1 00:00:05,519 --> 00:00:08,680 Speaker 1: So this ended up with a big legislative change twelve 2 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:13,280 Speaker 1: years later in eighteen sixty five that leads to bodies. 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 2: Being buried at Old Melbourne Jail. 4 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: There were anything from thirty four to fifty odd bodies 5 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: buried here. And Alfonsine and George are the reason why. 6 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 3: I'm Jen Kelly from the Herald Son and this is 7 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 3: in Black and White a podcast about some of Australia's 8 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 3: forgotten characters. Today's story is about notorious bush ranger George Melville, 9 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 3: who was part of an audacious robbery of a gold 10 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 3: escort heading from the Goldfields to Melbourne in the eighteen fifties. Incredibly, 11 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 3: after George was executed at Old Melbourne Jail, his wife 12 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 3: put his body on display in her oyster shop in 13 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 3: the heart of Melbourne for the public to come and view. 14 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 3: To tell us the story, we're talking with Damian Beard, 15 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 3: a tour guide at Penridge Prison Tours, for part one 16 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 3: of the story today. Make sure you return tomorrow for 17 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 3: part two. And just a warning, this episode contains discussion 18 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 3: about self harm. If you or anyone you know needs help, 19 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 3: you can contact a lifeline on one three double one 20 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 3: one four and you can find more helplines in the 21 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:34,559 Speaker 3: show notes to this episode. Welcome back to the podcast, Damien. 22 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 2: Well, thank you for having me. 23 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 3: Now. I don't know about you, but the weird fact 24 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 3: that fascinated me about the story of George Melville is 25 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 3: that after he was executed, his wife put his body 26 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 3: on display in her oyster shop. What was that all about. 27 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: It's a little bit complicated to kind of guess we're 28 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: going to run across the problem a lot today of 29 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: the fact that there are no real. 30 00:01:57,560 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 2: Sources for this. 31 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: This was incredibly controvert at the time what his wife, 32 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: Alfonsine did, and I found one newspaper article describing it. 33 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 1: A lot of the court records are gone, a lot 34 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: of that stuff, but what it was about was essentially Alfonsine, 35 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 1: his wife, was incensed at what happened to her husband 36 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,959 Speaker 1: and basically put his body on display in her shop 37 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: to draw attention to the fact of what happened, and 38 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:25,239 Speaker 1: possibly maybe to make a little bit of money as well. 39 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 2: I'm not sure. 40 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 3: Ah, so people had to pay to see the body. 41 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 2: I don't know. This is what kills me in my mind. 42 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: She takes the body to her shop and then walks 43 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: out because Alfonsine I just love her. From everything I've 44 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: read about her, she seems like absolute girl boss energy. 45 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: In my mind, she takes the body to a shop, 46 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:46,679 Speaker 1: you know, puts it on display because when you sell 47 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: a lot of fresh projects back then, you need a 48 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: lot of ice to keep it fresh. Guess what else 49 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:51,639 Speaker 1: Ie can keep fresh? 50 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 2: George. 51 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: So she decorates him with ribbons and flowers, puts him 52 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 1: on display, and in my mind, she walks out into 53 00:02:57,639 --> 00:02:58,080 Speaker 1: Burk Street. 54 00:02:58,080 --> 00:02:59,800 Speaker 2: It's like right I was to see a dead body 55 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 2: and then start selling tickets to her shop. 56 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: I do know that one of the reasons why the 57 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 1: public or the authorities, I should say the public were 58 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: very interested. There were lines all the way at Burk 59 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: Street to come in and see this, And the whole 60 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: time Alfonsine was standing behind the counter and her shop 61 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 1: just non stop tire rate about the police and the authorities. So, 62 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: you know, possibly quite incense to what happened to her husband. 63 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: But I do know one of the reasons that it 64 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: became so controversial was because she did make quite a 65 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: bit of money off it, either from people paying tickets 66 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: or getting hungry and getting oysters out from underneath George. 67 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: So you have this twofold thing one a woman did 68 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:40,839 Speaker 1: something without the permission of a man in eighteen fifty three, 69 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: how dare she? But also quite possibly that she made 70 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: a lot of money And the only people who make 71 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: money off prisoners alive or dead is the prison So 72 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: this ended up with a big legislative change twelve years 73 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: later in eighteen sixty five that leads to bodies being 74 00:03:56,240 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: buried at Old Melbourne Jail. There were anything from thirty 75 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: four to fifty odd bodies buried here, and Alfonsine and 76 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: George are the reason why. 77 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 3: So before that you could just take the body and 78 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 3: do whatever you wanted. 