Show LAST CUAPTER RN TilE LIfE I OF A FAMOUS BANDIT I k Astonishing Career of Captain Starlight the Gentleman Outlaw < Out-law of Australia I I j < From a Staff Correspondent oC the Press London Jan 10 Novelists never succeeded In weaving a plot more dramatIc dra-matic exciting and crowded with surprises sur-prises than tho actual Ire of the most famous of Australian outlaws known ns Capt Starlight It was supposed that this successful rival of Claude Duval and Dick Turpin was dead long ago but It seems he was reserving his greatest surprise for the last A few weeks ago cable mesages from Australia announced that there were peculiar circumstances about the death of a modest employee of the Government Gov-ernment of New South Wales and that investigation had proved beyond a doubt that the mini who for almost ten years Imtl quietly been earning 20 a week as amanuensis for the Government Govern-ment geologist at Perth was none other than the most remarkable bushranger that perhaps theworld ever saw And now the wholestory can be told It will be best to begin it backward nnd tell the last incident first After 1 his final encounter with the police In which Capt Starlight was disabled I I ho was sentenced to death but owing to powerful Influence and the scrupu lous care wtih which the bushranger 1 had upheld the idea of honor among I thieves his sentence had been commuted com-muted to Imprisonment for sixteen years While In prison he met Patrick Pelly a convict who came of good Irish family and who gave to Star light a bunch of family papers to be delivered to Pollys brother who was believed to be somewhere In Australia HIS LAST ALIAS After emerging from prison a freeman free-man the bushranger failed to find the Pelly for whom the papers were In tended so he digested the family documents doc-uments and assumed the name of Pelly himself along with the title of Major But that was thd last of his shortcomings short-comings for sixteen years In Jail and Ills suffering from bullet wounds had broken his spirit He had noyearning for the old wild life from which when In the heIghtor depth of his career he had wanted nmny young men who wanted to be his followers So he took his own advice at last and hidden under his new name ob tained a humble place in the Government Govern-ment service It was not difficult for the Major was a man of such keen l Intelligence and high education and I gentle manners that no one questioned the truth of his story that he had seen service in the British army especially ns he had two bullet wounds on the right arm one in the right shoulder one In the hip and one In the groin Ho was singularly reticent about his past and never pushed his way Into society on the strength of his title of major although he was known to a few choice companions as one of the most widelytraveled entertaining and cour teous gentlemen in Perth One day he was feeling rather under the weather and It is supposed he took a dose of cyanide of potassium by mis CiiIIiiiiiIii 1 1L 1 I lake for medicine Whether it was a mistake or not he was found dead In bed His strange secret might have been burled with him if a Coroners Jury had not been called upon to decide tho cause of his death Their report was published In a perfunctory paragraph para-graph which In time reached Ireland and fell under the eye of the Rev lather Pelly another brother of tho man serving sentence In Queensland prison Father Pelly at once wrote to Australia for further facts The letter was handed to tho real Patrick Pelly in Queensland and by him the identity of the dead Major was revealed us soon as n photograph of the humble secretary had been forwarded to him at Perth I HE HAD BLUE BLOOD The man whose end afforded such a dramatic contrast to his earlier life when his name was household word throughout Australia undoubtedly had blue blood in his veins and It is said there are several persons living who could tell if l they chose from what fine old Irish stock he got his pluck wit endurance and polished manners But they arc guarding the secret well He was a cosmopolitan from the first for ho was born In Mexico In 1S37 and his mother was Spanish and his father was Irish Furthermore the boy was educated in Rome He seems to have begun sowing his wild oats In London There are hints of an early love affair and a jilting that led the youth to give full rein to the devil maycare spirit that was born in him He got into trouble of some sort in England and turned up in Australia in the early sjxtles He was known there as Frank Pearson and soon had a reputation as one of the most reck less riders and one of the finest shots in that colony of splendid horsemen and marksmen I ENTER CAPT STARLIGHT i Of course such a leader would havo liegemen in plenty and by 1SG1 Pearson I was at the head of an organized band of outlaws and began to become famous fa-mous as Capt Starlight I The bandit at that time was rather a handsome man with none of the out I ward aspects of a swashbuckler He was only a little over medium height and looked rather slight and frail But any one