Old West Gunmen

[Gibson]

Now for a REAL treat! The Lampasas Dispatch. . .

It was a weekly publication. Note the ancient circles on the articles concerning old west 'gunfighting' royalty. Just amazing day for a single newspaper to have blurbs on so many legendary figures.

Incredible.

The Lampasas Dispatch (Lampasas, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 27, 1877, page 3

[Gibson]

For Saturday night, it will be "Sandy" Forsyth at Beecher Island.

[Gibson]

1860 Colt's found at Beecher Island:



As a way of prologue, we have this, from Brvt Maj. General Geo. A. Custer in his 1874 book, "My Life on the Plains"

"'O HEAVENS GENERAL, LOOK AT THE INDIANS!'

After posting their pickets and partaking of the plainest of suppers, Forsyth's little party disposed of themselves on the ground to sleep, little dreaming who was to sound their reveille in so unceremonious a manner.
At dawn the following day, September 17, 1868, the guard gave the alarm "Indians." Instantly every man sprang to his feet and with the true instinct of the frontiersman, grasped his rifle with one hand while with the other he seized his lariat, that the Indians might not stampede the horses. Six Indians dashed up toward the party, rattling bells, shaking buffalo robes, and firing their guns. The four pack mules belonging to the party broke away and were last seen galloping over the hills. Three other animals made their escape, as they had only been hobbled, in direct violation of the orders, which directed that all the animals of the command should be regularly picketed to a stake or picket pin, firmly driven into the ground. A few shots caused the Indians to sheer off and disappear in a gallop over the hills. Several of the men started in pursuit, but were instantly ordered to rejoin the command, which was ordered to saddle up with all possible haste, Forsyth feeling satisfied that the attempt to stampede the stock was but the prelude to a general and more determined attack. Scarcely were the saddles thrown on the horses and the girths tightened, when Grover, the guide, placing his hand on Forsyth's shoulder, gave vent to his astonishment as follows; "O heavens, General, look at the Indians!" Well might he be excited. From every direction they dashed toward the band. Over the hills, from the west and north, along the river, on the opposite bank, everywhere and in every direction they made their appearance. Finely mounted, in full war paint, their long scalp locks braided with eagles feathers, and with all the paraphernalia of a barbarous war party - with wild whoops and exultant shouts, on they came."

[Gibson]

George A. "Sandy" Forsyth was a helluva (pardon language) man. Double Tough.

He was born in the great state of Pennsylvania on November 7, 1837. He was VERY well educated, studied law at the Chicago Law Institute and apprenticed with a noted lawyer in Illinois. When the Civil War broke out he enlisted as a private and in short order secured the rank of 1st Lieutenant. He went on to fight in several important campaigns being seriously wounded as he fully distinguishing himself at "The Battle of Brandy Station" in 1863. Sandy became extremely close to General Phillip "Little Phil" Sheridan. He served on his staff until being mustered out in March 1865 as a full major of volunteers but because of his outstanding bravery and service he was commission brevet Brigadier General. After the War ended, Forsyth entered the regular army. In 1866 he was assigned to frontier duty and in 1868 was commissioned as a major in the 9th US Cavalry.

Our story concerns the battle which began on September 17, 1868. It was made up of acts which cause the hair to stand up on one's neck. Whew! "On the 17th of September, 1869 [should read 1868], was fought the hardest battle between the white men and the plains Indians in the annals of the West. It was fought on the Arickaree fork of the Republican River, a few miles from the southwest corner of Nebraska and not far from the present town of Wray, Colorado, on the Denver line of the Burlington road. Fifty-one [total was 57] scouts and frontiersmen under the command of Lieutenant George A. Forsyth stood off, on a little sandbar in the river, the combined forces of the Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho and Oglala Sioux for nine days. They lost more than one third their own number in killed and wounded, while the Indian loss was many times as great."





Pursuant to the following Sandy Forsyth began his ride to immortality. He raised his group of 57 "scouts" of full on men and went out in search of the Indians.

"Headquarters Department of the Missouri
Fort Harker (Kansas)
August 24, 1868

Brevet Colonel George A. Forsyth, A. A. Inspector-General
Department of the Missouri

Colonel -
The general commanding directs that you, without delay, employ fifty
(50) first class hardy frontiersmen, to be used as scouts against the
hostile Indians, to be commanded by yourself, with Lieutenant Beecher,
Third Infantry, your subordinate. You can enter into such articles of
agreement with these men as will compel obedience.

