In this story of the bushrangers I do not pretend to have included the names of all those who have at various times been called bushrangers in Australia. That, as will be seen from what I have said in the earlier chapters, would be not merely impossible but useless. I believe, however, that I have collected some particulars about all those who succeeded in winning even a local notoriety, and I have also endeavoured to supply such personal characteristics of the leaders in the movement as may throw some light on the causes which induced them to "take to the bush." My principal object, however, has been to make the picture as complete as possible, so that the magnitude of the social evil which the Australians set themselves to cure may be realised; and it is generally believed in Australia that this cure has been so complete that bushranging will never again become epidemic.

The story is a terrible one. Some of the incidents related are no doubt revolting, but it is necessary that even these should be told to show how civilised man may be degraded by unjust and oppressive laws. We are all creatures of the educational influences to which we are subjected in our youth, and therefore it is unfair to blame the earlier bushrangers; because they were the products of the civilisation of their day, and were not themselves responsible. But sensational as the story is, its tendency is rather to depress than to exhilarate the reader, for the story is a sad one, in that it shows a deplorable waste of what under happier conditions might have been useful lives. As a rule I have adhered very closely to the newspaper reports of the time, but to make the story (which naturally tends to be scrappy and disconnected) as homogeneous and continuous as possible, I have followed one gang to the close of its career, and then returned to take up the history of another gang. I have paid special attention to the geography of the country, and the reader who possesses a fairly good map of each of the colonies should have no difficulty in following the movements of each of the gangs, and may thus obtain an idea of the extent of the area over which it operated.

Hitherto the histories of Australia have passed very lightly over the bushrangers, but there can be no doubt that they exercised some influence, and not always for evil, for to their influence is due some of the sturdy Republicanism of the modern Australians. The publication of this story may perhaps assist the future historian in tracing the growth of public opinion in Australia, and will therefore not be without its use. It is in this hope that I submit it to the public.

G.E.B.

AUTHORITIES QUOTED.

Reports of the Select Committees of the House of Commons on Transportation, Sessions 1837 and 1838: Chapters I., II., III., IV.

Report of the Special Commission of Enquiry into the state of the Colony of New South Wales. By John Thomas Bigge, 1822 and 1823: Chapters I., II., IV.

Despatches of Governors Macquarie, Bourke, Sorell, Arthur, Franklin, Denison, Latrobe, &c., to the Colonial Office: Chapters I., II., III., IV., XII.

History of Van Diemen's Land, from 1820 to 1835. Anonymous. Chapters I., II.

History of Bendigo. By George Mackay. Chapter XII.

The Last of the Tasmanians. By James Bonwick, F.R.G.S. Chapter II.

The Spectator. Chapter IX.

Hobart Town Gazette. Chapters I., II., III.

Hobart Town Courier and Murray's Review. Chapters I., II., VI., X., XI., XV.

Colonial Times. Chapters X., XI., XV.

Cornwall Chronicle. Chapters I., II., III., VI., IX., X., XI.

Launceston Advertiser. Chapters I., II., VI., IX., X.

Launceston Examiner. Chapters VI., IX., XI.

Sydney Gazette. Chapters I., IV., VI., VII.

Sydney Monitor. Chapters I., IV.

Sydney Australian. Chapters I., IV.

Sydney Morning Herald. Chapters V., VI., VII., VIII., IX., XV., XVI., XVII., XVIII., XIX., XX., XXI., XXII., XXIII., XXIV., XXVIII.

Melbourne Argus. Chapters IV., XIII., XIV., XV., XXI., XXV., XXVIII., XXIX., XXX., XXXI.

Port Phillip Herald. Chapters VI., VII., VIII.

Geelong Advertiser. Chapters XII., XIII., XIV., XV.

Melbourne Herald. Chapters XII., XIV., XV.

Melbourne Age. Chapters XXIX., XXX., XXXI.

South Australian Register. Chapters VIII., XXIV.

Brisbane Courier. Chapter XXVII.

New Zealand Herald. Chapter XXVI.

The quotations from numerous provincial papers acknowledged in the text have been taken at second hand, principally from the metropolitan papers of the colony referred to, and which are included in this list.

CONTENTS.