who mistook him for a ten derfoot discovered in due season that his muscles were like steel springs and that behind his easy indolent grace there was a tremendous strength of will His hands were delicate his face was pale underneath Its tan and his features were finely molded Ho was choice of speech a model of cour tesy to women and a man of his word among men His voice was soft and pleasant and the woman who could meet him without falling In love with him was a scarce article in western Australia Capt StarlIght manner of dealing with his victims Was up to all tho best traditions of gentlemanly burglary Here for instance Is an account of one of his stage robberies from Rolf Boldrcwoods story of Australian bust = life Robbery Under Arms of which the Captain was the real hero and for which the novelist obtained the material mate-rial from the bandit himself ROBBERY IN THE BEST STYLE Tho coach was to pass half an hour after midnight An awful long time to wait It seemed We finished the bottle of brandy I know I thought they never would come when all of a sudden sud-den we saw the lamp Up the hill they came slow enough About halfway up they stopped and most of the passengers l got out and walked UP after her As they came closer I to us we could hear them laughing laugh-Ing and talkinpr and skylarking like a lot of boys They didnt think who was listening You wont be so Jolly In a minute or two I thinks to myself They were near the top when Starlight Star-light sings out Stand Bail up and the three of us all masked showed ourselves You never sawn man look so scared as the passenger on the box seat a stout jolly commercial whod been giving the coachman Havana cl I 1i It t G m w0 pa I 4Lrfrr1f A i lwr j Wrf 111 i I PJ1NC HdUSC I 4 1 J PtUiCf ttOirii U5 I cars and yarning and nipping with him I at every house they passed Bill Webster Web-ster the driver pulls up all standing when he sees what was in Starlights hand and holds the reins so loose for a minute that I thought theyd dropout drop-out of his hands I went up to the coach There was no one Insideonly an old woman and a young one They semed struck all of a heap and couldnt hardly speak for fright The best of the I joke was that the passengers started running up full split I to warm themselves and came bump i I against the coach before they found out I I what was UD One of them had Just i I opened out for a bit of blowing Billy 1 old man he says Ill report you to the company If J you crawl along this I way when he catches sight of me and Starlight standing still and silent withOUt with-OUt revolvers pointing his way By George I could hardly 1 help laughing Ills jaw dropped and he couldnt get a I vord out His throat seemed quite dry Now gentlemen says Starlight quite cool and cheerfullike you understand under-stand her Majestys mall Is stuck up to use a vulgar expression and theres no use resisting I must ask you to stand In a row there bv the fence and handout hand-out all the loose cash watches or rings you may have about you Dont move dont I say sir or I must fire This was to a fidgety nervous man who couldnt keep quiet Now Number One fetch down the mall bags Number Num-ber Two close up here Here Jom walked up revolver In hand and Starlight begins at the first man very stern U Hand out your cash keep back nothing if you value your life You never saw a man in such a funk He was a storekeeper we found out afterward He nearly dropped on I his knees Then he handed Starlight a bundle of notes a gold watch and took I I a handsome diamond ring from his finger II i fin-ger These Starlight put into his I pocket He handed the notes and I uatch to Jim who had a leather bag I ready for them Tho man sank down I on the ground he had fainted He was left to pick hlmnelf up Number two was told to shell out They all had something Sono had sovereigns some had notes and small checks which areas are-as good In a country place Tho squatters squat-ters draw too many to know the num bers of half that are out so theres no great chance of their being stopped There were eighteen male passengers besides the chap on the box scat We made him come down By the time wed got through them all it was the best part of an hour CAPTAIN AND THE LADIES r pulled the mall bags through tho fence and put them under a tree Then Starlight went to the coach where the two women were He took off hIs hat and bowed Unpleasant necessitymadam most painful l to my feelings altogether I as sure you I must really ask YOuah Is the young lady your daughter madam 4 Not at all Jays the oldest stout middleaged woman I never set e I on her before eyes Indeed madam says Starlight bowing again dxcuse I excuse my curiosity I L am desolated I assure you but trouble may I I L you for your purses1 l watches and I As youre a gentleman said the fat L lady I fully expected youd have let us off Im Mrs Baxter of Bobbrawobbra OJ Indeed Ive no words to express my regret says Starlight but my dear lady hard necessity compels me Thanks very much he said to the young girl I She handed over a small old Geneva watch and a little purse