79 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: You could apply to have it released to you and 80 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: show up at the gate which is on Russell Street. 81 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 1: Now just inside that gate there was the death house, 82 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: which was where executed prisoners were taken. And men they 83 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: shaved their heads and their beards. Women they tied their 84 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: hair back and they took a plaster cast of their 85 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: head to make a death mask. Because of the pseudoscience 86 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 1: of phrenology that believed you could tell everything about a 87 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: person by the shape of their head, they figured if 88 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: all these people are having their lives ended on their 89 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:41,919 Speaker 1: gallows for crimes, they must have something in common with 90 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: their shape of their heads, right, and guess what they found? 91 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: Absolutely nothing, because it's nonsense. But family could then apply 92 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:51,840 Speaker 1: to have the body released to them. They could come 93 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 1: and collect the body and take it and have it buried. 94 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 2: In consecrated ground. I believe. 95 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: I don't believe there was anything about it being buried 96 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: in unconsecrated ground or anything like that. There's stories about 97 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 1: how prisoners were meant to be buried in cemeteries so 98 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: that they never left the jail even in death. I 99 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: don't believe that's true. I believe it's much more of 100 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: a prosaic factor for what's going to happen to the 101 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 1: bodies is someone else going to put it on display 102 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: sort of thing. 103 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 3: So now that we've heard about the gruesome end of 104 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,600 Speaker 3: George Melville's life, perhaps we talk about the beginning of 105 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:25,280 Speaker 3: his life. So he came from Glasgow, is that right. 106 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:27,359 Speaker 1: And he started work at the age of twelve to 107 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: supplement the family income. But he was actually quite a 108 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 1: bright kid, and his mother had insisted that he learned 109 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:35,599 Speaker 1: to read and write, and apparently he picked it up 110 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:38,600 Speaker 1: quite easily. He was caught stealing when he was a 111 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: teenager I have not found the exact day, and sentenced 112 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: to fourteen years transportation. In eighteen thirty six, he was 113 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: transported to Australia on the Lady Kenaway and arrived in 114 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:52,159 Speaker 1: Port Jackson and was quickly sent out to work as 115 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:56,839 Speaker 1: an indentured servant, a farm laborer, basically slavery. He chafed 116 00:05:56,839 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: on the restrictions and at one point he was enterence 117 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:04,120 Speaker 1: to hard laboring chains on a road gang. Obviously he'd 118 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: sort of tried to abscond or you know, had to 119 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,239 Speaker 1: go at his oversea or something like that, not really sure, 120 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: but while on this road gang he absconded and he 121 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: stowed away on a whaling ship named the Fame. He 122 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: was caught and the captain was like, you know, I 123 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: you wouldn escaped convictor bolter as though were called back then. 124 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:23,839 Speaker 1: He said no, and the captain was like, oh, okay, 125 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: you can work. But then he realized that the ship 126 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: was turning around and heading back to Port Jackson, and 127 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 1: one of the mates said, yeah, the captain's going tow 128 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: you in. Because if masters of ships were found with 129 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: bolters in their crews at the time, they could be 130 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 1: fined really quite severely. So they're heading back to Port 131 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: Jackson and he's within side of shore. He jumps overboard 132 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: and swims for it, spend some time in the bush, 133 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:51,359 Speaker 1: but eventually finds himself in Melbourne in eighteen forty seven. 