look what I found
On the night of the 17th of November the premises of Mr. Thomas Hayes, at Bagdad, was attacked at a time when Mr. W. Stocker and wife, and Mr. Andrew Whitehead (the former on their route from Hobart Town to Port Dalrymple, with a cart containing a large and valuable property), had unfortunately put up at the house for the night. Michael Howe was the chief of this banditti, which consisted of eight others. The property of which they plundered Mr. and Mrs. Stocker, on this occasion, was of upwards of £300 value; among which were two kegs of spirits. One of these a member of the gang wantonly wasted by firing a pistol ball through the head of the keg, which contained 11 gallons. They set their watches by Mr. Whiteheads, which they afterwards returned to him, but took Mr. Stacker's away with their other plunder. Mr. Wade, Chief Constable of Hobart Town, had stopped with the others at Mr. Hayes's, but hearing a noise which he considered to denote the ap- proach of bush-rangers, he prudently attended to the admonition, and escaped their fury, which it was concluded would have fallen heavily upon him, as they are at variance with all conditions in life that are ini-mical to their crimes.
