1 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday everyone. Today is the last installment in our 2 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:09,479 Speaker 1: three episodes on Australia's Bush Rangers, which originally came from 3 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:13,319 Speaker 1: hosts Sarah and Deblina in This one first came out 4 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:16,240 Speaker 1: on September twenty one of that year, and it covers 5 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: later bush Rangers and changes to the law that changed 6 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: the way the legal system was working in Australia. We 7 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 1: said this on the prior to Classics, but we'll say 8 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: it again. This episode is eight years old. If we 9 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: were recording it today, we would use different, more modern 10 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: language in terms of talking about criminal justice and incarceration 11 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: as well as Australia's Aboriginal people. But otherwise, just keep 12 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: that in mind and enjoy. Welcome to Stuff You Missed 13 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: in History Class, a production of I Heart Radios How 14 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: Stuff Works. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm to Blaine, 15 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,959 Speaker 1: a Chuck rebording, and I'm and the news of Ned 16 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: Kelly's now I identified remains has us all excited about 17 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 1: bush Rangers again, and that's mostly because our listeners are 18 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: so fired up about it. When the news of his 19 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: remains being identified came out, as we mentioned in the 20 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,119 Speaker 1: first part to this podcast, we got emails from all 21 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: over the world. Our inboxes exploded with Ned Kelly subject lines. Indeed, 22 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: so last time we started out by talking about Ned's 23 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:25,679 Speaker 1: remains being found and the news about that, but we 24 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: also talked about guys who weren't Ned, the earliest bush 25 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 1: rangers in Australia who laid the foundation for later gangs 26 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: like the Kelly Gang. And these men were mostly convict bolters, 27 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: which means they were transported felons who escaped prison or 28 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: the settlements and turned to a life of crime. But 29 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,279 Speaker 1: in eighteen fifty three the British Parliament passed the Penal 30 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: Servitude Act, which ended most transportation sentences, and after that 31 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: the typical bushranger went from being a foreign born convict 32 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: to being a native born in Australian complete with a 33 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: thorough knowledge of the land. And that is pretty important. 34 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: But another thing that's important is to to figure out 35 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: the motivation for this new generation of bush rangers, since 36 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 1: they weren't just already convicted criminals. There were really a 37 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:13,080 Speaker 1: few things that play and the first one was gold. 38 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 1: So the discovery of gold in Australia, specifically in Victoria 39 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 1: and New South Wales, was a really big motivator of 40 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: bush rangers in the eighteen fifties. It gave them access 41 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: to great wealth that they could convert to cash really 42 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: pretty easily, and it helped that the gold fields were 43 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 1: easy to bail up. Essentially, they were isolated and the 44 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: police were often neglecting their duties. Many were jumping ship 45 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,799 Speaker 1: to join the gold rush themselves, and because gold had 46 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: to be shipped across these lonesome, long stretches of territory, 47 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: they were really the perfect target for ambushes. But there 48 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: was another factor at play too besides just gold, which 49 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: seems pretty obvious. Yeah, it was land. So while the 50 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: Aborigines had probably one of the most peaceful attitudes towards 51 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: landholding that you can imagine things changed dramatically when the 52 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: first European settlers arrived, and by the time the period 53 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: were discussing world around, a real beef had developed between 54 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: the two subgroups of white Australians who were rural and 55 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: that was the rich squatters on one side and poor 56 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: selectors on the other. So just a little background on that. 57 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: So initially, squatters in Australian history were just like squatters 58 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: anywhere else. They were illegal occupiers of land in this 59 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:31,360 Speaker 1: case grazing land outside of the legitimate crown settlements. But 60 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: by the eighteen forties it was clear that squatters were 61 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: developing the country's wool industry and becoming a