134 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: When he's in Melbourne, he worked as a laborer. He 135 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: took on clerical jobs because he could read and write, 136 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,840 Speaker 1: which was unusual for someone of his background at the time. 137 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: And apparently it was quite the ladies man quite quite 138 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 1: had a captivating wit. 139 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:06,719 Speaker 2: It's one of the things that I read. 140 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: And working at the markets, he met a French woman 141 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 1: named Alfonsine Barbelet, and she owned her own fruit and 142 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: oyster shopping Berke Street, and it seemed to be genuinely 143 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: really love at first sight. They really did seem to 144 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: really care for each other. This really does come across 145 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: in the documents when you work in my position and 146 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: you sort of see this sort of historical stuff a 147 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 1: lot of the time. Quite often you tend to view 148 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: these marriages. Often they can be a little bit cynical, 149 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 1: a bit like you know, let's just do this, or 150 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: you're pregnant, we better do this kind of thing. They 151 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: actually appeared to really really care for each other. She 152 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: came from Caledonia. She was from a French family, and 153 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: he actually ended up learning quite a bit of French, 154 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: which got him the nickname Frenchie. But in eighteen fifty 155 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: one he headed up to Mount Alexander. 156 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 3: Okay, so they've headed up to the goldfields. 157 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: Together by himself. I believe she's got a shop. Why 158 00:07:57,400 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: she can abandon this shop. She's probably making way more 159 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: money than it. 160 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 3: So now this story takes place during the Victorian gold Rush. 161 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 3: Can you set the scene a little for us? What 162 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 3: do we need to know about that era before we 163 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 3: plunge right into Melville story. 164 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 2: Yes. 165 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: So in eighteen fifty one, a man named James Esmond, 166 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: he's walking through the bush outside plunes out near Balarat, 167 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: trips over bloody big rock, turns around to shake his 168 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 1: fist and swear at it, and notices the sun shining 169 00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 1: through the trees is making the big rock sparkle. And 170 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: he's found gold. And the gold rush begins. Now we 171 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:35,440 Speaker 1: go from about seventy seven thousand white settlers in eighteen 172 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: fifty to over half a million in the space of 173 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 1: eight to ten years. And as these people come here, 174 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: there is absolutely nothing for them. There are no jobs, 175 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: in no houses, no provision for this at a time 176 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: where being unhoused or unemployed was could technically have you 177 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: charged with vagrancy or idleness and put in jail. Up 178 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 1: at the Goldfields, at one point nearly forty people a 179 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:01,840 Speaker 1: month sting to death. They were turning to crime to 180 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: stay alive. The roads from the goldfields are super dangerous 181 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:07,439 Speaker 1: because lots of people have come here and realized that 182 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:10,560 Speaker 1: digging up gold's really really hard work, and do you know, 183 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: it's a lot easier you let someone else do the 184 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: hard work, and then when they're bringing the gold back 185 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: you rob them. None of that helped by the fact 186 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: that over ninety five percent of the police force deserted 187 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: their posts to. 188 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:21,720 Speaker 2: Go become gold miners. 189 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: They were meant to be forty policemen on gidy on 190 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,679 Speaker 1: Year's Day eighteen fifty two, two showed up for work. Wow, 191 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: out of thirty eight, all up at Sovereign Hill. So 192 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: the government is looking at this huge crime wave and 193 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: they're like, we need to do something about this. You know, 194 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: let's tackle the causes of this with social housing and 195 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: free I'm just kidding. 196 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:43,080 Speaker 2: They're like, we need more jails for poor people. 197 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: So they cut the masks off a bunch of ships, 198 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 1: they paint them yellow, they fill them full of prisoners. 199 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 1: They keep cramming people into the stockade up at Penridge 200 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: and they start expanding the site of the old Melbourne 201 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: Jar or the same you're back then, the new Melbourne Jail, 202 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,440 Speaker 1: and this is where George ends up ending here life 203 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:00,880 Speaker 1: as well. 204 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:05,040 Speaker 3: Now, one job I hadn't heard much about is these 205 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:07,920 Speaker 3: gold escorts, and this is pretty relevant to this story. 206 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 3: So can you explain what they were? 207 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, so when you find gold, you can't well, you 208 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:15,840 Speaker 1: can go and trade it in at the pub and 209 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: things like that, and people quite frequently did. 210 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 2: But what you really want to do is convert it 211 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 2: to currency. 