John Francis (bushranger)
Encyclopedia
John Francis was one of a party of bushrangers who held up the Melbourne
Private Escort Company's regular escort of gold from the McIvor diggings at Heathcote, Victoria
and Kyneton on the morning of 20 July 1853. At least six men were involved, five of whom including John Francis and his brother George (c1825-1853) were apprehended. George Francis committed suicide
while in custody, but by turning Queen's Evidence John Francis escaped punishment. His other three companions were hanged.
, England on 30 December 1843, convicted and sentenced to ten years' transportation and sent to Hobart
Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania
) on board the ship Maria Somes, arriving on 30 July 1844. His brother had arrived in Tasmania just three months earlier, having been convicted of stealing bees-wax at Sheffield early in 1843 and sentenced to seven years' transportation, and arriving on the Barossa on 3 May. Both men were convicted under the alias Fearn.
In 1847 John Francis was arrested as one of a number of men suspected of robbing the premises of Hobart merchant Charles McLachlan, but was released after turning Queens Evidence. Both men travelled to Melbourne
during the early part of the Victorian Gold Rush
, and married immigrant women in Melbourne during 1852. They counted as friends other former convicts Joseph Grey, George Melville (c1822-1853) and George Wilson (c1823-1853).
Of the known bushrangers, the Francis brothers, their wives and George Wilson booked passages to England by the Madagascar
, George Melville and his wife for Mauritius
on the barque
Collooney and William Atkyns and his wife for Sydney
by the steamer Hellespont.
On 10 August Melbourne police arrested John Francis on board the ship Madagascar, and George Wilson on the following day. They arrested George Francis as he was about to go on board the Madagascar on the same day, and he offered to give evidence against all the bushrangers in return for freedom for himself and his brother. After being returned to McIvor to identify four other accused bushrangers, George Francis committed suicide on the way back to Melbourne on 23 August. Meanwhile Melville, Wilson and Atkyns had also been arrested in Melbourne, but Grey escaped and was never seen again.
John Francis turned Queen's Evidence, and the police secured convictions for armed robbery and attempted murder on the other three bushrangers. They were hanged at Old Melbourne Gaol on 3 October 1853. Francis and his wife were given a free passage out of the colony and are believed to have gone to the Cape of Good Hope
.
to steal the gold and murder the remainder of the ship's passengers and crew. It appears more likely that the additional men were those arrested on John Francis' evidence but released after his suicide, and that the ship was lost by natural hazards of the sea.
The Escort Robbery became one of the most famous crimes during the Victorian gold rush
and is mentioned in many historical and fictional accounts of the period. The techniques used by the Escort robbers were used in practice by many later bushrangers including Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner
.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Private Escort Company's regular escort of gold from the McIvor diggings at Heathcote, Victoria
Heathcote, Victoria
Heathcote is a town in central Victoria, Australia, situated on the Northern Highway 110 kilometres north of Melbourne and 40 kilometres south-east of Bendigo via the McIvor Highway. Heathcote's local government area is the City of Greater Bendigo and it is part of the federal electorate of...
and Kyneton on the morning of 20 July 1853. At least six men were involved, five of whom including John Francis and his brother George (c1825-1853) were apprehended. George Francis committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
while in custody, but by turning Queen's Evidence John Francis escaped punishment. His other three companions were hanged.
Life of John and George Francis
John Francis was arrested for pick-pocketing at SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England on 30 December 1843, convicted and sentenced to ten years' transportation and sent to Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
) on board the ship Maria Somes, arriving on 30 July 1844. His brother had arrived in Tasmania just three months earlier, having been convicted of stealing bees-wax at Sheffield early in 1843 and sentenced to seven years' transportation, and arriving on the Barossa on 3 May. Both men were convicted under the alias Fearn.
In 1847 John Francis was arrested as one of a number of men suspected of robbing the premises of Hobart merchant Charles McLachlan, but was released after turning Queens Evidence. Both men travelled to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
during the early part of the Victorian Gold Rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
, and married immigrant women in Melbourne during 1852. They counted as friends other former convicts Joseph Grey, George Melville (c1822-1853) and George Wilson (c1823-1853).
The Private Escort Robbery
In addition to the official Government gold escort a private gold escort operated between many of the Victorian gold fields and Melbourne, being noted for its speed and lower bureaucracy, at the expense of security. Taking advantage of the disorganisation of the Victorian Police Force at the time, on 20 July 1853 a party of bushrangers led by Joseph Grey attacked the escort as it proceeded from the McIvor goldfield to Kyneton, where it was to meet up with the regular Bendigo escort and continue on to Melbourne. Four of the six guards were shot and injured (two seriously) and the remaining pair fled back to McIvor to seek assistance. Extensive searches found no trace of the criminals, who escaped with gold and cash valued at about £10,000.Of the known bushrangers, the Francis brothers, their wives and George Wilson booked passages to England by the Madagascar
Madagascar (ship)
The Madagascar was a large British merchant ship built for the trade to India and China in 1837, which went missing on a voyage from Melbourne to London in 1853...
, George Melville and his wife for Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
on the barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
Collooney and William Atkyns and his wife for Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
by the steamer Hellespont.
On 10 August Melbourne police arrested John Francis on board the ship Madagascar, and George Wilson on the following day. They arrested George Francis as he was about to go on board the Madagascar on the same day, and he offered to give evidence against all the bushrangers in return for freedom for himself and his brother. After being returned to McIvor to identify four other accused bushrangers, George Francis committed suicide on the way back to Melbourne on 23 August. Meanwhile Melville, Wilson and Atkyns had also been arrested in Melbourne, but Grey escaped and was never seen again.
John Francis turned Queen's Evidence, and the police secured convictions for armed robbery and attempted murder on the other three bushrangers. They were hanged at Old Melbourne Gaol on 3 October 1853. Francis and his wife were given a free passage out of the colony and are believed to have gone to the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
.
The Private Escort Robbery in Folklore
At the trial, the escort troops asserted that several more men were involved in the robbery than the six who were identified. According to popular legend they escaped on the Madagascar , which went missing on her voyage for London, and were involved in a mutinyMutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
to steal the gold and murder the remainder of the ship's passengers and crew. It appears more likely that the additional men were those arrested on John Francis' evidence but released after his suicide, and that the ship was lost by natural hazards of the sea.
The Escort Robbery became one of the most famous crimes during the Victorian gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
and is mentioned in many historical and fictional accounts of the period. The techniques used by the Escort robbers were used in practice by many later bushrangers including Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner
Frank Gardiner
Frank Gardiner was a noted Australian bushranger of the 19th century. He was born in Scotland about 1827 and migrated from to Australia as a child with his parents in 1834,. His real name was Francis Christie, though he often used one of several other aliases including Gardiner, Clarke or Christie...
.
Sources
- Blake, Gold Escorts in Australia, Rigby, 1978.
- J. O. Randell, McIvor, published by the author, East Melbourne, 1985, pp. 116-117.
- R. H. Horne, Australian Facts and Prospects, Smith, Elder & Co., Cornhill, London, 1859
- William Howitt, Land, Labor and Gold, or Two Years in Victoria, Boston, Ticknor & Fields, 1855
- William Kelly, Life in Victoria, 1853 and 1858 Vol. II, pp. 12-14
- Charles D Ferguson, The Experiences of a Forty-niner during Thirty Four Years' Residence in California and Australia, Cleveland, Ohio, 1888.
- Charles White, History of Australian Bushranging