The Argus at KellyGang 16/8/1879 (8)
LANCEFIELD 10 30 PM
Mr Musty gives the following account of his experiences: -"I went into the town- ship in the morning to lodge £221 11s in the bank. This money was in the form of gold and cheques. I arrived at the bank at about 20 minutes past IO o'clock, and pushing the door open, walled in. A young man, a stranger to me was standing at the end of the counter. He wore a new grey overcoat and appeared respectable. I bade him 'Good morning,' and he replied, 'Good morning.' He immediately walked towards me with his right arm across his breast and his hand inside his coat. I turned to the right to lean upon the counter. He then walked up to a position between me and the window and on coming within 2ft of me he suddenly drew out his hand and thrust a revolver close up to my face, saying, at the same time, 'Stand.' I thought it was a lark, and said, 'What's up?' or 'What is the lark?' and was proceeding to leave. He then thrust the revolver right up to my head, scowled upon me and called out, 'Put up your arms.' I still thought it a bit of fun and refused to obey his order. Another older man then stepped forward from the vicinity of the safe and also presented a revolver at my head and called upon me to throw up ray hands. I now saw that it was no lark, and obeyed. They ordered me to walk into the manager's room and I did so. By this time I realised my position, and said to them, 'Don't shoot; it will do you no good.' One of them replied, 'We will not shoot you but be quiet.' I saw none of the bank officers present. The men made me sit down on a chair in the managers room and said, 'Now don't you give any alarm, or we need not tell you what we will do,' pointing their revolvers at me at the same time I then said, 'The best thing you can do is to pull down the blind, so that no one will see me from the outside.' They pulled down the blind, went out, and locked the door. 1 sat for a few minutes before I heard any sound at all. The first thing I did then was to look through the keyhole to see if any one was watching me. Seeing no one, I lifted up the hearthrug, and put my money underneath. Soon afterwards I heard a child speak, and the next was my own name called by Mr Morrison, who asked, ' Musty, where are you?' I answered, but could not get out, although I tried all the doors. Eventually the servant girl let me out at a back door. Some short time afterwards I returned with Mr Little, the ex-president of the shire, and secured my money. One of my shepherds saw two men whose description corresponds minutely with the offenders standing on a bridge near my house on Thursday evening. The younger of the two offenders was a rough looking character, and the other had a more respectable appearance.
Mr Morrison's narrative tallies with the account given in the first portion of this re- port. The rope with which his hands were bound was about the thickness of three strings of whipcord platted. It was not tied so tightly as to occasion any pain. The robbers put the money in their pockets, and they seemed to have only one revolver each. Mr Carlisle states that the bank was well provided with arms. There was a revolver on the ledger desk and another in a drawer in his own room. There were also a needle gun and two bayonets in the office.
MIDNIGHT
A telegram has just been received, stating that the black trackers had put up for the night at Kilmore, so that they can't be here until to morrow morning. It has been raining heavily, and it is feared that it will obliterate the tracks.
end
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