212 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:24,680 Speaker 1: And the best exchange rate for this currency was from 213 00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 1: the government at the Treasury. The exchange rates up to 214 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:31,199 Speaker 1: the gold fields, where you don't have to go through 215 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 1: all the hassle of transporting it to Melbourne, they're obviously 216 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 1: not as favorable to the gold miners. So what gold 217 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 1: miners want to do is they want to go and 218 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: they want to sell it directly to the government where 219 00:10:40,679 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: the exchange rates are much better. However, to do this 220 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:46,440 Speaker 1: you have to get to Melbourne. Remember what I said 221 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:48,840 Speaker 1: about the roads. Now, the government doesn't want this happening 222 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: law and order, but also they want the gold, so 223 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 1: pretty quickly on they established these gold escorts, which were 224 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:57,160 Speaker 1: literally armed escorts that would take the gold once a 225 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,320 Speaker 1: week from the gold fields. What ends up happening is 226 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:05,200 Speaker 1: as the goldfields expand out from Ballarat and Bendigo, people 227 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: start their own private escorts. A company stumps up the 228 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:10,720 Speaker 1: money and the cart and the driver. They're provided with 229 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 1: troopers government personnel to guard it, and then they leave 230 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:17,880 Speaker 1: from these various other diggings and meet the government escort 231 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: at a place like Bendigo or Ballarat, join up with 232 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: that government escort and then are sent on through to Melbourne. 233 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 1: So there was one such escort, a private one that 234 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:30,600 Speaker 1: was starting in eighteen fifty three for the Makaiva diggings, 235 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 1: which is east of what's now today Heathcott, and this 236 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:38,120 Speaker 1: one ended up encountering a few men who had a 237 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:38,720 Speaker 1: bit of a plan. 238 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 3: Ah, So tell us about some of these. 239 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: Men, Yes, so some of them I have more information 240 00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:50,840 Speaker 1: on than others, particularly the Francis brothers. John Francis under 241 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: the name of John Fern He is sentenced aged nineteen 242 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: for theft. Here now he's already done time in England 243 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 1: in jails with his brother George for poaching, and once 244 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:03,440 Speaker 1: they got out they'd work together and what they would 245 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 1: do is George would bump into a target in the 246 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: street and well distracted, John would pick their pockets. John 247 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:12,280 Speaker 1: was caught doing this, apprehended by a constable and in 248 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 1: December eighteen forty three he was sentenced to ten years 249 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 1: transportation to Van Demon's Land. He arrived in Van Demen's 250 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 1: Land on the Maria Solmes on the thirtieth of July 251 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:27,760 Speaker 1: eighteen forty four. He was quite good conduct prisoner and 252 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: released on the thirtieth of January eighteen forty six, given 253 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:36,000 Speaker 1: a pass to head out and work. Eighteen forty six, 254 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: now under the name William Fern, he was working as 255 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:41,640 Speaker 1: a laborer and associating with other what the newspapers called 256 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: low types, and in May eighteen forty seven he's involved 257 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:48,559 Speaker 1: in a robbery of silverware from a man named Charles McLaughlin. 258 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 1: He was the managing director of the bank of Van 259 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 1: Demon's Land. They stole a bunch of items, a bunch 260 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:55,520 Speaker 1: of silverware, candlesticks and. 261 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:55,960 Speaker 2: Things like that. 262 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:57,960 Speaker 1: They were quite unhappy to find out that it was 263 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,400 Speaker 1: actually plated silver, not solid silver, but they stole them 264 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:03,920 Speaker 1: all and stashed them in a brothel in Hobart. 265 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:05,640 Speaker 2: They're all caught quickly. 266 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,600 Speaker 1: John turned evidence against his compatriots and he was given 267 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 1: three months on a road gang and forbidden from residing 268 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:15,679 Speaker 1: in Hobart. At the end of his sentence, he was 269 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,679 Speaker 1: joined in Hobert by his brother George. George was a 270 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 1: year younger, five inches shorter, and allegedly had a much 271 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 1: much shorter temper. A few months after George's conviction, back 272 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:30,479 Speaker 1: in England, he was caught stealing beeswax worth ten shillings 273 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 1: sixpence in Pontefract and was given a seven year sentence 274 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:38,880 Speaker 1: of transportation. He arrived in Van Diemen's Land on the 275 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:41,800 Speaker 1: fifth of September eighteen forty four on the ship Barossa 276 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 1: with three hundred and twenty one other convicts, and he 277 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 1: was marked as a bad conduct prisoner when arriving. He 278 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:50,680 Speaker 1: spent a lot of time going absent from work gangs 279 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,280 Speaker 1: without leave, got six months hard laboring chains for stealing 280 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,720 Speaker 1: a blanket, probably committed other infractions. 281 00:13:56,800 --> 00:13:58,360 Speaker 2: Haven't been able to find anything. 