Ballarat Gaol was unprepared for the devious Captain Moonlite when he was remanded there in 1872. In this exclusive feature we look at the incredible story of one of the most notorious Victorian prison escapes. Continue reading Escape from Ballarat Gaol
Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 – 1954), Sunday 11 July 1915, page 11 MOONLIGHT’S GAOLER — LINK WITH BUSHRANGING DAYS HAD DROP ON THUNDERBOLT — The sixties were stirring times in New South Wales and Victoria. The voice of the … Continue reading Spotlight: MOONLIGHT’S GAOLER
“I, Maurice J. O’Connor, being the medical officer of the gaol at Darlinghurst, do hereby declare and certify that I have this day witnessed the execution of Andrew George Scott, alias Moonlight, lately convicted and duly sentenced to death at … Continue reading The Execution of Scott and Rogan
Ballarat Courier (Vic. : 1869 – 1883; 1914 – 1918), Tuesday 6 January 1880, page 4 CAPTAIN MOONLITE, THE CONDEMNED BUSHRANGER. BY SILVERPEN. As every item of news anent the Wantabagery bushranger is just now read with painful interest by … Continue reading Spotlight: Captain Moonlite, the condemned bushranger. By Silverpen.
With November 2019 seeing the 140th anniversary of the Wantabadgery Siege, the decision was made to make a pilgrimage to Wantabadgery. As no formal acknowledgement of the anniversary or notification of any organised commemoration thereof had been announced, I decided … Continue reading A Guide to Australian Bushranging on tour, 2019 [Blog]
One of the men involved in the story of Captain Moonlite is Thomas Williams, the alias of Frank Johns. Johns was the son of a pious Ballarat family who had been employed as a confectioner before engaging in a career … Continue reading Spotlight: Frank Johns’ Statement
On a stormy November night, six rumpled figures try to shelter inside swags. The grey woollen blankets that trap the rapidly depleting warmth from the quivering bodies are hardly protected by the oilskin sheets that form a waterproof crust and … Continue reading Wantabadgery: 140 years on
What follows is a report on the inquest conducted into the deaths of the bushrangers James Nesbitt and Gus Wernicke along with a brief account of the condition of Constable Webb-Bowen following his wounding at McGlede’s farm. While some details, … Continue reading Spotlight: Inquest on the Bodies of Nesbitt and Wernicke
The following is an account of the life and career of Andrew George Scott that appeared in print shortly after his capture at McGlede’s farm. It is accurate to what was publicly confirmed or at least believed at the time. … Continue reading Spotlight: A Sketch of the Life and Career of Captain Moonlite
After his release from Pentridge Prison, Andrew George Scott struggled to get back on his feet. While he may have been determined to right the wrongs of his past, the police were seemingly determined to stifle those efforts. Scott was … Continue reading Captain Moonlite: Guilty Until Proven Innocent