political force 62 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: of their own. They were allowed leases at that point 63 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: and many grew very, very rich. But we end up 64 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: with an influx of new immigrants and miners who were 65 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: arriving every day, and finally the colonies started to pass 66 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: selection acts so that these newer arrivals could buy some 67 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: land themselves that auction, and they were of course competing 68 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: against the power full squatters. So it's really no surprise 69 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: that these two groups of people didn't much care for 70 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: each other. They had conflicting interests. So our first bush ranger, though, 71 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: now that we've established the motives for this later generation, 72 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: we're going to start with a bushranger who really epitomized 73 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:19,160 Speaker 1: the later generation, even though he was a compatriot of 74 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,280 Speaker 1: Frank Gardner, who was the last ranger we included on 75 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: our earlier list. Yeah, his name was Brave Ben Hall 76 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: or just Ben Hall that they call him Brave Ben Hall, 77 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:31,839 Speaker 1: and he knew the countryside really well. He knew horses, 78 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: and he was Australian born. He was born May nine, 79 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: thirty seven in New South Wales and he was the 80 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,159 Speaker 1: son of two ex convicts. His father actually met his 81 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: mother when she was at the female convict factory. And 82 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,839 Speaker 1: I like starting with him too, because he is really 83 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 1: truly the second generation here, the son of convicts. How 84 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: perfect exactly, And he grew up working with horses and 85 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,359 Speaker 1: cattle while his father ran a successful farm and worked 86 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 1: as an overseer and ben. The interesting thing about him, though, 87 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: was and though he was the child of two convicts, 88 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: he seemed initially on track for this kind of hard 89 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: working agricultural life, the same life that his parents were 90 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: leading at the time basically, or that they were at 91 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: least cultivating. Right. He took on a lease on land 92 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 1: in Sandy Creek and he married his neighbor Bridget Walsh 93 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:20,840 Speaker 1: on Leap Day in eighteen fifty six in a Catholic ceremony. 94 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: But then, just like a Western movie, poor treatment in 95 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: the hands of the law is what made him abandoned 96 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 1: this peaceful life, or at least that's what we think. 97 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: Evidence about this part of his life is a little 98 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:34,919 Speaker 1: bit sketchy, but there are two wrongful arrests, and the 99 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:38,359 Speaker 1: first occurs April eighteen sixty two on the orders of 100 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: Sir Frederick Pottinger, and the charges were armed robbery and 101 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 1: being an accomplished too none other than bush ranger Frank Gardner. 102 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 1: Not a guy who you want to be associated with 103 00:05:49,880 --> 00:06:00,440 Speaker 1: if you're on the right side of the law. So 104 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 1: then Hall spent several weeks in jail, but there was 105 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: really no evidence and he was let go. Then comes 106 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,679 Speaker 1: another arrest, this time for a gold robbery, and again 107 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: there was no evidence. It didn't even go to trial, 108 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: and uh. He comes back home and finds that his 109 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 1: house has been burned down and perhaps potting Tri did it. 110 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,680 Speaker 1: His stock is dead from thirst, and because of legal expenses, 111 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 1: he has to give up his lease. So he's suddenly 112 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 1: a ruined man. And to make matters worse, at some 113 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:33,599 Speaker 1: point in the middle of all this trouble, his wife 114 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 1: left with their infant son, maybe for a former policeman. 115 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: So twenty two year old Hall at this point teams 116 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:45,280 Speaker 1: up with Frank Gardner for real and starts robbing the countryside. 117 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: Their exploits were really in your face type tactics. They'd 118 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: steal race horses in eighteen sixty three, they bailed up 119 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: the entire town of Canundra, putting everybody up in a 120 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,359 Speaker 1: local hotel and treating them to a three day feast 121 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: and bender. The party was only cut short because they 122 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 1: got word that the river was rising and they'd be 123 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,359 Speaker 1: trapped if they'd stay longer. And one thing to note 124 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: too about Ben Hall. Even though they were really well 125 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: armed and really well organized, Hall would stop members of 126 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: his own gang from committing acts of violent revenge or 127 00:07:16,320 --> 00:07:20,119 Speaker 1: cruelty if he could. He'd prefer a ransom over death. 