I am sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
(Signed)
J. Schuyler Crosby
ADC & AA
Adjutant-General"

So, there were 57 civilians employed as Forsyth Scouts as reported to the War Department by Major Henry Inman, Army Quartermaster, Fort Harker, Kansas, August 26, 1868. Reported wages were $50.00 per month with most of the scouts receiving an additional $25.00 per month for furnishing their own horse and saddle.



"Early in September this little command started from the place of the latest Indian murder near Fort Wallace, Kansas. They struck a trail leading to the Republican River. Following the trail up the Republican River in Nebraska it was joined by other trails and still others until the little party of fifty [seven] men was traveling a great beaten road, as wide as the Oregon Trail, made by thousands of Indians and ponies, and with hundreds of camp fires where they stopped at night. It seemed a crazy act to follow so great a trail with so small a party, but the little band had started out to find and fight Indians and kept on."

On September 16, 1868, after following the great trail, they made camp in the middle of a valley of the Arickaree. ". . . on the bank of the stream, opposite of the center of a small island, which had been formed in the sand in the middle of the bed of the stream . . . [the water in summer] dwindle to almost the merest thread of water . . ."

[Gibson]

The men secured their animals, made camp, grabbed a bit of supper and lay down for the night. It was a stress filled sleep and mostly the men napped at best. At dawn Forsyth was up with a few of his scouts. He peered out onto the horizon and spotted some objects. He could see feathers bobbing and realized it was a contingent of braves coming toward them at a lope. "It was a small war party intent on running off the horses and pack mules." Rifle fire from the men met them and they decided to forgo running off the animals.. The alarm was sounded that they were under attack. Slowly Forsyth was able to discern that there before them was upward of 750 Indians, possibly ~1,000 (accounts vary).

Forsyth ordered his scouts to take positions on an island in the middle of the what he thought was Delaware Creek (Arikaree River). The scouts dug in! The sandbar (island) was small it was ~200 feet long by 40 feet wide. The horses were aligned "to form a circle facing outward." "Bullets and arrows rained on the men, horses, and mules. So desperate was their situation that they were forced with the horrible task of shooting the surviving mules and horses upon the sandy island within the river in hopes the animals' bodies would be part of their defense and not stolen to be used against them." The desperate struggle has now begun. . .

The hills surrounding the men are literally swarming with Indians, now. Their ranks continually growing. So, Forsyth's men who were at best minimally equipped dug foxholes, according to Forsyth here is what they had left with, ". . . a blanket a piece, saddle and bridle, a lariat and picket-pin, a canteen, haversack, butcher knife, tin place and tin cup in the barrel, a Colt's revolver, army size, and 140 rounds of rifle and 30 rounds of revolver ammunition per man . . ." "along with seven days of cooked rations for each man. The men were equipped with seven-shot Spencer repeating rifles".

Fosyth and his men had taken the Indians by surprise with this move. The Indians expected them to run and in that running the circle would close and death to all. Forsyth was a battle hardened Civil War veteran surrounded by men with bark. Frontiersmen almost all of which had lost family to Indian raids. These were men who had chests, who had grit. They dug in and fought like our boys fought in Belleau Wood ~50 years later or like the Aussies at Gallipoli: All business, all the time. Later it would be described by a rescuer, "We found the men living in sand holes, scooped deep enough to keep
each from hostile bullets, with 47 dead horses and mules laying around
them in a semi-circle. In a large square excavation, Col. Forsyth and
two badly wounded men had lain since the 17th, inhaling the foul stench,
arising from the carcasses around and being covered continually by the
loose sand. Lt. Beecher of the 3rd Infantry and A.A. Surgeon Moores
were both dead and buried with 2 others close by. 17 of the men were
wounded, some severely. I immediately selected a camp a few hundred
yards distant and moved the wounded to a more desirable locality and
placed them in tents. Dr. Fitzgerald exerted himself to the utmost in
his efforts to relieve the suffering of the wounded as did every
officer and soldier of the command."

These men fought like the devil was on them. Repulsing several waves of Indians attacks with their Spencer carbines. The Indian fire accurate and intense. Forsyth was hit in the thigh and head, he also broke his right leg. ". . . His second in command, Lieutenant Frederick H. Beecher, a nephew of Henry Ward Beecher, was killed. Forsyth cut the bullet from his leg, which he bandaged with his own hands, telling his men to be steady, to help each other and to make every shot count. In the course of an hour the men became calmer. They were getting a good cover with sand and dead horses. Every time an Indian showed himself within range a bullet went after him. This discouraged the Indians so much that they drew back, while the scouts took the time to care for the wounded and to throw up more sand."

