The coach was carrying four policemen of the Western Escort, given the task of providing safe passage for a considerable amount of money and gold.

Several of the escort were wounded in the volleys of gunfire: Sergeant Condell in the box with the driver was hit in his side and Senior-sergeant Moran received a bullet in the groin.

The driver and men of the escort scattered into the surrounding bush; "the law of self-preservation came into operation, for every man sought cover from the fire".

The empty boxes and mail-bags were found about four miles from the scene of the robbery, as well as the remains of a camp-fire and the tracks of ten horses.

The inquest into Haviland's death and what led to the tragedy was inconclusive, though probably he had reached down to retrieve Moran's loaded weapon when it accidentally discharged with fatal consequences.

[2][5] The colonial government promptly offered a reward for information regarding “the band of armed men, said to be ten in number” who robbed “the Gold Escort from the Lachlan”.

A notification dated 17 June 1862 announced that a reward of £100 would be paid for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of “each of the guilty parties” (to £1,000 in total).

On Thursday, June 19, Sanderson stopped at Ben Hall’s house near Wheogo Hill, about 20 miles north-west of Grenfell.

By this time only two riders remained in Pottinger’s party: Sergeant Lyons and Richard B. Mitchell, the Clerk of Petty Sessions at Forbes.

When Pottinger began asking questions of the men, one of them suddenly dug his spurs into his horse's flanks and galloped away into the surrounding bush.

The gang gathered weapons, mounted fresh horses and rode through the night to Sproule’s ‘Timoola’ station, where Gilbert judged they were ahead of the police and their prisoners.

As Pottinger’s party, with their captives, approached 'Timoola' homestead, with Sergeant Lyons in the lead, three or four men suddenly rushed from the dense scrub beside the road.

Pottinger and Mitchell returned fire, but against overwhelming odds and disciplined gunfire from the bushrangers, they began to retreat back along the road.

With their ammunition "all but expended" Pottinger and Mitchell galloped back to the station they had left earlier, in possession of the recovered gold.

The bushrangers had been temporary restrained from pursuing them; their horses, tied to a nearby paling fence, had taken fright during the gunfight and ran off into the bush.

[7] At the Forbes Police Court on Tuesday, 5 August 1862, the four men from the Wheogo district, Ben Hall, John Maguire, John Brown and Daniel Charters, together with William Hall (Ben's older brother, described as a miner from Forbes), were brought before the court on suspicion of being involved in the escort robbery near Eugowra.

Police Inspector Pottinger asked that the prisoners be remanded to await the appearance of a witness to identify bank-notes found in possession of one of their number and claimed by William Hall as his property.

Inspector Pottinger, who happened to be nearby at Lambing Flat, identified Manns a day or two later as one of those forcibly released from his custody near ‘Timoola’ station in July.

However, the other three – Fordyce, Bow and Manns – were found guilty of feloniously wounding Sergeant Condell immediately prior to the robbery near Eugowra.

The activities of Hall and his gang had significant impact on the movement of people, money and gold through regional New South Wales between 1862 and 1865.

[1] Escort Rock is of State significance as being representative of the type of places used by bushrangers to hold up coaches and travellers.

[1] Aesthetically Escort Rock is of local significance as an impressive landmark on the Old Coach Road from Eugowra to Orange.

[1] The Ben Hall Sites - Escort Rock was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 8 October 2010 having satisfied the following criteria.

The activities of Hall and his gang had significant impact on the movement of people, money and gold through regional New South Wales between 1862 and 1865.

[1] The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

Escort Rock is of State significance as being representative of the type of places used by bushrangers to hold up coaches and travellers.

[1] This Wikipedia article was originally based on The Ben Hall Sites - Escort Rock, entry number 01827 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.