128 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: Even though by eighteen sixty four a gang member had 129 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 1: shot a sergeant and by eighteen sixty five another member 130 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: shot a constable. It's easy to see how violence would 131 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: pretty quickly become the norm for for these bush rangers. 132 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: But the exploits of the gang and the ineptitude of 133 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: the police force eventually caught higher ups attention, as as 134 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: you would expect them to. His old enemy. Hall's old enemy, 135 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: Frederick Pottinger, was even recalled to Sydney in eighteen sixty 136 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: five for neglecting his duty. He had been out riding 137 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: in some races and he didn't notice that Hall's gang 138 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 1: was also right there. You think he'd recognize them, Yeah, 139 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 1: you'd think so. Maybe he was like wearing a different, 140 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 1: differed something, a disguise for him. I don't know. But 141 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 1: that same year things change a little bit. The government 142 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 1: put out a new law, the Felons Apprehension Act. So, 143 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 1: in addition to the Gold and the land disputes we discussed, 144 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 1: this is really the third piece of the puzzle for 145 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:19,679 Speaker 1: understanding later generations of bush Rangers. Under the new rules, 146 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:23,760 Speaker 1: individuals could be proclaimed as outlaws and then shot without warning. 147 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 1: So this was basically martial law, and anyone harboring a 148 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 1: felon could be considered a felon as well. Pretty bad 149 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: news for the bush Rangers with Robin Hood type reputation, because, 150 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: as we've discussed in the Ned Kelly episode and in 151 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:40,559 Speaker 1: our earlier Bush Rangers episode, these people really were indulged 152 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:44,040 Speaker 1: by townspeople sometimes, I mean, depending on how good or 153 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: bad they were. I mean, I have to imagine some 154 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: of it was fear. You don't want to insult the 155 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: bush Ranger. But these three day Benders, the three day Feast, 156 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: that sort of thing. Townspeople like them to a certain extent. 157 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 1: So with this new law in a one thousand pound 158 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 1: or reward on his head. Hall decided that he was 159 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: going to call it quits, but he was betrayed by 160 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 1: a friend and troopers showed up at his hiding place. 161 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:12,280 Speaker 1: May five, shot him in the back, then shot him 162 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,880 Speaker 1: thirty more times, and that was pretty much the end 163 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 1: of the notorious Hall Gang. The last two members of 164 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 1: his gang were also shot or executed within the next 165 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:26,520 Speaker 1: few months. But he did get some valid immortality though, 166 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: courtesy of Hall's brother in law. And I'm going to 167 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,559 Speaker 1: force the rhymes here to make this work dark and 168 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,599 Speaker 1: he was chosen to shoot the outlaw dead. The troopers 169 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: then fired madly, filled him full of lead. They rolled 170 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,000 Speaker 1: him in a blanket and strapped him to his proud 171 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,000 Speaker 1: and led him through the streets of Forbes to show 172 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 1: the prize they had had. But you know, we're gonna 173 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: make it work. So that was the end of Ben Hall. 174 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 1: But we have another bushranger who's not such a cheery 175 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: sounding fellow, and he's not quite as likable. So first 176 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: we should say that the notoriety of Ben Hall's gang 177 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: and the ineptitude of the police are often credited as 178 00:10:06,679 --> 00:10:10,080 Speaker 1: the reason behind the Felon's Apprehension Act of eighteen sixty five. 179 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:12,840 Speaker 1: But not all of the bush Rangers of the eighteen 180 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: sixties were these robin Hood type characters hosting three day parties. 