Next followed what appeared to the soldiers to be a large gathering of Indians conferencing. It was indeed a conference led by the great Chief Roman Nose, leader of the Cheyennes. The plan they formulated came clear as upwards of 300 warriors amassed in a line to charge Forsyth's scouts, while backed up by a blithering rifle fire by the other Indians. This is where the seven shot Spencer carbine told the tale! Roman Nose himself led the charge, but the scouts/riflemen were up to the task. Wave after wave were mowed down. Roman Nose fell dead. As the Indian's attack broke, "Lieutenant Forsyth turned anxiously to his scout Grover. "Can they do any better than that?" he asked. "I have been on these plains, boy and man, for twenty years and I never saw anything like it," answered the scout. "Then we have got them," replied Forsyth." Finally the Indians decided to surround them and snipe. Their fire was accurate. By then of the first day 50% of Fosyth's men were dead or wounded. That night Forsyth dispatched two messengers to get his men relief. The next night he sent two more but they returned, being unable to get through the Indians lines. On the 19th Forsyth sent the following:

"On Delaware Creek, Republican River
September 19, 1868

To: Colonel Bankhead or Commanding Officer, Fort Wallace:

I sent you two messengers on the night of 17th instant, informing you
of my critical condition. I tried to send two more last night, but they
did not succeed in passing the Indian pickets, and returned. If the
others have not arrived, then hasten at once to my assistance. I have
eight badly wounded men to take in, and every animal I had was killed,
save seven, which the Indians stampeded. Lieutenant Beecher is dead,
Acting Surgeon Moores probably cannot live the night out. He was hit in
the head Thursday and has spoken but one rational word since. I am
wounded in two places-in the right thigh, and my left leg is broken below
the knee. The Cheyennes alone number 450, or more. Mr. Grover says they have never fought so before. They were splendidly armed with Spencer and Henry rifles. We have killed at least thirty-five of them, and wounded
many more, besides killing and wounding a quantity of their stock. They
carried off most of their killed and wounded during the night, but three
of their men fell into our hands. I am on a little island and still have
plenty of ammunition. We are living on mule and horse meat, and are
entirely out of rations. If it were not for so many wounded, I would
come in and take the chance of whipping them if attacked. They are
evidently sick of their bargain.
I had two members of my company killed on the 17th, namely, William
Wilson and George W. Chalmers (Culver). You had better start with not
less than seventy-five men, and bring all the wagons and ambulances you can spare. Bring a six-pound howitzer with you. I can hold out for six days longer if absolutely necessary, but please lose no time.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
GEORGE A. FORSYTH,
US Army, Commanding Co. Scouts

P.S. - My surgeon having been mortally wounded, none of my wounded men have had their wounds dressed yet, so please bring a surgeon with you."

The first night, the Indiand losses must have been terrible as the scouts were reported that Indian women's moanful wail for the dead continued on for hours. The Indians now surrounded, sniped, and waited for starvation to get the men. These men lived in horrific conditions for eight more days. They endured the stench of rotting horses and mules, the sight of their desperately wounded comrades, a constant sniper fire from arrows and rifles. The men ate their animals and drank river water. Any question about what these men were made of? How about Forsyth? SHOT IN THE HEAD, SHOT IN THE LEFT THIGH, AND RIGHT LEG BROKEN, ALL ON THE FIRST DAY? (One account makes it a head wound and a leg wound with the leg wound being what broke his leg)

They survived until " the first elements of Lt. Col. Carpenter's 10th Cav. relief force arrived at the battlefield the morning of Sept. 25." Followed by "Col. Bankhead's relief force from Ft. Wallace arrival Sept. 26."

I'm going to end this here with a story set down by an old timer. This concerns the men sent with the message of the 19th you read above. This is once again used to illustrate courage and determination. It really gets me!

