The long career of Alfred Allwood. How did Alfred Allwood manage to spend most of his life in gaol, considering that his haul of stolen goods over 40 years amounted to less than £10, a pair of boots, a gold watch, and a cake? He wasn’t a very good thief, and on a couple ofContinue reading “A Lifetime of Crime.”
Category Archives: Courts
The Career of Tom the Devil.
There were quite a few gentlemen who rejoiced in the sobriquet “Tom the Devil” in the 19th century. Tom the Devil seemed to be like the Flying Pieman or Dread Pirate Roberts – once someone was finished with the appellation, another individual would take over in the role. The Original Devil. The original Tom theContinue reading “The Career of Tom the Devil.”
Henry Dagg’s Narrow Escape
[For the uninitiated, Wikipedia explains why the name Dag or Dagg might amuse an Australian: “Originally a word meaning the dried faeces left dangling from the wool on a sheep’s rear end, the word dag is more commonly used in colloquial Australian English to refer to someone’s unfashionable, often eccentric or idiosyncratic style or demeanor togetherContinue reading “Henry Dagg’s Narrow Escape”
An Eventful Year for Roma – 1873
Roma was a young and thriving western town in 1873. It was surrounded by vast pastoral holdings – these were of great economic benefit to the region, but provided something of a mixed blessing when it came to power dynamics, politics and the law. January – Escapees, Floods, Oddfellows and the Gaol. A notorious escapeeContinue reading “An Eventful Year for Roma – 1873”
And who might you be, Sir?
The colonies in the 19th century provided a delightful playground for any number of bounders, rogues, rascals, and cads. All one really needed was an English accent and an air of authority, and the far-flung, gullible colonials would open their pocketbooks and parlours. An Englishman who liked to pose as an aristocrat married a goodContinue reading “And who might you be, Sir?”
The Witness for the Prosecution
At the commencement the feeling against the accused was very, strong, but as the story unfolded itself, and the crown witnesses were found, with one exception, to be coloured people-the solitary exception being a disgruntled ship’s carpenter belonging to the Hopeful-some of whose evidence was strongly suspected of being tainted, a complete revulsion of feelingContinue reading “The Witness for the Prosecution”
The Career of “Professor” Russell in New South Wales.
Well, this might have worked in rural Queensland, but the good citizens of Newcastle did not feel the need to make “Dr. Sir George Russell” part of their medical fraternity. The bright lights of Sydney A few months later, Professor Russell fetched up in Sydney, opened premises at 146 William Street, and began to advertiseContinue reading “The Career of “Professor” Russell in New South Wales.”
The Career of “Professor” Russell in Queensland
Part 1 – the professor of the comb and scissors 19th century Queensland was a place where a person could change their fortune and make a new life. In some cases, people completely reinvented their lives. An ambitious hospitality worker married her way up to the squattocracy, not troubling herself with the messy and expensiveContinue reading “The Career of “Professor” Russell in Queensland”
A Survey of Court Cases Involving Public Enemy No, 1
Hostile takeover of verandah, 1846 BREACH OF THE POLICE ACT. — At the Police-office, on Tuesday, three of the inhabitants of South Brisbane were summoned to answer informations for suffering goats to stray about the public streets. They were fined 5s. each and costs. The informations had been laid at the instance of Mr. Orr,Continue reading “A Survey of Court Cases Involving Public Enemy No, 1”
The Inside Job – 09 November 1867
On November 9, 1867, the bodies of John Power and Patrick Cahill, members of the Police Gold Escort, were found at their camp at the Mackenzie River. They had been poisoned and shot – by their superior officer, the Gold Commissioner, Thomas Griffin. Here is the post that describes how this crime came about. ThomasContinue reading “The Inside Job – 09 November 1867”
Moreton Bay and More 