181 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 1: One in particular, Mad Dan Morgan was known for meaningless murders, 182 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: cruelty and violence. Mad Dan, as he was called, was 183 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:30,640 Speaker 1: born John Fuller in New South Wales in eighteen thirty 184 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: and he was the illegitimate child of Mary Owen and 185 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:37,200 Speaker 1: George Fuller. And unlike Ben Hall Dan Morgan, he didn't 186 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 1: start out on the straight and narrow. Pretty much as 187 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,760 Speaker 1: early as his teens, he was suspected of stealing stock, 188 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 1: but his actual arrest record began in eighteen fifty four, 189 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 1: when he was sentenced to twelve years of hard labor 190 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: for a highway robbery in Victoria. He always claimed he 191 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 1: was innocent of this original crime though, that's the interesting 192 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 1: what made him a bitter man. So after six years 193 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,280 Speaker 1: he was released on a ticket of leave for good 194 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,720 Speaker 1: behavior and didn't report back. He was on the lamb 195 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 1: and from that point became known as down the River 196 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:08,960 Speaker 1: Jack and he started work as a horse breaker in 197 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: a station hand So maybe kind of getting into legitimate work, 198 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: except that he got into bush rangering pretty fast when 199 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:19,160 Speaker 1: he stole the prize horse of the family he worked for, 200 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:22,959 Speaker 1: and one member of that family, Evan Evans, along with 201 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:27,679 Speaker 1: another squatter, tracked Jack back to his camp and badly 202 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: hurt him, but he did manage to escape, and from 203 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 1: then on he changed his name yet again and became 204 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:38,959 Speaker 1: known as Daniel Morgan Billy the Native. And this is 205 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,320 Speaker 1: when he really gets into serious bush rangering. He was 206 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,559 Speaker 1: tied to the bailing up of a police magistrate into 207 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 1: robberies across northeast Victoria. He even gets a two pound 208 00:11:50,040 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: reward put on his head dead or alive. By the 209 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:03,720 Speaker 1: next year, in eighteen sixty four, he drove up the 210 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:08,200 Speaker 1: price on his head considerably by shooting the overseer, John McLean, 211 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: and just a few days later a police sergeant too, 212 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: so now there's a one thousand pound reward on his head. 213 00:12:14,640 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 1: And by September another sergeant was killed and Morgan claimed 214 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 1: responsibility for that too, So he just kept just kept snowballing. 215 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,199 Speaker 1: Morgan was quite different from some of the other rangers 216 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: we've discussed. He usually worked alone, for example, or if 217 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:30,400 Speaker 1: he had accomplices, they'd change from job to jobs, so 218 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:32,600 Speaker 1: he didn't have one crew or gang that he worked 219 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 1: with the entire time. He'd sometimes be remarkably cruel too. 220 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:39,960 Speaker 1: He would force groups of Chinese workers to sing and 221 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: dance before shooting one in the arm. He also forced 222 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 1: the wife of a homesteader against a fire until her 223 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:48,960 Speaker 1: skirt caught fire. And after bailing up coaches, he'd stampede 224 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:52,680 Speaker 1: the horses and once tied squatter Isaaca Vincent to a 225 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 1: fence and then set fire to a nearby shed. So 226 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 1: not a very nice guy, very bad but he really 227 00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 1: really hated squatters, and it's good that we gave that explanation, 228 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 1: so you know what squatters are, and you're not just like, 229 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 1: what do you have against squatters? Illegal landholders? But he 230 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: hated those who had bad reputations as employers especially, and 231 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:17,439 Speaker 1: during raids he'd pull these stunts that kind of sound 232 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:20,160 Speaker 1: like Robin Hood but kind of bad to you, like 233 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 1: Robin Hood with a dark twist. In one case, he 234 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:26,800 Speaker 1: made one squatter right more than four pounds worth of 235 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,320 Speaker 1: checks to his employees while he was bailing him up, 236 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: and during another he made the employer give food and 237 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,560 Speaker 1: drink to all of his employees and his temper was 238 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 1: really unpredictable to it could shift on a dime, turning 239 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,760 Speaker 1: from courtly. That's how you'll often see it described and 240 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 1: consider it too violent. And thus his name Mad Dan 241 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 1: sometimes mad Dog. And it's this element of his personality, 242 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: that unpredictable temper, plus his five foot ten frame, his 243 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: dark beard, and this very hooked, birdlike nose that made 244 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:02,840 Speaker 1: people seriously afraid of him, and he worked on that fear. 245 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:06,079 