"On the third night, fearing Stillwell and Truedeau may not make it to Wallace [the first two messengers, sent on the night of the 17th], Forsyth sent two more men, Donovan and Pliley, with the same instructions. However, these men traveled almost due south approximately 60 miles to Cheyenne Wells in hopes of boarding the eastbound Smoky Hill Stage that traversed along the Federal Road from Denver, a staggering feat that was successfully endured. Suffering cactus needles that penetrated the moccasins they wore to disguise their trail, they laid a course, as Pliley would write, ". . . to hit the Smoky Hill Stage north of Cheyenne Wells and on the fourth night we struck the road at a ranch about three mile east of the Wells. Our feet were a sight, swollen to twice their normal size, festered with thorns . . ." Though both sets of scouts made it to Ft. Wallace, it was Donovan and Pliley, with the help of the Smoky Hill Stage, that made it there first, beating Truedeau and Stillwell by an hour. The Tenth Cavalry led by Col. Bankhead and Lt. Col. L.H. Carpenter were immediately dispatched to Forsyth's camp."

[Gibson]

From the paper:

"A few loads of wood will be taken at this place in payment for subscription. Apply immediately"

[jmort]

Rarely would Indians stay and fight. It was hit and run. Incredible heart, blood, guts, and Glory on the part of Col. GEORGE A. FORSYTH and company. BTW, did you see the bottom left column, last paragraph article about Pink Higgins?

[Gibson]

Absolutely! Glad you noticed that. Pink Higgins put a number of men in the ground!

Check out the top left under "Local." See the note on Scott Cooley and John Ringo?

That write up on "Bone" Wilson being killed by Texas Rangers is also fascinating to me. Maybe a character that has never been written up? I don't know. . .

Forsyth is one of my personal heroes. A sense of duty and honor that still resonates.

[jmort]

That one paper is a treasure trove of fantastic historical information. I wish I had more time to do original sourcing, like reading old newspapers like that. As usual, the "exhibits" make the stories that much better.

[Gibson]

Let's try this short one. Harvey "Kid Curry" Logan in Knoxville. Sorry about the repeat. I simply cannot keep track anymore. Too much bourbon in my youth I suppose. I guess I'm paying for my old sins.

I used to be a smart guy! Graduated Summa Cum Laude. . . now I can't even keep up with simple tasks

Here goes:

Hey Look!!

I found the newspaper that I got copies of years before any internet existed. I remember thinking that the drawing was huge on the front page. He refused to be photographed. It began with an argument over a pool game if I recall correctly. If you follow the story, it's pretty clear that Logan was strangling his antagonist to death and the police rushed him and started wailing away with billy clubs. Bad Move. Logan pulled out his sixgun and put bullets into both men. Then jumped out a back door, unfortunately for him, IT WAS A 20 FOOT DROP!

Three images:

The express car that they blew up near Malta Montana:



An artists rendering (29 years after the fact) of the saloon battle, Kid Curry against multiple folk:



The newspaper (note 'Butch' on right):

[Gibson]

Harvey Logan was as tough as any man who ever drew breath. From the killing of Pike Landusky to his final shootout in a lonely barren area known as Parachute, Colorado. He was a true gun-fighter if there ever was one. Did you ever read much about Ben Kilpatrick, "Deaf Charley" Hanks, and Kid Curry when they split up after they held up the Great Northern Railway passenger train, at Exeter Creek, about six miles west of Malta, Montana?

Hanks ended up in Nashville and Logan in Knoxville. What a show those westerners put on. "The Tall Texan", Ben Kilp[atrick, and his paramour, Laura Bullion, went to St. Louis.

Camillo Hanks when accosted by authorities in basically downtown Nashville threw open his coat and instantly had a pair "of forty-fives". Two officers being within "a foot" of him tried to stop him, one with a "black-jack" and one with a revolver. No one got off a shot. But even after taking several blackjack shots Hanks broke free from both men and backed out the doorway. One has to assume that the officers weren't real keen on giving chase once Hanks got a little room to maneuver with those big "forty-fives". (In a national story evidently from the Pinkerton's Detective Agency, the officers are referred to as "battered".)

He snatched the reins of an ice wagon from a knee-grow, ordered him and his two negro pals who were driving it out, and dashed headlong Ben-Hur style down the streets of Nashville!! Can you imagine seeing this? These 'Nashvillians' had telephones and other accompaniments of modernity; they had to be dumbfounded. Ultimately Hanks eluded a 200+ man posse with bloodhounds and made good his escape.

Hanks bottom right:

Kid Curry's escape and then "capture" and then "escape" in Knoxville is nothing short of amazing Kilpatrick's capture in St. Louis is also noteworthy. . .

