A survey of some early cases Criminal sentencing is a polarising topic – it’s not harsh enough on some criminals, too harsh on others. The press and public periodically lament the judiciary’s lack of community awareness. Life means life etc. Modern Australia does not have the death penalty, but it was well and truly onContinue reading “What do you have to do to go to Moreton Bay?”
Category Archives: Courts
The Rake’s Progress
In the Queensland Police Service Watch-house Entry Books, a photograph of a respectable-looking middle-aged man is accompanied by a string of aliases, each more bizarre than the last. He could be the local vicar, but for all of those names. He was imprisoned for bigamy, something that was far more common in those far-off daysContinue reading “The Rake’s Progress”
Poor Nancy McCoy
Murdered by her husband and blamed by society. Around 10:30 on the night of 23 June 1856, residents of Brisbane Town heard screams from a cottage near George Street. It was a working-class neighbourhood, and raised voices were common, but this time it was the voice of a woman crying out “Murder!” It turned outContinue reading “Poor Nancy McCoy”
The Inside Job
Thomas John Augustus Griffin was a worried man. His past was catching up with him, and he needed money – fast – so that he could satisfy his debts, get away and possibly fake his death. Again. He could access some fast money, arrange an inside job, but it would be risky. He may haveContinue reading “The Inside Job”
Mug shots – Julius Goeldner’s Turbulent Life.
The heroically named Julius Caesar Alexander Goeldner loved a drink. He also had a furious temper. An enthusiastic indulgence in the former weakness gave free rein to the latter characteristic, which brought Julius Goeldner to the attention of the Brisbane Police for thirty years. Julius Caesar Alexander Goeldner was born in Brisbane in 1862, oneContinue reading “Mug shots – Julius Goeldner’s Turbulent Life.”
Thomas Ellison Brown, “Jack the Sponger.”
Thomas Ellison Brown was better off when people left him alone. The trouble was, they wouldn’t. People hounded him all his life, and it always went badly when they did. Born in Hull, Yorkshire in 1845 to Samuel and Hannah Brown, Thomas emigrated to Australia in 1862. He wanted to make his way in theContinue reading “Thomas Ellison Brown, “Jack the Sponger.””
February 11, 1850 – Circuit Court proclaimed.
Moreton Bay had been open for free settlement for eight years, and had a Police Magistrate in the august person of Captain John Clements Wickham, RN. In the absence of a higher court sitting at Brisbane, and indeed a serviceable gaol, those charged with indictable offences were shipped to Sydney for District and Supreme CourtContinue reading “February 11, 1850 – Circuit Court proclaimed.”
February 9, 1860 – Ipswich Courthouse
On 09 February 1860, the Circuit Court sat at Ipswich on a particularly hot sub-tropical summer’s day. Here’s how the Moreton Bay Courier recorded the day: THE court opened at 10 o’clock. There were seven prisoners for trial. The attendance of jurors was very good, two only of those summoned being absent, a good andContinue reading “February 9, 1860 – Ipswich Courthouse”
February 4, 1862: Kipper Billy and Billy Horton sentenced to death
In January 1862, near Ipswich, a woman named Mrs Jane Rae was assaulted, probably sexually, on the banks of the river, as she did the family wash. When her grown son came to her aid, she stated that a number of indigenous men had been responsible, although none were about when he found her. SheContinue reading “February 4, 1862: Kipper Billy and Billy Horton sentenced to death”
An old offender at 14
The life of James Duffy is baffling to the modern reader. He is recorded in the Entry Book of the Industrial and Reformatory School Brisbane on April 27, 1871. His height and weight were not recorded, but he was described as being of fair complexion, with grey eyes and black hair. His father was Mr TContinue reading “An old offender at 14”
Moreton Bay and More 