Oh, what a night! Police uniforms certainly took a beating in the 1870s. They looked sturdy enough. Heavy-looking tunics, trousers and forage caps were the order of the day. Yet at least four of the men featured in this post managed to “destroy” a police uniform in the course of their arrests. Restitution was alwaysContinue reading “Prisoners in Brisbane Gaol, 1875: Fighting and Destroying Police Uniforms.”
Category Archives: Mug Shots
Prisoners in Brisbane Gaol, 1875: Serious Assaults.
The 1875 prison photograph series contains a lot of men who committed serious assaults – near murders in some cases. Looking at the prisoners’ photos, it’s hard to overlook the number of Chinese men serving time for assaults. The accounts of their court hearings are notable for what they do not disclose – motive. AnythingContinue reading “Prisoners in Brisbane Gaol, 1875: Serious Assaults.”
Prisoners in Brisbane Gaol,1875: Murder and Manslaughter
The earliest surviving prison photography in Queensland seems to have been the 1875-6 images of inmates of the Brisbane Gaol. The photographs are a haunting record of the offenders and their crimes. The series contains several hundred pictures, and I have endeavoured to discover the stories behind the inmates and their offences. Kelah Kelah couldContinue reading “Prisoners in Brisbane Gaol,1875: Murder and Manslaughter”
A Tale of the Hard Life – William Murray and the killing of Daniel Roberts
An unkempt and hopeless-looking man stares warily at the Brisbane Gaol photographer. His jacket doesn’t quite fit, and his hair and beard seem to have been barbered using a kitchen knife. His eyes, set deep under faded brows, are pale. His mouth is slightly open, as if the photographer caught him just as he wasContinue reading “A Tale of the Hard Life – William Murray and the killing of Daniel Roberts”
Portraits in Crime Part 2
Some of the Stories Behind the Longreach Collection Charles Fox was convicted of false pretences – he had passed a cheque for £4 that was valueless. He made a reasonable impression on the Judge by pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity, but he couldn’t supply any character references. He’d lost them. He looks pretty confidentContinue reading “Portraits in Crime Part 2”
Portraits in Crime Part 1
In the late 1890s, Queensland Courts began granting probation orders, and regional police stations and lockups started to record the released offenders with photographs and detailed descriptions. The photographs here are from a collection at the Queensland State Archives, Photographic records and descriptions of released male prisoners – Police Station, Longreach, 01/01/1889 – 31/12/1899. ManyContinue reading “Portraits in Crime Part 1”
The Meaning of a Name
A pensive-looking young man sits for the photographer at Brisbane Gaol. It’s the 28th of October 1890, and the man, listed as W.T. Boyce, born 1867, has been convicted of horse stealing at Charters Towers. He will spend a year at Saint Helena Island. That’s enough to make anyone melancholy. The report of his convictionContinue reading “The Meaning of a Name”
A Good Talking-To.
Judges and Magistrates still have faith in the human spirit. They look at certain defendants, and see something that makes them believe that a kindly intervention early on might just change the defendant’s life. I’ve heard a Magistrate tell a weeping girl, terrified of her parents finding out about an offence, “They might be angryContinue reading “A Good Talking-To.”
Gentlemen with Aliases – Part 2
Meet Victor Hugo, Winston Churchill (the Plain Turkey), Professor toshima et al The 19th century was a time for criminals to adopt aliases that reflected their disruptive outlaw ways – The Wild Scotchman (James McPherson) and Henry Hunter, The Wild Frenchman, rode the backroads in the 1860s, nicking horses and emptying the mails. The SnobContinue reading “Gentlemen with Aliases – Part 2”
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.”
Moreton Bay and More 