The plump lady had a gold watch with a chain and purse to match Is that all l saya he tr trying to Speak stern I Its my very all says the pounds girl five Mother gave me her watch and I shall have no money to take me I to Browning where I am going to a situation Her lips shook and trembled and tho tears came Into her eyes Starlight carefully handed Mrs Bux ters watch and purse to Jim I saw him turn round and open the other purse and he put something in if I didnt mistake Then he looked In again Tin afraid Im rather Impertinent says he but your face Miss ah Elms dale thanks reminds me of some one in another worldthe one I once lived In Allow me to enjoy tho souvenir and to return your effects No thanks that smile is ample payment Ladles I wish you a pleasant journey Ho bowed Mrs Buxter did not smile but looked cross enough at tho young lady who poor thing seemed pretty full up and Inclined to cry at the surprise n Now then all aboard sings out Starlight get in gentlemen Our business matters are concluded for the night Better luck next time Wil 1Iam you had better drive on Send back from the next stage and you will find the mall bags under that tree Thqy shall not be Injured more than can be helped Good night THE CAPTAIN IN SOCIETY On one occasion the captain and his band rounded up more than a thousand thou-sand head of valuable live stock and drove them 100 miles Into Adelaide Within a fev davs drive of Adelaide I the leader left his party and hurried on ahead When the stock arrived the captain was at the best hotel In the place dressed In the height of fashion and already on Intimate terms with tho choicest circle of society In the town He was rather bored when his stock arrived busines wan such a beastly bother you know but ho brought i himself to mention his stock to one of the leading agents there and the lot I was sold off at public auction for 520 000 some of the city ofllcials who had been honored by l the captains ac quaintance being among the heaviest bidders So affable and popular was the newcomer that no question was rained about the extraordinary variety of brands on his stock The captain and his men were well out of reach before It was discovered that every head of the stock had been stolen Later they raided soveral banks and held up at least one Government con voy of gold after a sharp light with the escort The police throughout Australia were on the watch for them nnd hell heavy rewards were offered for their capture The captain was as swift to avenge treachery as he was quick to succor the helpless He and his lieutenant wore surrounded by the police one night In a saloon with whose proprie tor they had deposited some of their wealth They escaped almost miracu lously however but not before Star light was shot through tIme shoulder Later on he sent his acompllecj back to get the money they had left behind When the assistant bandit reached the inn the place was crowded with pros perouslooking customers and the pro prietor suggested that it I would be a good plan to hold them up The out law fell in with the Idea but when he had thp crowd at bay 1 with their hands I up the wily publican Jumped out on him from behind and caught him by the throat In the struggle that fol lowed the bandit was killed As soon as Starlight heard of the story ho forgot hia wound and set forth singlehanded to mete out punishment He set fire to the tavern on a dark night and waited at the only exit re volver in hand for his man But the I sciGiims of the saloonkeepers wife and children altered the situation Star light dashed into the buildlg and saved them and then disappeared HIS GREATEST EXPLOIT Perhaps his most remarkable exploit camo at a time when the police were particularly active In looking for him A racemeetng to was be held In a town a hundred miles from his moun tain hidingplace and a girl who had I befriended him was to be married at the same time Tho redoubtable tain had cap a beautiful highbred horse that was almost aa famous as Its owner The bandit disguised the ani mals markings and sent It to a friend 1 in town to be entered for the races On tho day of the meeting and the wed ding the police got word from some mysterious source that Capt Starlight and his band Were in the neighborhood I and could be taken by surprise The chief and leis best men started ofi hot foot on the scent at about the time Starlight In disguise appeared In the town seated on a trap with two titled Englishmen to whom ho had managed I to do some service on the way and who were delighted with the strangers witllnd courtesy This popular strangers horse won the race and a pot of money and the owner of the horse attended the wedding and was the most brilliant and honored guest He and his horse disappeared Just as tho police weary and disgusted returned to town Caut Starlight was captured at last only after he had wounded his several of pursuers and killed one of them I and he himself had been shot In two or three places and completely din abled It was that fight th brought so sudden and complete a change in his life CURTIS BROWN |