282 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:01,679 Speaker 1: Else but both George and John received their tickets of 283 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 1: leave in eighteen forty eight and eighteen forty nine respectively, 284 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: and as John was barred from living in Hobart, they 285 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:09,920 Speaker 1: eventually made their walue to Melbourne following the gold rush. 286 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:14,520 Speaker 1: By eighteen fifty two, both married to women in Melbourne. 287 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 1: George was married to a woman named Ellen. In Melbourne, 288 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 1: Ellen introduced George to her friend Agnes and her husband Bill. 289 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: Bill Atkins was a former convict who had served his 290 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: time in New South Wales, and they became friends together 291 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 1: and they drank quite frequently together along with his brother John, 292 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: and at a pub in autumn eighteen fifty three, William 293 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:40,000 Speaker 1: Atkins introduced John and George to his friend George Melville. 294 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 3: So it's quite a little gang that's forming. 295 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: Now, it is absolutely And in fact there was a 296 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 1: fifth member as well, a man named George Wilson, where 297 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: we don't know a whole lot about him, as allegedly 298 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 1: an ex convict. Most of these men were. He arrived 299 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,200 Speaker 1: at bendy Go in eighteen fifty two to try his 300 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:58,280 Speaker 1: hand at gold mining, leaving behind a wife in Melbourne, 301 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:02,120 Speaker 1: but apparently quite successful. But he was a gambler, so 302 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: I didn't hold on too much of what he found. 303 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:08,200 Speaker 1: But at Bendigo he met another man named Joe Gray 304 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:13,000 Speaker 1: or John Gray, I don't know, because we know absolutely 305 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 1: nothing about this man. He is allegedly the mastermind behind 306 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,560 Speaker 1: the whole plot, but we just don't know who he is. 307 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 2: There is one. 308 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:24,320 Speaker 1: Author who has a belief as to who he is. 309 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: I'll be honest, I'm not sure I believe him, but 310 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 1: we'll get to that later. But Joe John, I'm going 311 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: to call him Joe, the mastermind behind the pole plot. 312 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: He's the one who's seen the gold Escorts and thinks, okay, 313 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 1: there's quite a lot of money going on in that, 314 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:39,880 Speaker 1: and he starts sort of sussing it out, camping out 315 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 1: and watching it, trying to get friendly with the guards 316 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,360 Speaker 1: and figure out what their routine is, that kind of stuff. 317 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: He approaches George Wilson, who brings in all the others, 318 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: essentially Melville, who brings in Atkins and the Francis brothers, 319 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:55,880 Speaker 1: and they allegedly met at the house of John Francis 320 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 1: in Collingwood which was called Collingwood Flat back then, in 321 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 1: June eighteen fifty f to plan their robbery. 322 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 3: We'll be back soon. Do you hear what happened the 323 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 3: day the bush Rangers stage their daring robberies? They stay with. 324 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 4: Us, so tell us how the day of the robbery 325 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 4: went down? 326 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 2: Yeah? Sure. 327 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: Now I will have to credit especially Deb from Old 328 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: Geelong Jail Crime and Justice Museum. Her podcast Locked Up 329 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: in History has a really good episode about this, and 330 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:32,080 Speaker 1: I just want to thank Deb. I know Deb and 331 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: Rob from Old Gelong Jarl they're lovely people, but Jed, 332 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:37,960 Speaker 1: I'm cribbing a lot of Deb's research here, So thanks Deb. 333 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:42,240 Speaker 1: But on the twentieth July eighteen fifty three, the Private 334 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:45,240 Speaker 1: gold Escort, I have been able to actually find the 335 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: name of it, whether it was you know, the so 336 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:49,000 Speaker 1: and so gold Escort or whether it was literally called 337 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 1: Private gold Escort does what it says on the tin, 338 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 1: But anyway, it leaves the Makaiva Diggings carrying two two 339 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty three ounces of gold and cash in 340 00:16:59,040 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: two strong box. 341 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:02,520 Speaker 3: I mean, I'm not very familiar with ouncers, but it 342 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:04,639 Speaker 3: sounds like an extraordinary amount of gold. 343 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:07,080 Speaker 1: It is, yeah, I mean a lot of it's small 344 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 1: tiny nuggets, dusts and things like that, but it totals 345 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:13,240 Speaker 1: about eighty seven hundred pounds in value, which is nearly 346 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 1: three million dollars today. So they're heading for Keinton and 347 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:20,119 Speaker 1: then Bendy go to join the government escort. At the 348 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: head of the column is Superintendent Robert Warner with Sergeant 349 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 1: George Dowan's and the cart carrying the actual gold is 350 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:33,439 Speaker 1: driven by a driver named James Fooks. Troopers Samuel Benham, 351 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 1: Davis John Morton, and Davis Beswater. There's a few different 352 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:39,720 Speaker 1: pronunciations of his name. I'm going