to Mr. Murphy for his share in the transactions.