[Chapter I.]—Characteristics of the Convicts sent to Australia; Bushranging; Origin and Meaning of the Term; The Cat and the Double Cat; Condition of the Prisoners; Some Terrible Revelations; The Desperation of Despair; Some Flogging Stories; The Bushranging Act and its Abuses; Some Opinions of the Magistrates; Savage Treatment of Criminals Continued to the Present Time; Brutality not Cured by Brutal Punishment; When Bushranging First Began[1]
[Chapter II.]—Van Diemen's Land; The First Bushranger; Mike Howe, the King of the Ranges; The Raid on the Blacks; The Black War; Musquito; Outrages by the Blacks; Brutal Treatment of the Blacks by Bushrangers; A War of Reprisals; Gigantic Scheme to Capture the Blacks; A Cordon Drawn Round the Disaffected District; Details of the Scheme; Its Failure; Only Two Blacks Captured; Estimated Cost; Fate of the Blacks[17]
[Chapter III.]—Pierce the Cannibal; A Terrible Journey; A Shocking Confession; Escapes from the Western Hell; The Ruffian Jefferies; Brady the Bushranger; Escapes from Macquarie Harbour; Sticks up the Town of Sorell; The Governor's Proclamation; Brady Laughs at it; The Fight with Captain Balfour; Betrayed by a Comrade; Captured by John Batman; Sympathy at his Trial; End of the Epoch[33]
[Chapter IV.]—Bushranging in New South Wales; Manufacturing Bushrangers; Employing Bushrangers; The First Bank Robbery in Australia; Major Mudie and his Assigned Servants; Terrible Hollow; Murder of Dr. Wardell; The Story of Jack the Rammer; Hall, Mayne and Others[48]
[Chapter V.]—John Lynch; Murder of Kearns Landregan; Lynch's Trial and Sentence; His Terrible Confession; Murder of the Frazers, Father and Son; Murder and Cremation of the Mulligans; His Appeals to Almighty God[60]
[Chapter VI.]—Jackey Jackey, the Gentleman Bushranger; His Dispute with Paddy Curran; Some Legends About Him; Jackey Jackey Always Well Dressed and Mounted; His Capture at Bungendore; His Escape at Bargo Brush; Jackey Jackey visits Sydney; His Capture by Miss Gray; Paddy Curran's Fight with the Police; Recaptured and Hung; John Wright Threatens to Make a Clean Sweep[71]
[Chapter VII.]—The Jewboy Gang; "Come and Shoot the Bushrangers;" Constable Refuses to Leave his Work to Hunt Bushrangers; Saved by his Wife; Robberies in Maitland; Bushrangers in High Hats; The Bullock-driver Captures the Bushrangers; An Attempt to Reach the Dutch Settlements; Mr. E.D. Day Captures the Gang; Assigned Servants' Attempt at Bushranging; Some Other Gangs[82]
[Chapter VIII.]—Bushranging in South Australia; The Robbers Captured in Melbourne; A Remarkable Raid in Port Phillip; Going Out for a Fight with the Bushrangers; A Bloody Battle; Cashan and McIntyre; The Fight with the Mail Passengers; Cashan Escapes from the Lock-up; Is Recaptured; McIntyre Caught at Gammon Plains[95]
[Chapter IX.]—Bushrangers and Pirates; Capture of H.M. Brig Cyprus by Bushrangers; A Piratical Voyage; Stealing the Schooners Edward and Waterwitch; Mutiny of Prisoners on H.M. Brig Governor Phillip at Norfolk Island; The Trial of the Mutineers at Sydney; How Captain Boyle Recaptured the Vessel[103]
[Chapter X.]—Van Diemen's Land Again; A Hunt for Bushrangers in the Mountains; Some Brutal Attacks; "Stand!" "No, thanks, I'm very Comfortable Sitting;" A Degrading Exhibition; A Determined Judge; Cash, Kavanagh, and Jones, an Enterprising Firm; The Art of Politeness as Exhibited by Bushrangers; A Bushranger Hunt in the Streets of Hobart Town; The Capture of Cash; Break Up of the Gang; a Doubtful Mercy[111]
