Bushrangers

Bushrangers, in Australia, originally runaway convicts, who had taken to the 'bush' and become robbers. In the early years of the century they established a reign of terror in what was then the sparsely settled Van Diemen's Land. In 1814 two officials of Port Dalrymple 'unlawfully absconded into the woods,' and 'put themselves at the head of divers profligate and disorderly persons,' of whom the proclamation names 27, including one Michael Howe, who afterwards assumed the title of 'King of the Ranges,' and escaped killing until 1818. Though most of these men surrendered or were pardoned, many would appear to have immediately resumed their course of plunder, until in 1815 martial law was proclaimed in the district by the lieutenant-governor. Stern measures were taken to repress the crime; under Governor Arthur (1824-36) 103 criminals were executed within two years. In 1830 a drastic Bushranging Act was passed in New South Wales, where at one time a band of fifty desperadoes in the Bathurst district fought regular engagements with the settlers and police, and only surrendered when a detachment of the 39th Foot was brought up from Sydney. Ten of these men were executed, and the Act, which was renewed in 1834, put a stop to bushranging on this scale. Outbreaks still occurred at intervals, as in 1840; but generally only three or four ruffians would band themselves together, and after a more or less brief and desperate course, their career would come to an untimely end, through the untiring and gallant service of the small body of mounted police. In later years bushranging has been unhappily facilitated by the colonial land laws, which, with their system of 'free selection before survey,' allow people to settle in isolated spots among the mountains, beyond the range of educational or religious influences, and outside the scope of police supervision; and thus any scoundrel is permitted to choose the most remote haunt for the headquarters of his villainy, to which he can retire after his raids. The pathless, thickly-wooded mountainous districts of eastern Victoria and New South Wales, with a cattle-dealing population who included many 'sympathisers,' have offered shelter to others besides the Kelly brothers. Among noted bushrangers may be mentioned Geary, a deserter, who in 1817 became leader of a band of a dozen desperadoes, was hunted down by a small detachment of regulars, and killed, the coroner's jury returning a verdict of 'homicide in furtherance of public justice;' Morgan, who after many murders and robberies was surrounded and shot in April 1865; and the Kelly gang of four men, who, formerly cattle-stealers, in 1878 murdered in the Wombat Ranges three constables sent to arrest them, and after a series of bold outrages, seized and pillaged Jerilderie, in New South Wales, February 8-10, 1879. This is a little town of 200 inhabitants, whom the bushrangers 'stuck up' in their own houses or in the principal hotel, three of them, after having cut the telegraph wires, mounting guard with loaded revolvers, while the leader, Ned Kelly, ransacked the bank and stole £2000. A special act was at the time in force, authorising the detention of persons supposed to be in communication with them; but nothing more was heard of them till June 1880, when they were brought to bay in Glenrowan, a small town of northern Victoria, which also they had 'stuck up.' After ineffectually attempting to precipitate a special train, with constables and black trackers, into a deep gully, the outlaws took refuge in a hotel where they held the inhabitants prisoners. The police surrounded this place, and through the night of June 27-8 a heavy fire was exchanged by besiegers and besieged, the struggle ending only in the following afternoon, when three of the gang were found dead in the house, and the leader had been captured outside. All four bushrangers appear to have worn a heavy armour, in four pieces, made from ploughshares, and weighing about 97 lb.; the head-piece resembled an iron pot with a narrow slit for the eyes. Ned Kelly, who, thus defended, had boldly attacked the police, was finally brought to ground shot in the legs, and was hanged at Melbourne, 11th November, in spite of numerous petitions and depositions to the governor for a commutation of the death-sentence—which ill-considered applications for mercy were for many years an almost invariable rule in such cases.