Tag: crime

Feature, New South Wales Bushrangers, Opinion, The Moonliters, The Riverina Bushrangers, Victorian Bushrangers1 Comment

Captain Moonlite and Society (Opinion) 

AJFPhelan56

Captain Moonlite is a name well known by bushranger enthusiasts, but his story is often overlooked. Yet, Moonlite’s tale is perhaps one of the most tragic in the pantheon of bushranging. It is a tale of a ragtag bunch of men and boys from social disadvantage being pushed so far into desperation by capricious and vindictive agents of the law and a lack of support from society or their families that they become violent criminals and pay the ultimate price for their fall from grace. For those of us who take an interest in social justice it becomes an intriguing look at what contributes to delinquency. Continue reading Captain Moonlite and Society (Opinion) 

Ben Hall, Feature, Johnny Gilbert, Key Events, New South Wales Bushrangers, The Lachlan Bushrangers4 Comments

Tragedy at Collector: John Dunn and Constable Nelson

AJFPhelan56

At the beginning of 1865 the Ben Hall Gang were the most wanted men in Australia. Their success on the roads was problematic and they were nigh on untouchable. However, after a failed coach robbery in Black Springs resulting in Johnny Gilbert killing Sergeant Edmund Parry, the gang now had to tread carefully. The new recruit John Dunn was working out splendidly, taking to his role with a natural gift that saw him very quickly gain equal notoriety to his colleagues. Things were about to become far more serious as the gang descended upon Thomas Kimberly’s Inn in Collector on the outskirts of Forbes on January 26, 1865. Continue reading Tragedy at Collector: John Dunn and Constable Nelson