Speaker 1: He would kill informants without question. I mean, that's probably 246 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:08,120 Speaker 1: part of why he part of the reason why he 247 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: worked alone and switched up his partners so frequently. But 248 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:16,120 Speaker 1: he was a scary guy eventually, though, his reputation did 249 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:18,560 Speaker 1: catch up with him. In the early months of eighteen 250 00:14:18,559 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 1: sixty five, Morgan pulled six major robberies before the passing 251 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 1: of the Felon's Apprehension Act, and the day that it 252 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:28,320 Speaker 1: did pass, April eighth, eighteen sixty five, he committed his 253 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:31,640 Speaker 1: last crime. And what timing right exactly. He built up 254 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 1: a homestead in northeast Victoria. Pretty standard stuff from Morgan, right, 255 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 1: But what he didn't know was that the co owner 256 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 1: of the station, a man named George Rutherford, lived really nearby, 257 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: and a nurse at the station, Alice Keenan, managed to 258 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 1: get word to Rutherford about what was going on and 259 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 1: he rounded up a posse of workers, local men and 260 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,160 Speaker 1: police to wait from Morgan's appearance in the morning. So 261 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:55,640 Speaker 1: when Morgan emerged in the morning to steal a horse, 262 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 1: he was shot in the back and he died by 263 00:14:57,640 --> 00:15:00,880 Speaker 1: that afternoon. But they didn't just bury him, No they didn't. 264 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 1: They cut his beard, skin and all off of his 265 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: space and sent his severed head to a Melbourne anatomy professor. Yeah, 266 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: the beard thing is usually described as being flayed off 267 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,520 Speaker 1: his face, which I think is so so horrible. What 268 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:19,960 Speaker 1: a what a gross souvenir. But um, kind of a 269 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:23,440 Speaker 1: grizzly end for Dan Morgan. We'll definitely a grizzly end. 270 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:28,720 Speaker 1: But these bush Rangers have obviously continued to capture the 271 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: imagination of Australians and really people around the world. And 272 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: we talked a little bit about Ned Kelly movies and 273 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 1: spinoffs and things, but fortunately they're spinoffs regarding other bush 274 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:43,880 Speaker 1: Rangers too. It's not all about Ned, as I hope 275 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: we've proved with this podcast series. Yeah, just an example 276 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 1: of a few of the films that are out there 277 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:52,080 Speaker 1: about other bush Rangers. There was a nineteen seventy six 278 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:56,000 Speaker 1: film called mad Dog Morgan starring Dennis Hopper. He sounds 279 00:15:56,040 --> 00:16:00,200 Speaker 1: like a really good mad Dog Morgan. Yeah, definitely red 280 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 1: There was another movie called Captain Thunderbolt, made by Cecil Holmes, 281 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: and there are several movie adaptations of the novel Robbery 282 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:10,720 Speaker 1: under Arms by Ralph Boulderwood and those feature bush Ranger 283 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:14,239 Speaker 1: Captain Starlight, whose real name I believe was Harry Redford. 284 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:18,240 Speaker 1: And finally there's a movie called Ben Hall Notorious bush Ranger, 285 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:20,880 Speaker 1: which was made in nineteen eleven, and there were also 286 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 1: Ben Hall TV shows. There was a series I think 287 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 1: on Ben Hall in seventy five, which was a collaboration 288 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:31,480 Speaker 1: between the BBC and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. So those 289 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 1: are just a few of the options that are out 290 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 1: there if you want to see some other bush Ranger movies. 291 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:40,080 Speaker 1: But there are so many, and I would invite all 292 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 1: our listeners to send us some recommendations because everyone was 293 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 1: so good about sending us Ned Kelly movie recommendations. I mean, 294 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: you know, we heard all about the Heath Ledger Ned Kelly, 295 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 1: the two three one one which everyone says you shouldn't 296 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:54,680 Speaker 1: see because it's so terrible. A few people who said 297 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:57,320 Speaker 1: you should just see it because I mean, I mean 298 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: because yeah. Thank you so much for joining us today 299 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: for this Saturday classic. If you have heard any kind 300 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:12,159 Speaker 1: of email address or maybe a Facebook you are l 301 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:14,560 Speaker 1: during the course of the episode, that might be obsolete. 302 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:17,040 Speaker 1: It might be doubly obsolete because we have changed our 303 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:20,560 Speaker 1: email address again. 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