to go with that one. 353 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 1: They're also escorting it. They're all quite heavily armed. They're armed, 354 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:49,280 Speaker 1: in fact, with a sword, a carbine, and pistols. Warner 355 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:52,120 Speaker 1: and Dowan are also carrying revolvers. Only Fooks, the driver 356 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: is he's the only one who's unarmed. Now, just outside Maya, Maya, Gray, Melville, Wilkson, Atkins, 357 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:03,680 Speaker 1: Francis Brothers and allegedly others lay in wait. What they've 358 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:06,360 Speaker 1: done is they've found a spot where there's a sort 359 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:08,440 Speaker 1: of a bend in the road and off to one 360 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:10,320 Speaker 1: side there's a bit of a culvert with a drop 361 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: off off to the other side quite a steep incline 362 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: with a lot of bush Now just around the bend 363 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:18,280 Speaker 1: in the road, they've cut a bunch of branches off. 364 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:21,320 Speaker 1: They've barricaded the road to make it look like a 365 00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 1: tree's fallen down, but also provided a bit of a 366 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:27,159 Speaker 1: barricade for a couple of the bushrangers to hide behind. 367 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:30,480 Speaker 1: They've picked this spot really, particularly because there's no escape, 368 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 1: hemmed in by a drop off on one side, a 369 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 1: larger sort of escarpment on the other side, and then 370 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:39,720 Speaker 1: coming around the corner and seeing this barricade without much 371 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:43,880 Speaker 1: time to stop and investigate. But Duance, he's riding up front. 372 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,320 Speaker 1: He did see the screen and he called a holt 373 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:49,080 Speaker 1: to investigate it. There's men hiding behind the screen and 374 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:52,280 Speaker 1: off to the side, and they suddenly appeared and opened fire. 375 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:53,919 Speaker 2: Now there is a lot. 376 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:58,760 Speaker 1: Of dispute over who shot first. The bushrangers said that 377 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:01,439 Speaker 1: the guards shot first. The guard said the bush rangers 378 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:05,679 Speaker 1: shot first. One account I read of the article of 379 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:09,480 Speaker 1: the incident, I'm sorry, said that, you know, one of 380 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: the bush rangers misfired. 381 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:11,359 Speaker 2: They're gone. 382 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:14,200 Speaker 1: The bush rangers later claimed that they had not intended 383 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:16,399 Speaker 1: to shoot anyone. Of course, they're claiming this in the 384 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:19,560 Speaker 1: dock when they're on trial for their life, so you 385 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:23,639 Speaker 1: know what exactly can you trust? But the end result 386 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: is someone shot and there is a gunfight the troopers 387 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:31,280 Speaker 1: all full. Morton receives a ball in the shoulder, Davis 388 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:34,480 Speaker 1: is shot in the cheek. Bears Water is shot in 389 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:37,439 Speaker 1: the leg and fell from his horse, dislocating his arm. 390 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:40,920 Speaker 1: Fuchs is shot in the knee and received a graze 391 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:44,960 Speaker 1: on the temple. Dewan's horse received bullet runs which made 392 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 1: a bolt, but it bolted straight ahead and went crashing 393 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:53,479 Speaker 1: through the barricade. So Diwans has effectively escaped this ambush 394 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 1: and he brings his horse under control and he heads 395 00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: to a government camp three miles away to raise a arm. 396 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:02,560 Speaker 1: They keep everyone at bay at gunpoint. Now most of 397 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 1: the troopers are injured on the ground. The only one 398 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:08,639 Speaker 1: who is not his warner, but they keep him at 399 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:12,600 Speaker 1: bay at gunpoint while they're taking the strong boxes. And 400 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: then Superintendent one, he sort of just stands around watching 401 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:17,400 Speaker 1: and then as the bush rangers head off into the bush, 402 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,439 Speaker 1: he sort of just follows about fifty meters behind, you know, 403 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,040 Speaker 1: kind of hiding behind trees, poking his head out that 404 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:25,680 Speaker 1: kind of thing, trying to see where they're going, until 405 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: eventually they notice him and they start firing at him 406 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:32,280 Speaker 1: until he's driven away. He retreats to nearby Patterson Station 407 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:33,879 Speaker 1: to get assistants and Damien. 408 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:36,440 Speaker 3: There were hundreds of people involved in the hunt. 409 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: Yes, so Dowan's returns to the scene with troopers and 410 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:45,000 Speaker 1: a bunch of miners as well. He can imagine all 411 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: the miners they're like, maybe my gold was on that escort. 