The benefit of the Kenniff trial taking place in post-Federation Australia is that the modernity of the case allows for a very different approach to the reporting of events. Here we see a wonderfully illustrated report of the trial of … Continue reading Spotlight: PATRICK AND JAMES KENNIFF ON TRIAL for the MURDER OF CONSTABLE DOYLE (Part One)
This engraving of a black tracker finding the dead body of Joe Byrne is a rather dramatised image that ironically downplays the drama of the scene. Joe’s body was recovered from the Glenrowan Inn after it had been set on … Continue reading Spotlight: Finding Byrne’s Body.
The Bluecap Gang was one of the many gangs of bushrangers that developed a reputation as infamous brigands of the bush while committing very little in the way of high-end robberies. The gang was prone to stealing merely what they needed – usually clothing and horses – and then moving along. Their apparent ineptitude was only rivaled by that of the police in pursuit of them who were ill-equipped for bush work. An excellent illustration of the gang’s modus operandi is shown in this article from 27 August 1867. Continue reading Spotlight: Bushranging on the Lower Murrumbidgee
This 1902 article is one of the earliest recorded instances of the myth that Dan Kelly and Steve Hart escaped from the Glenrowan Inn… Continue reading Spotlight: Dan Kelly and Steve Hart, Are They Alive or Dead?
The following is an account of one of the many bizarre moments in the career of Fred Ward aka Captain Thunderbolt. Ward’s reputation as a successful, gallant and daring highwayman doesn’t hold up tremendously well when scrutinised and in fact … Continue reading Spotlight: Captain Thunderbolt bails up two boys in Singleton
In 1827 Jack Donohoe teamed up with two fellow convicts named George Kilroy and William Smith. Taking to the bush they robbed a man named Plomer. Found guilty of highway robbery, the trio were sentenced to death but Donohoe escaped … Continue reading Spotlight: The Botched Execution of Donohoe’s Mate