This year marks 160 years since the largest gold heist in Australia when bushrangers set up a blockade on the Escort Way between Orange and Eugowra in NSW's Central West.
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The infamous Gold Escort Robbery took place in what is now part of Caboone Shire at the spot now known as Escort Rock outside Eugowra on Sunday, June 15, 1862.
Well known bushranger, Frank Gardiner, also known as Frank Christie, with his gang including Ben Hall, John Gilbert, John O'Meally, Henry Manns, Alexander Fordyce, Daniel Charters, John McGuire and John Bow set up a blockade with two bullock teams, blocking the road below a large granite boulder.
The gang, dressed in red serge shirts and red night caps and with blackened faces, hid behind the boulder, now known as Escort Rock, and other rocks, waiting for the approach of the Gold Escort Coach late on the winter afternoon.
The coach driven by John Fagan, and carrying four policemen of the Western Escort was forced to slow down when reaching the blockade, at which point the outlaws fired upon it, causing the horses to rear up and in the commotion the coach overturned.
Two of the police officers, Sergeant Condell and Senior-Sergeant Moran were hit in the gun fire.
Sergeant Condell who had been in the box with the driver was hit in his side, and Senior-Sergeant Moran received a bullet in the groin.
The gang loaded the two of the coach horses with the strong boxes and mail bags and departed.
They made off with an estimated haul with a value estimated at £14,000. It included 2067 ounces of gold and 700 pounds from the Oriental Bank, 521 ounces of gold from the Bank of NSW and 129 ounces of gold and 3000 pounds from the CBC Bank.
It was the biggest gold robbery in Australia's history and in today's value would be about $4 million. However, different stories state different amounts in today's value.
Members of the Escort sought help from Hanbury Clements of a nearby station, who set off to Forbes for help. Mounted Police arrived at the robbery scene early on Monday morning.
IN OTHER NEWS:
The mail bags and boxes were found four miles from the robbery scene and the tracks of 10 horses.
Of the gang all were either arrested or killed.
Henry Manns, John Bow and Alexander Fordyce were convicted for their roles in the "audacious" heist.
Manns was hanged for his involvement in March 1863 at Darlinghurst Gaol in a horrific bungled execution. The Newcastle Chronicle and Hunter River District News described the execution in full describing it as a "sad and terrible spectacle" below the headline, 'Revolving and horrible scene at the execution of Henry Manns'.
The rest were jailed for varying terms.
Daniel Charters became a Crown witness and was pardoned.
After 10 years jail and because of a change in public opinion, Gardiner was released and exiled. He died in San Francisco in 1904.
John, also known as Jack O'Meally was shot and killed during an attack on the Goimbla station homestead near Eugowra in November 1863.
Ben Hall was shot and killed at Goobang Creek, west of Forbes in 1865 and John Gilbert was shot and killed a week later at Binalong, near Yass.