412 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:51,880 Speaker 1: I want to find this, you know. So they're quite motivated. Now, Generally, 413 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:53,919 Speaker 1: the troopers, the traps as they were known, we're not 414 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:56,919 Speaker 1: popular around the goldfields. They're in forcement arm of the 415 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:00,560 Speaker 1: government up there checking licenses and stuff like that. Famously, 416 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:03,120 Speaker 1: that all boiled over at Eureka a few years later, 417 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:06,000 Speaker 1: but in this instance, the miners had a bit of 418 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 1: self interest. So eventually nearly four hundred miners were scaring 419 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,119 Speaker 1: the bush trying to find them. In the meantime, the 420 00:21:12,119 --> 00:21:15,480 Speaker 1: bushrangers went into the bush and remove the contents of 421 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:17,920 Speaker 1: their strong boxes, putting it in their settle bags. Now 422 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:21,280 Speaker 1: it's interesting describing as people as bushrangers to my mind, 423 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:23,879 Speaker 1: because this is the first and only time they do 424 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:26,800 Speaker 1: these things together. It's almost like a heist movie. You know, 425 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:29,639 Speaker 1: you put together the gang to do this one job, 426 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:32,879 Speaker 1: and then they're all absolutely intending to go their separate ways. 427 00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:35,359 Speaker 1: It's not like they're going to go maroud in the 428 00:21:35,359 --> 00:21:38,399 Speaker 1: bush like Ben Hall or anything like that. But they 429 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 1: did head into the bush and spend the night in 430 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,359 Speaker 1: the wild, and the following morning they divided the gold 431 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:45,679 Speaker 1: and the cash up and they headed into Kilmore and 432 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:47,840 Speaker 1: then to a place called Rocky water Holes which is 433 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: now Calcallo. It's from there that they split into two 434 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:52,400 Speaker 1: groups and headed for Melbourne. 435 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:53,479 Speaker 3: What's happened next? 436 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: So there's news spreads very very quickly. There's rumors everywhere, 437 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:02,919 Speaker 1: including the trooper Morton had died and rewards offered. The 438 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:06,400 Speaker 1: private gold escort company offers a reward, and not long 439 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 1: after the government does a five hundred pounds reward and 440 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 1: passage out of the colony. 441 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:15,000 Speaker 3: Now Damien. That must have just been an extraordinary amount 442 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 3: of money. An extraordinary reward. 443 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:20,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's over seventy eight thousand Australian dollars in today's money. 444 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:24,040 Speaker 1: That's not one hundred percent accurate. Money changes value over time, 445 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:27,920 Speaker 1: but that's what the calculators say. It's more than any 446 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,159 Speaker 1: individual share that any of the bush Rangers would have 447 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: received from the amount of gold and money that they 448 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:36,560 Speaker 1: were dividing up. But more importantly is this passage out 449 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: of the colony. This is really calculated move because this 450 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:45,680 Speaker 1: way they're trying to offer it to someone who's part 451 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:50,720 Speaker 1: of the gang more than your share, and also secure 452 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:54,000 Speaker 1: passage away from anyone who's going to want to have 453 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,320 Speaker 1: a bit of a word with you about you turning 454 00:22:56,359 --> 00:22:58,480 Speaker 1: informa on them. 455 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:00,640 Speaker 2: So it's a really calcul related move. 456 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:04,000 Speaker 1: You know, they're offering a reward, but it's a reward 457 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:08,840 Speaker 1: that has really calculated to appeal to members. 458 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:10,120 Speaker 2: Of the game themselves. 459 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:11,159 Speaker 3: So did it work? 460 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 2: Eventually? 461 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:16,439 Speaker 1: It did, But there were some difficulties in this, one 462 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:20,680 Speaker 1: of which is who actually was Joe great Now, there 463 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 1: is one author that believes Joe Gray was actually Frank 464 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:27,120 Speaker 1: Christi or Frank Gardner, he was a famous Bushranger. About 465 00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:29,919 Speaker 1: ten years later, I said before I don't think I 466 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:33,399 Speaker 1: believe this, and this is because he's really basing it 467 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:37,920 Speaker 1: on a couple of things. Number one is a article 468 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:42,439 Speaker 1: in Bell's Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer, dated August 469 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty three. Now I've already told you how many 470 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,639 Speaker 1: rumors have spread about this place within the last twenty 471 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 1: four hours of it happening. That's just in the Goldfields. 472 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:55,080 Speaker 1: Imagine how distorted that game of telephone has got by 473 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:59,080 Speaker 1: the time we get up to Sydney. But this article says, 474 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 1: and I really want to read in the British pathe 475 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 1: of ice. But anyway, it will be some gratification to 476 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:07,879 Speaker 1: learn the leader of the gang who attempted the whole 477 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:11,800 Speaker 1: sale and cold blooded slaughter of the private escort yesterday 478 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:15,359 Speaker 1: week has been captured and recognized, and that he admits 479 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,600 Speaker 1: himself to have been one of the party. The wretch 480 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 1: was taken in bed on the following Saturday at Makaiva 481 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:23,960 Speaker 1: Diggings where he was lying booted and spurred with a 482 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:28,119 Speaker 1: female as a bandit, as himself a sex worker. He 483 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 1: was an ill looking fillo named Christie, about twenty six 484 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,040 Speaker 1: years of age, and whose life has been one scene 485 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:34,760 Speaker 1: of crime for. 486 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 2: First to last. 487 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:39,280 Speaker 1: He had not long escaped from Penry Stockade, and it 488 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:41,440 Speaker 1: was the lookout for him as a runaway convict which 489 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 1: led to his detection as one of the would be murderers. 