Boy Bandit
Jun. 5th, 2011 02:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xenithWhat interests me about these stories, is the difference between fact and fiction. They're never the same, things change in the retelling, bits are added or borrowed from someone else's story.
This particular story I first came across in a song ("Sixteen Summers" by Johnny Ashcroft) and then again while flicking through a book. A rather neat little account, with lots of details. It's when you start to actually look at those details then the story starts to fall apart.
This appears to be the original version of the story, from "In old days and these, and other stories" by "The Captain", published in the 1930s.
There is an old-time incident of the bushranging days of Van Diemen's Land in connection with 'The Man of Ross Inn.' A lad named Tom Rares was transported from England when he was nine years of age, in 1832, for stealing an apple valued at 2d. He was a child of the London slums, and was sentenced to seven years in Van Diemen's Land, and consequently was sent to Point Puer at Port Arthur. When that period had expired the authorities raked up a number of 'offences' which he had committed in that time, and sentenced him to a further period of seven years. He was then a lad of sixteen years, and of strong build and determination.
Great precautions were always exercised on Eaglehawk Neck which joins Port Arthur with the mainland. There were ferocious bloodhounds at intervals across the neck, and an extra guard was-always placed there. In spite of all this young Rares battled across it into the bush the day after his first seven years had expired. It took him two days to accomplish this, but he reached the mainland. He was several weeks making his way up to Kangaroo Point (Bellerive). It must be remembered that all the assigned servants whom he met on his way were fellow victims of the law. So with their secrecy and assistance with food, with dogged persistence he reached Hobart Town.
His long term at Point Puer had not made him better in his habits, for on his arrival at Kangaroo Point he burgled the 'Plough Inn', kept by Mr. J H. Dawson, and stole a considerable sum of money and a pair of pistols and then in the night he stole a boat and paddled over to Hobart Town. He lived for several weeks in a shed at the rear of "The Man of Ross Inn" and lived on the proceeds of stealing. He was caught one day in the act of robbing a sailor but was too smart for the police, and made his escape to New Norfolk. On his arrival there he foolishly walked into the Police Station and bailing up the two constables with a pistol, stole their firearms and a sum of money.
He made his way from there towards Launceston, intending to join up with two outlaws, Lawton and Cowden, who were terrors to the surrounding districts there. On his way to the North, between Snake Banks and Perth, he met the mail-man who was carrying a heavy sum of money from Captain Gray to Mr. Harry Jennings. Rares shot the mailman's horse from under him, and the animal, falling on the rider, fractured his leg. Rares robbed the bags of their contents and emptied the mailman's pockets and then left him there, refusing him even a drink of water when he asked for it.
He joined with Lawton and Cowden when they made a most cowardly attack on Mr. John Lamond and family's place on the South Esk and robbed them of everything. They then made for the Emu ground and attacked Mr. Parsons' place. In this attack Lawton was wounded in the jaw, his teeth blown out, and a portion of his tongue. Rares had got on to the roof with a view to picking off the settlers. But, unfortunately for him, his gun burst, and his right hand was blown off at the wrist. The others took to the bush. Mr. Thompson did what he could for the lad, and putting him in a cart, took him to the Launceston Gaol, Rares being nearly dead from the loss of blood. Dr. Mountgarret stopped further bleeding by cauterising the end of the limb with a red hot iron.
A week later Rares was tried. He was too near death to say a word for himself. After a brief trial he was sentenced to be hanged the following morning. When the hangman and two assistants carried him up to the gallows, he was swung off into eternity more dead than alive.
I'll note here that Port Arthur was established in late 1830, Point Puer in 1834.
The index to the convict database gives one match for "Rares" and that's Thomas who arrived on the Earl St Vincent in 1826.
The "Lawton and Cowden" referenced are, I assume, this bunch:
SIR, - The strong degree of feeling that has been excited in favour of the five Bush-rangers, Morton, Cowden, Sainter, Laughton, and Stuart, who are erroneously stated to have absconded from my service, and the prejudice endeavoured to be excited against me and my family, on their account, induce me to offer to the Public the following statement of facts, as it cannot now be supposed lo have any influence either one way or other on their sentence, which must have been decided upon by His Excellency before this can be published.
That's taken from a letter published in the Colonial Time in 1830.
If Mountgarret is the colonial surgeon, then from the Australian Dictionary of Biography: Finally in 1821 he was succeeded as surgeon at Port Dalrymple by Robert Espie and was placed on half-pay. He died insolvent on 27 January 1828 and was buried in the old Church of England burial ground, Launceston.
