Karen B

Convict Runaways. James “Duramboi” Davis.

This is the first in a series of posts on the life of James Davis or “Duramboi”. The best-known convict absconder from Moreton Bay, he was considered a very bad character in his teens but after 14 years with the indigenous people of the Wide Bay area, went on to be an Interpreter for indigenousContinue reading “Convict Runaways. James “Duramboi” Davis.”

Minor Offences – from the Trial Book of Moreton Bay.

They committed serious crimes and ended up in the Colonies. They reoffended and were sent to Moreton Bay. The prisoners who inhabited the Penal Colony at Moreton Bay between 1824 and 1839 still committed crimes. There were the murderers, who went to Sydney to be tried and almost inevitably found guilty and executed. There wereContinue reading “Minor Offences – from the Trial Book of Moreton Bay.”

The Story of Sedin – murder and riots in the far North.

Two men were executed at Brisbane Gaol on 12 November 1888. They were both foreign-born men trying to make a living in far north Queensland at the time of the northern gold rush. Both had become killers. Edmund Duhamel, a Frenchman working in the gold mine at Croydon, killed his young de facto wife andContinue reading “The Story of Sedin – murder and riots in the far North.”

Snippets: A Remarkable Statement.

Like James Gardner, George Blanton killed the girl he loved. Like James Gardner, George Blanton had been a heavy drinker and this contributed to his violence and his end. Unlike James Gardner, George Blantern confessed immediately, and was deeply remorseful from the instant he had committed the crime. The following is his statement at his sentencing. Continue reading “Snippets: A Remarkable Statement.”

Constance and Emily

DEATH. MALLALIEU. —On the 21st June, at Adelaide-street, Constance Mallalieu, aged 10 years, eldest daughter of Alfred and Henrietta Mallalieu. [Manchester papers please copy.] On 19 June 1873, a group of young girls played with a skipping rope after school, on a hillside at the corner of Edward and Adelaide Streets. Two girls held theContinue reading “Constance and Emily”

The brief but colourful criminal career of Jemima Smith.

In 1862, Queensland had been a separate Colony for two years. The streets of Brisbane were not paved, bullock-teams rested in the streets and ladies negotiated the subtropical climate and noisome streets wearing the unwieldy hoop skirts of the period. Some substantial buildings adjoined tin shacks and stores. Entertainment for those unable to affordContinue reading “The brief but colourful criminal career of Jemima Smith.”

Snippets: The Rise of Larrikinism.

CITY POLICE COURT. SATURDAY, JUNE 7, BEFORE the assistant police magistrate VAGRANCY. – Thomas Clarke, a man about 23 years of age, was charged with having no lawful means of support. Sergeant Burke prosecuted. From the evidence of constable Jessop, who arrested Clarke, and also that of Senior detective Anderson, it appears that the prisonerContinue reading “Snippets: The Rise of Larrikinism.”

Snippets: “You can hang me if you like.”

Snippets of news from the 19th century.

Highway Robbery – Podgy and Blake.

At 4 pm on 30 July 1868, four men were on the road to the new gold rush at Yabber (you can’t make these names up). They were Henry Redman, Robert Crothers, John Crothers, and Thomas Gill. The group was about 4 miles from Imbil, inland from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, when two armed men onContinue reading “Highway Robbery – Podgy and Blake.”

The Forlorn Women Haunting Our Streets – The Murder of German Ada

German Ada could have been saved from a fatal beating at the hands of James Gardner on the night of 21 August 1883. A neighbour heard her screams as a stammering man threatened her, and went to find the nearest police officer. This constable, on being told that violence was occurring at an address inContinue reading “The Forlorn Women Haunting Our Streets – The Murder of German Ada”