The Colonies were ripe for adventurous men seeking to forge a new destiny. Sometimes they sought to forge more than that. One could rid oneself of unpleasant old associations, create a new identity, and live as one wished. Or so one thought.
Sometimes these adventurous men gave themselves grand names, invented histories, and used their charms upon the locals to enrich themselves.
Meet John Joseph Weldon Flemming, alias Joseph McDonnell, Joseph Rae, Joseph Swezer, Murray W Neilson, Percy Webb or J Delaney.
He seems to be a respectable, if slightly rakish-looking man of 30, sporting a glass eye and an impressive moustache. An Irishman, and a sailor by trade, his offending spread over two centuries and three Colonies, then States, of Australia.
It’s not hard to imagine the charming Irishman coming into your parlour, taking tea, and convincing you that there was a bridge in Brooklyn, going for a once in a lifetime price, but only if you act right away.
It’s doubtful that Mr Flemming etc had much time for sea-faring whilst accumulating a criminal and custodial history that looks like this:
His last recorded conviction was in November 1914. It earned him six months’ hard labour. At fifty, and with 35 years of criminal convictions behind him, it’s doubtful that he would have been considered any use to His Majesty in the First World War.
Just as impressive-sounding was another Irishman who called himself Joseph Livingstone, alias George Woods, Nee Holz, George Barrington or simply “Blackburn”. Livingstone’s MO involved breaking and entering, stealing from the person or larceny. Not smooth enough to defraud over three States, his offending occurred in Southern Queensland from 1888 to 1901.
A local, Michael Lambert, alias Nambour, alias Douglas, alias Stack, looked guilty in his mugshot in May 1895. This did not deter him from a 10 year crime spree, involving false pretences, forgery and rather a lot of horse stealing. In keeping with the values of the time, the horse stealing charges are the ones that got him an appointment with the Supreme Court.
Sometimes we choose our aliases, sometimes they are nicknames bestowed on us by our friends. Sometimes they just look hilarious on our criminal record. Walter Macale, a Queenslander, went by his rightful name, and also apparently answered to Irish Dook and Lord Tarpot. He was 27, and only had the one conviction, but it was a beaut. Abduction.
A case of abduction came before the local bench on Friday, (says the Gladstone Observer) a man named Walter Macale, aged 27 years, being charged “that he did unlawfully take Emily Ann Bigford, an unmarried girl, under 16 years of age, out of possession and against the will of her father.” Constable Moran deposed that he received information that the girl had left her home on the night of the 10th instant, and commenced a search which lasted, off and on, until the 19th instant, when the girl was found in the accused’s camp on the Miriam Vale side of the Norton Range about ten miles from her home. Inside the camp was a bunk made of flour bags.
When the accused heard the warrant, he said, “I did not think Bigford would take out a warrant for me, as I intended to marry the girl. I would have been in Toowoomba now if my horses had been fit to carry me.” The girl attempted to run away when first seen, but came back and said, “My father knew we were keeping company for over twelve months, and we used to ride together on a Sunday about the Range. It is very wrong of my father, for I will never live at home. I am fond of him (meaning defendant), and I don’t like to be separated from him.” Defendant further said, “I took the girl away with the intention of marrying her, and I wonder if I can square it with Mr. Bigford to let us get married, as I really am fond of the girl.” Witness took the girl to her father’s house and gave her in charge of Mr. Rupert Hickman.
As for Irish Dook’s hope that Mr Bigford would let him marry young Emily Ann, it was in vain. He got 9 months with hard labour, and didn’t get the girl. I checked.
An Englishman with an unfortunate history of minor offences over a period of five years from 1896, George Brown was also known as George Watson, George Robinson or just plain old “Yobbo”. He had a habit of loitering with intent and was a vagrant. This earned him more than a year total in prison.
In the 21st century, poor old Yobbo would have found himself doing a bit of community service.
A New Zealand-born Carpenter, Joseph Brown, alias Henry Brown, alias Andrew Brown, alias Ginger Williams, alias Edward Hard began offending at 26. He started with six months for indecent exposure, then graduated to dishonesty (larceny and receiving) before returning to indecent exposure in 1900.
I shudder to think which offences he committed under his last-mentioned alias.
Sources:
Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Saturday 29 December 1894, page 4
Queensland State Archives – Series ID 3693. Photographic Records, Descriptions and Criminal Histories of Prisoners (Males and Females) [HM Gaol, Brisbane, later HM Prison (Boggo Road), Brisbane], Start date: 01.01.1894. End date: 18.08.1896.
Moreton Bay and More 