History of the Australian BushrangersBoxall, George
History
History of the Australian Bushrangers
Boxall, George
Bushrangers -- Australia
Paddy Curran and James Berry, another bushranger, were sent to Berrima
for trial in charge of Constables McGuire and Wilsmore. They stopped at
a hut on the road for a rest and food. After they had finished their
meal Constable Wilsmore left the hut, and stayed away for some time. At
length Constable McGuire went to the door of the hut to call him, and
Berry and Curran, taking advantage of his action, immediately rushed
upon him. They were handcuffed together, and this no doubt hampered
their movements. McGuire fought hard. The bushrangers had seized the
guns, and each held one. McGuire endeavoured to wrest the gun from
Curran with one hand, while he held Berry's gun off with the other
hand. He yelled for Wilsmore, but Wilsmore did not come. At length
Berry got his gun loose and shot McGuire in the back of the head and in
the shoulder. At this moment Constable Wilsmore returned, and seeing
his mate dead and the prisoners in possession of the guns, ran away
again. Curran and Berry beat McGuire about the head until he was dead,
and a "fearful spectacle to look upon." Then they searched his body,
and finding the key of the handcuffs, released themselves and made off.
The two bushrangers continued their depredations for only a few months,
however, as they were tracked down by the police and captured. Curran
was tried on September 15th, 1841, for the murder of Mr. Fuller. He
afterwards confessed to this murder. He said he was in company with
two other bushrangers on the road near Bungendore when he heard two
men quarrelling. Curran and his mates went towards the road and hid
behind trees. Presently two men, riding on one horse, came in sight
and appeared to be having a dispute about something. They were talking
loud and swearing at each other. Curran stepped out from behind the
tree and called on them to stop. Instead of doing so they wheeled the
horse and began to gallop away. Curran fired and both men fell, while
the horse bolted along the road and soon got out of sight. One of the
men jumped up as soon as he fell and ran into the bush and they did not
see him again. The other man was Mr. Fuller, and he was either dead or
at point of death. "I turned him over and took about £11 in money and
a pocket knife out of his pockets," said the bushranger.
Curran was also tried for having committed a rape on Mary Wilsmore.
He went to the hut occupied by Wilsmore on the 8th of February. It
was near Bungendore. He ordered Mrs. Wilsmore to get him some tea. A
bushranger, named White, was with him. Mrs. Wilsmore went outside to
get some wood to make up the fire and Curran followed her, knocked
her down, and dragged her away to some scrub where he committed the
offence. He was found guilty of both crimes and was sentenced to be
hung. There were another case of rape, several cases of murder, and
numbers of robberies and burglaries charged against him, but none of
these were heard.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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