[Chapter XI.]—Norfolk Island; Its Founding as a Penal Station; The Terrible Discipline in Norfolk Island; An Attempt to Ameliorate it; Its Failure; The Rigorous Treatment Restored; The Consequent Riot; Jackey Jackey's Revenge; An Unparalleled Tale of Ferocity; The Soldiers Overawe the Rioters; Thirteen Condemned to the Gallows; Jackey Jackey's Remarkable Letter; The End of Several Notorious Bushrangers[124]
[Chapter XII.]—The Third Epoch of Bushranging; The Gold Digging Era; Influx of Convicts from Van Diemen's Land; Passing of the Criminals' Influx Prevention Act; Attitude of the Diggers Towards the Bushrangers and other Thieves; The Nelson Gold Robbery; Some Pitiful Stories; A Rapid Raid; Insecurity of the Melbourne Streets[134]
[Chapter XIII.]—Captain Melville Takes to the Road; He Ties and Robs Eighteen Men; He Goes to Geelong for a Spree and Boasts of his Exploits; His Sensational Capture; Sent to the Hulks; Murder of Corporal Owens; Melville Removed from the Hulk Success to the Gaol; Murder of Mr. John Price, and Mutiny of the Convicts; Melville Attacks Mr. Wintle; Death of the Noted Bushranger[148]
[Chapter XIV.]—Murder of a Bullock-driver; Sticking Up in the Melbourne Streets; Stealing £100,000 in Bank Notes; Want of Efficient Police Protection; Murders and Robberies at Ballarat, Bendigo, Mount Alexander, and other Diggings; The Robbery of the McIvor Gold Escort; A Bushranger Intimidated by a Bottle of Brandy; Robbery of the Bank of Victoria at Ballarat; Capture of Garrett in London; Prevalence of Horse Stealing; The Doctor's "Creamy"[158]
[Chapter XV.]—An Escape from Norfolk Island; Stealing a Government Boat; The Convicts of New South Wales; A Terrible Indictment; Thomas Willmore; Murder of Philip Alger; Murder of Malachi Daly; Fight Between Two Bushrangers; Hunting Down Willmore; His Capture While Asleep; The Last of the Van Diemen's Land Bushrangers; Wilson and Dido; Some Minor Offenders; An Unfounded Charge; A Change of Name to Rid the Island of Evil Associations[173]
[Chapter XVI.]—The New Bushranging Era; Fallacy of the Belief that Highwaymen Rob the Rich to Enrich the Poor; The Cattle Duffers and Horse Planters; The Riot at Lambing Flat; Frank Gardiner, the Butcher; Charged with Obtaining Beasts "On the Cross," He Abandons His Butcher's Shop; Efforts to Establish a Reign of Terror in the District; A Letter from Gardiner; The Great Escort Robbery[188]
[Chapter XVII.]—Johnny Gilbert; His First Appearance in Australia; Miscellaneous Bushranging Exploits; Mr. Robert Lowe Makes a Stand; Mr. Inspector Norton Captured by the Bushrangers; A Plucky Black Boy; "Mine Know it, Patsy Daly Like it, Brudder;" A Brave Boy; O'Meally Shoots Mr. Barnes; A Bootless Bushranger; Capture of John Foley; Something about the Foley Family; Ben Hall[205]
[Chapter XVIII.]—Racers as Mounts for the Bushrangers; The Shooting of Lowry; The Bushrangers Visit Bathurst; They Hold the Town of Canowindra for Three Days; Burke Shot by Mr. Keightley; Female Bushrangers; Death of O'Meally at Goimbla; A Newspaper Man and His Wife Stuck up; Lively Times During the Christmas Holidays[218]
[Chapter XIX.]—A Heavy Sessions at Goulburn; Ben Hall Hard Pushed; An Amateur Mail Robber; Discovery of Frank Gardiner; His Trial and Sentence; The Old Man; A Brush with the Police; The Chinkies Show Fight; Messrs. Hall & Co. Take a Lease of the Main Southern Road; Capture of Mount and Dunleavy; Johnny Dunn; A Desperate Duel and Death of Sergeant Parry; A Country Ball and Its Sequel[232]
[Chapter XX.]—Meeting the Gold Escort; Murder of Constable Nelson; A Brush with the Police; Attempt to Stick up the Araluen Escort; Death of Constable Kelly, and Pluck of Constable Burns; Sir Frederick Pottinger Resigns; Death of Ben Hall; A Sketch of His Life; Death of Johnny Gilbert; Record of Johnny Dunn and the Gang; Capture and Trial of Dunn; His Execution; Fate of the Chief Members of the Gang[246]