Logan:

1936 article on Pike Landusky killing:

[Gibson]

So let's fill in some more detail concerning this incident or series of incidents. . .

I remember reading Charles Kelly's "The Outlaw Trail" and that is where I learned about the outlaws that inhabitted "Robber's Roost", "The Hole in the Wall", etc. A wonderful book that set me onto researching Harvey Logan.

I remember reading that he born in or near Morehead, KY. But alas, as with many things I found it to be false. The Kid was born in Tama, IA. in 1867 (he was listed as 3 in the 1870 census). I followed his exploits through old newspapers, coroner's inquests, and even heavily redacted FOI reports from the EFF BEE EYE Yes, they were checking to see if he was still alive long after his death. (Along with Parker and Longbaugh.) I was dumbfounded by the redacting after all the years, but. . . I always believed that Logan took his own life near Parachute CO. but who knows?

Anyway, Harvey Logan killed multiple law enforcement officers, among others. Now there is no absolute proof, especially in pitched gun battles. No one wore numbered uniforms to help ID who shot whom. But one can examine how he never hesitated to shoot the men that many saw him shoot, and by logical extension, have no real difficulty believing that he got proper credit for his deeds.

William Pinkerton said this: "He is the most vicious outlaw in America. He has not one single redeeming feature, He is the only criminal I know of who does not have one single good point."

High praise, indeed. . .

To the story. Note the express car in the above rendering. It is my belief that O.C. "Deaf Charley" Hanks, Ben "The Tall Texan" Kilpatrick, and Harvey "Kid Curry" Logan robbed the express car between Malta and Exeter Switch in Montana on June 3rd, 1901. It appears that they gathered in ~$41,000 in bank notes. A HUGE score. Kilpatrick was armed with a Winchester and Logan also carried a "new" Winchester. Hanks had a "silver plated, gold mounted Colt's revolver with a pearl handle." They dynamited the car, procured the currency, and eluded the posse, who shortly deferred to the outlaws "superior horses".

It did not take long for Kilpatrick and his paramour, Laura Bullion, to show up in St. Louis; Hanks was in Nashville with Logan and Logan's paramour Annie Rogers/Delia Moore. Annie Rogers got caught passing the stolen notes in Nashville and was arrested. She stalled long enough for Logan to flee. Deaf Charley Hanks was almost arrested but evidently put a beat down on two officers with two Colt .45s. As I mentioned prior, Hanks seized an ice truck truck and drove it pell mell away! Still had to be an amazing site. The Nashville papers ate it up. The police were brutalized by letters to the editor. One citizen even signed his derogatory letter as" Butch Cassidy". In the meantime Annie Rodgers showed up in court dressed to the nines and charmed most.

Logan fled south to Alabama but ended up at Ike Jones' pool hall/saloon, in Knoxville, TN. This was a bad place in the 'red light district', known as "The Bowery". Logan was apparently staying upstairs (likely a brothel).

It was the evening of December 13th and Logan was in the pool room smoking fine cigars and drinking apricot brandy. It seems some of the good old boys saw an easy mark. It appears they were hustling Logan at pool, when he became wise to the game. Logan erupted. A fight broke out between one of the hustlers, viz, Luther Brady- an ex-con- and Logan. Brady's friends were seeing an opportunity to get more of Logan's money. Dumb. Harvey Logan proceeded to beat the ever loving sh*t out of Brady and sent his partners scrambling to cover after which, Logan deposited Brady into a barrel, he the proceeded to choke him to death.

It is unclear, whether someone alerted the police, in this case officer Dinwiddie and officer Robert Saylor, or whether they usually came into the establishment to break up the fights that occurred all to regularly at that establishment at around that hour (8 pm). Do not know, BUT I know what happened next! The officers rushed in and gashed Kid Curry over the head with their "billy clubs". One officers broke his on Logan's skull. Logan released his hold from Brady's throat, pulled his pocket pistol, and got off four rounds, three hit officer Saylor and one hit officer Dinwiddie. The officers, severely wounded, grappled away Kid Curry's .38 Smith & Wesson Hammerless revolver. I suspect it was empty, so he turned it loose and broke for the back door. The back door opened onto a railroad cut and he fell 20 feet to the tracks, he severely wrenched his ankle and damaged his leg.

So, here we have Logan in a strange place bareheaded, no coat or jacket and guess what? If one looks at the weather during the time, Knoxville experienced RECORD SETTING COLD. Logan survived two nights but was captured after being spotted and surrounded by a group of men. He had lost a lot of blood and was unarmed.