That dates don't add up at all. Of course, even if the story as given isn't correct, it doesn't mean there isn't some truth behind it, and that's where it's starting to look interesting.
This particular story I first came across in a song ("Sixteen Summers" by Johnny Ashcroft) and then again while flicking through a book. A rather neat little account, with lots of details. It's when you start to actually look at those details then the story starts to fall apart.
This appears to be the original version of the story, from "In old days and these, and other stories" by "The Captain", published in the 1930s.
There is an old-time incident of the bushranging days of Van Diemen's Land in connection with 'The Man of Ross Inn.' A lad named Tom Rares was transported from England when he was nine years of age, in 1832, for stealing an apple valued at 2d. He was a child of the London slums, and was sentenced to seven years in Van Diemen's Land, and consequently was sent to Point Puer at Port Arthur. When that period had expired the authorities raked up a number of 'offences' which he had committed in that time, and sentenced him to a further period of seven years. He was then a lad of sixteen years, and of strong build and determination.
Great precautions were always exercised on Eaglehawk Neck which joins Port Arthur with the mainland. There were ferocious bloodhounds at intervals across the neck, and an extra guard was-always placed there. In spite of all this young Rares battled across it into the bush the day after his first seven years had expired. It took him two days to accomplish this, but he reached the mainland. He was several weeks making his way up to Kangaroo Point (Bellerive). It must be remembered that all the assigned servants whom he met on his way were fellow victims of the law. So with their secrecy and assistance with food, with dogged persistence he reached Hobart Town.
His long term at Point Puer had not made him better in his habits, for on his arrival at Kangaroo Point he burgled the 'Plough Inn', kept by Mr. J H. Dawson, and stole a considerable sum of money and a pair of pistols and then in the night he stole a boat and paddled over to Hobart Town. He lived for several weeks in a shed at the rear of "The Man of Ross Inn" and lived on the proceeds of stealing. He was caught one day in the act of robbing a sailor but was too smart for the police, and made his escape to New Norfolk. On his arrival there he foolishly walked into the Police Station and bailing up the two constables with a pistol, stole their firearms and a sum of money.
He made his way from there towards Launceston, intending to join up with two outlaws, Lawton and Cowden, who were terrors to the surrounding districts there. On his way to the North, between Snake Banks and Perth, he met the mail-man who was carrying a heavy sum of money from Captain Gray to Mr. Harry Jennings. Rares shot the mailman's horse from under him, and the animal, falling on the rider, fractured his leg. Rares robbed the bags of their contents and emptied the mailman's pockets and then left him there, refusing him even a drink of water when he asked for it.
He joined with Lawton and Cowden when they made a most cowardly attack on Mr. John Lamond and family's place on the South Esk and robbed them of everything. They then made for the Emu ground and attacked Mr. Parsons' place. In this attack Lawton was wounded in the jaw, his teeth blown out, and a portion of his tongue. Rares had got on to the roof with a view to picking off the settlers. But, unfortunately for him, his gun burst, and his right hand was blown off at the wrist. The others took to the bush. Mr. Thompson did what he could for the lad, and putting him in a cart, took him to the Launceston Gaol, Rares being nearly dead from the loss of blood. Dr. Mountgarret stopped further bleeding by cauterising the end of the limb with a red hot iron.
A week later Rares was tried. He was too near death to say a word for himself. After a brief trial he was sentenced to be hanged the following morning. When the hangman and two assistants carried him up to the gallows, he was swung off into eternity more dead than alive.
I'll note here that Port Arthur was established in late 1830, Point Puer in 1834.
The index to the convict database gives one match for "Rares" and that's Thomas who arrived on the Earl St Vincent in 1826.
The "Lawton and Cowden" referenced are, I assume, this bunch:
SIR, - The strong degree of feeling that has been excited in favour of the five Bush-rangers, Morton, Cowden, Sainter, Laughton, and Stuart, who are erroneously stated to have absconded from my service, and the prejudice endeavoured to be excited against me and my family, on their account, induce me to offer to the Public the following statement of facts, as it cannot now be supposed lo have any influence either one way or other on their sentence, which must have been decided upon by His Excellency before this can be published.
That's taken from a letter published in the Colonial Time in 1830.
If Mountgarret is the colonial surgeon, then from the Australian Dictionary of Biography: Finally in 1821 he was succeeded as surgeon at Port Dalrymple by Robert Espie and was placed on half-pay. He died insolvent on 27 January 1828 and was buried in the old Church of England burial ground, Launceston.
That dates don't add up at all. Of course, even if the story as given isn't correct, it doesn't mean there isn't some truth behind it, and that's where it's starting to look interesting.