[Chapter XXI.]—Bloodthirsty Morgan; Morgan's Opinion of the Police; Murder of Sergeant McGinnerty; Murder at the Round Hill Station; A Pseudo Morgan; Morgan Threatens to Brand All Hands; He Shoots Sergeant Smyth; Challenged to Visit Victoria; He Accepts the Challenge; His Death at Peechelba[258]
[Chapter XXII.]—The Brothers Clarke; The Raid at Nerigundah; Deaths of William Fletcher and Constable O'Grady; Murder of Four Special Constables at Jinden; Annie Clarke at Goulburn; Capture of Thomas and John Clarke; A Terrible Record; A Plucky Woman; An Attempt to Escape Custody; "Shoot Away I Can't Stop You"; Some Daring Robberies; Murder and Cremation of the Brothers Pohlmann; Blue Cap[269]
[Chapter XXIII.]—Bushranging in the Northern District of New South Wales; Captain Thunderbolt Robs the Tollbar; A Chinaman Bushranger; A Long Chase; A Fight with the Police; "Next, Please"; The Bushranger Rutherford; Captain Thunderbolt and the German Band; Desperate Duel between Captain Thunderbolt and Constable Walker; Thunderbolt's Death[287]
[Chapter XXIV.]—Bushranging in the Wild Paroo; A Raid into South Australia; A Relic of the Bushranging Era; Agitation for the Release of Gardiner; Official Reports as to Twenty-four Bushrangers Still in Gaol; The Cases of Gardiner and William Brookman; Gardiner and the other Bushrangers Released; Gardiner leaves the Country[304]
[Chapter XXV.]—Bushranging in Victoria; Robert Bourke; Harry Power; He Escapes from Pentridge Gaol and Sticks up the Mail; An Amateur Bushranger; The Police Hunt Power Down and Capture Him Asleep; A Peacock as "Watch Dog;" The Power Procession at Beechworth; The Trial of Power; His Sentence; Engaged to Lecture on Board the Success; His Death[315]
[Chapter XXVI.]—Bushranging in New Zealand; Alleged Fears of the Escort being Robbed; The First Bushranger; Henry Beresford Garrett; The Maungapatau Murders; Arrest of Sullivan, Kelly, Burgess, and Levy in Nelson; Sullivan's Confession; The Discovery of the Bodies; Sullivan's Release[326]
[Chapter XXVII.]—Bushranging in Queensland; Some Bushrangers from Over the Southern Border; A Bogus Ben Hall; The Wild Scotchman; Queensland's Only Bushranger; A Man of Many Aliases; He Goes to Fight a Duel with Sir Frederick Pottinger; He Escapes from the Steamer; Recaptured and Tried[335]
[Chapter XXVIII.]—Captain Moonlite; The "Reverend Gentleman" Robs the Bank and Nearly Makes His Escape; He Breaks Out of Ballarat Gaol; He Becomes a Reformed Character; He Sticks up the Wantabadgery Station; A Desperate Battle with the Police; His Young Companions in Crime; Sentenced to Death; The Wild Horse Hunters Turn Bushrangers; An Abortive Attempt to Rob a Bank[341]
[Chapter XXIX.]—The Kelly Gang; Horse-Stealing a Great Industry of the District; Faking the Brands; Assault on Constable Fitzpatrick; The Bush Telegraphs; Murder of Sergeant Kennedy and Constables Scanlan and Lonergan; Sticking Up of the Faithfull Creek Station; Robbery of the National Bank at Euroa; A Big Haul[353]
[Chapter XXX.]—The Kellys Stick op the Town of Jerilderie; Robbery of the Bank of New South Wales; A Symposium in the Royal Hotel; A Three-days' Spree; "Hurrah for the Good Old Times of Morgan and Ben Hall"; The Robbers take a Rest for a Year; The Kelly Sympathisers Again; The Kellys Reappear; Murder of Aaron Sherritt[365]
[Chapter XXXI.]—Fight between the Police and the Bushrangers at Glenrowan; The Railway Torn Up; Attempt to Wreck the Police Train; The Glenrowan Inn Besieged; Ned Kelly in Armour; His Capture; The Burning of the Inn; Death of Dan Kelly, Steve Hart, and Joe Byrnes; Trial and Conviction of Ned Kelly; His Death; The Kelly Show; Decrease of Crime in the Colonies[377]
[Index][386]