Money and baggage claim tickets, along with numerous cartridges were found on him. The baggage claims were for two bags, one containing more stolen notes and the other a Colt's .45.

Throngs of citizens visited him. He was a true celebrity. Sadly both officers died more than a decade later but both deaths were clearly attributable to the wounds from Logan's .38 Smith.

Harvey Logan faced at least three men in a fistfight and two officers with clubs, had the three men looking for a hole, shot down both officers, then jumped 20 into a railroad cut, at 8 pm on December 13th, 1901. Double Tough!

He was convicted in a Federal Court. The case is easily findable in your lawyer's office.

But would he make it to prison?

Kilpatrick and Laura Bullion were convicted in St. Louis and given sentences. Strangely Laura Bullion lived a long life and died in Memphis, TN. Kilpatrick would die from having his brains dashed out during an attempted train robbery in 1912. Hanks was killed in 1902 by Sheriff Pink Taylor after killing a lawman. Annie Rogers stood trial but was acquitted. She drifted off into oblivion.

Harvey Logan to the Knoxville Sentinel: "When a man gets out and takes his life in his hands and on his nerve robs an express car he earns what he gets." June 29, 1903

Tom Horn is next we'll finish Logan, later.

Annie Rogers and Kid Curry:

[Gibson]

Thoughts? Comments? Thanks? Get out?

[waksupi]

Just keep going. We'll TELL you when to stop!~

[Gibson]

Will do, waksupi.

[jmort]

Based on looks, Kid Curry does not appear to be the bad-a$$ that he obviously was. I think waksupi's advice is sage, "Just keep going." Easy for me to say.

[Gibson]

Based on looks, Kid Curry does not appear to be the bad-a$$ that he obviously was. I think waksupi's advice is sage, "Just keep going." Easy for me to say.

I shall do my best, John. And thanks again for the "heads up" today.

[Wal']

Just keep going. We'll TELL you when to stop!~

What he said.............Annie Rogers really looks the part, tough little lady with her looks, would fit in well with todays beauty's, but Kid Curry just doesn't seem to come across as the badman.

But then again, I always was a soft touch for the ladies.

[Shooternz]

Yeah keep them coming Gibson really good reads, sure was a wild place back in the 19th century and early 20th,
Robert.

[Gibson]

Thomas and John Clarke.

Notorious and brutal Bushrangers.

We have mentioned these "bushrangers" before, but here is a short blurb about how these folks came to be with a bit of their evolution noted, as well.

From "australia.gov.au":

"Bushranging - living off the land and being supported by or stealing from free settlers - was either chosen as a preferred way of life by escaped convicts or was a result of the lack of supplies in the early settlements. Australia's bushranging period spanned nearly 100 years, from the first convict bushrangers active from 1790 to the 1860s, through the outlawed bushrangers of the 1860s and 1870s who were able to be shot on sight, to the shooting of the Kelly Gang in 1880.

While many bushrangers had populist reputations for being 'Robin Hood' figures; some bushrangers were brutal and others harassed the gold escorts and diggers returning from the goldfields. The popularity of bushrangers and their ethos of 'fight before surrender' was commemorated in bush songs and folklore.

Escaped convicts

Bushranging began soon after the British colonisation of Australia. The bush surrounding the settlement was unexplored, but this did not deter the desperate convicts from escaping - happy in their aim to make their way to Batavia (now the city of Jakarta on the island of Java, Indonesia ) or China. While some perished, others joined up with Indigenous people and others took to bushranging.

In the early days of Van Dieman's Land (now Tasmania) the settlement was faced with starvation due to the failure of supply ships to arrive. In 1805, authorities released several convicts, gave them arms and sent them into the bush to survive from hunting. Many learnt to survive and joined others. In the early days, a man could also choose to give himself in, receive the mandatory 50 lashes and be back in the system to serve the rest of his time. Later, bushrangers usually suffered the death penalty after capture."





And "wiki":

"Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. The term "bushranger" then evolved to refer to those who abandoned social rights and privileges to take up "robbery under arms" as a way of life, using the bush as their base.[2] These bushrangers were roughly analogous to British "highwaymen" and American Old West "road agents," and their crimes often included robbing small-town banks or coach services."

I think it's safe to put these fellows right in there with our old west denizens! Besides, who didn't like "Quigley Down Under"?



Stay tuned. . .