490 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,119 Speaker 1: Frank Christy had escaped from pantridge at the time Pantry 491 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,440 Speaker 1: stockade at the time. The wall around the stockade was 492 00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:53,760 Speaker 1: only a meter high. Yeah, can you see the problem 493 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:56,639 Speaker 1: with a meter high wall around a prison? Penridg Prison 494 00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:00,639 Speaker 1: opened December fifth, eighteen fifty with thirty prisoners inside the stockade. 495 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:03,639 Speaker 1: By March eighteen fifty one, just three months later, forty 496 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:07,440 Speaker 1: eight prisoners had escaped from the place. I've seen more 497 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:10,520 Speaker 1: than were there on the first day, including Frank Christi 498 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,480 Speaker 1: alias Frank Gardner. There is absolutely no proof that this 499 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:16,880 Speaker 1: is the same man, particularly because he was never heard from, 500 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:19,720 Speaker 1: since there's just this one article about the arrest of 501 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,879 Speaker 1: this man who police arrested believing him to be the 502 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,480 Speaker 1: escape prisoner. And then according to the book I read, 503 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:27,720 Speaker 1: this man was confused and thought he was being arrested 504 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:30,359 Speaker 1: for the MACKAIV Gold escort robbery and confessed to that. 505 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:32,879 Speaker 1: And now according to this book, he allegedly bribed the 506 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 1: policeman to let him go. Never heard anything else, no 507 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:40,840 Speaker 1: convictions in said. The only other thing this author has 508 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:45,200 Speaker 1: to back up this theory is Frank Gardner. Frank Christy 509 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:48,040 Speaker 1: was definitely involved in a robbery in eighteen sixty two 510 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 1: at Ygara, which used very, very similar tactics. But I mean, honestly, 511 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 1: if you're going to rob a gold escort in the 512 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:56,360 Speaker 1: book in the Bush, the best way is to set 513 00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,439 Speaker 1: up an ambush like that. It's pretty obvious. Obviously I 514 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:03,880 Speaker 1: don't really believe it, but Joe Gray is the key 515 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:06,480 Speaker 1: to the whole thing, and he like much of the 516 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: information is missing. I'm going to go for the next 517 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:12,760 Speaker 1: bit based off entirely on the facts that we've been 518 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 1: able to ascertain. Either Deb's been able to find out, 519 00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:17,919 Speaker 1: I've been able to find out from newspapers. There are 520 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 1: a few authors who've sort of offered a bit of 521 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:24,160 Speaker 1: interpretation of these facts, but I'm not sure. At around 522 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,639 Speaker 1: two pm on the afternoon of the robbery, Detective Tucker 523 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:31,000 Speaker 1: receives word of it at the Mackaiva Diggings, and at 524 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,520 Speaker 1: the same time a young man comes into his office 525 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:36,520 Speaker 1: and a report's theft of a revolver from his tent, 526 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:40,120 Speaker 1: and he suspects his neighbor. The authorities search the tent. 527 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 1: The man is long gone, but what was left behind 528 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 1: was a map of the ship Madagascar, which was then 529 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 1: currently mout in Hobson's Bay preparing for a journey to 530 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:56,280 Speaker 1: England and on the Map was written Jay Francis, Cabin Passenger. 531 00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:59,119 Speaker 3: We'll leave part one of the story of George Melville 532 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 3: there and we'll re turn tomorrow with part two to 533 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:12,280 Speaker 3: hear how the police closed in on the gang. Thanks 534 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:14,720 Speaker 3: for listening. This has been In Black and White, a 535 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:19,120 Speaker 3: podcast about some of Australia's forgotten characters, written and hosted 536 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:22,760 Speaker 3: by me Jen Kelly, edited by Harry Hughes, and produced 537 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:25,840 Speaker 3: by John Tyburton. You can find all the stories and 538 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 3: photos associated with our episodes at haroldsun dot com dot 539 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:34,960 Speaker 3: au slash ibaw. If you've enjoyed this podcast, we'd love 540 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:38,080 Speaker 3: you to leave a five star rating on Apple Podcasts. 541 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:41,800 Speaker 3: Even better, leave a review. It's one simple way you 542 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 3: can help us get the word out to more listeners. 543 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:48,119 Speaker 3: Any comments or questions please email me at in Black 544 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:53,680 Speaker 3: and White at haroldsun dot com dot au. Any clarifications 545 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:57,240 Speaker 3: or updates will appear in the show notes for each episode, 546 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 3: and to get notified when each new episode comes out, 547 00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:02,840 Speaker 3: make sure you subscribe to the podcast feed