Allan McLean (outlaw)
Encyclopedia
Allan McLean was a Canadian
outlaw
, born in Kamloops, British Columbia
(then called Thompson's River Post).
His father Donald McLean
, a Hudson's Bay Company
chief trader, had taken charge of the company post at Thompson's River in 1855. The previous year he had married Sophia Grant, a Colville
Indian. Following Allan McLean's birth, two daughters and two sons, Charley and Archie, were born.
Donald McLean died in the Chilcotin War
in 1864. The family was then ranching near the village of Cache Creek
. His widow received a small pension for 5 years, but in 1867 she sold the ranch and moved to Kamloops. McLean's sister refused to recognize his Indian marriage and claimed her brother's estate, which caused legal arguments for years. Until it was settled, the family was on its own resources. The sons grew up in the saddle, working at ranches mainly as horse breakers and as jockey
s.
and cattle rustling
.
Johnny Ussher, the constable
and jailer, had little incentive to chase them, knowing they could easily break out of his jail. The Wild McLean Boys’ contempt for the law grew with threats to local dignitaries, including John Andrew Mara
, who had seduced their sister, Annie McLean, and fathered her child.
On December 3, 1879 the gang stole a stallion from rancher William Palmer, who reported it to John Ussher. Justice John Thomas Edwards issued a warrant for the arrest of the McLeans and Hare, with rewards offered. Ussher, Palmer, and John McLeod
set out to arrest them and found the outlaws on December 9 at their camp at Long Lake near Quilchena
. The outlaws resisted and both John McLeod and Allan McClean were wounded. Constable Ussher was killed.
The McLean gang fled to the Nicola Valley Indians, stopping at ranches along the way to steal firearms. They killed one rancher, a man named James Kelly. Allan McLean, who was married to a daughter of Chief Chillihetza (son of the famous Chief Nicola
), tried to gain their support and revive an abortive uprising planned by the Interior First Nations in 1874. Chilliheetza refused, knowing McLeans' motivation was not political, and chastised them for their criminal behaviour. The outlaws then took refuge in a cabin near Douglas Lake.
The citizens of Kamloops formed posses to capture the fugitives. About 70 men besieged the cabin and on December 13, the outlaws surrendered. They were brought to the British Columbia Penitentiary in New Westminster. A preliminary hearing under Clement Francis Cornwall
committed them to New Westminster jail, charged with the murders of Constable Ussher and James Kelly.
On March 13, 1880, the trial of the McLean brothers and Hare opened. Judge Henry Pering Pellew Crease
stressed the plight of fatherless mixed race men as outcasts, but a guilty verdict was a foregone conclusion. On March 20, they were all sentenced to hang. Since no proper commission had been issued for the special assize, matters came to a halt. On June 26, the British Columbia Supreme Court decided unanimously that the assizes were invalid. The outlaws endured a second trial on November 10 and were again sentenced to death. They were hanged on January 31, 1881, at Westminster.
Allan McLean's widow and two children remained with the Nicola Valley Indians. His son George McLean was decorated in 1917 for exceptional bravery at Vimy Ridge
, where he single-handedly killed 19 attacking German soldiers.
's 1994 novel Shoot! tells the story of the wild McLean gang, their exploits and hanging, highlighting issues of racism and disenfranchisement of the "halfbreed" brothers, as well as the remembrance and writing of history in Canada's West.
The Canadian folksinging duo Ian and Sylvia
recorded a song about the McLean gang. Called "Four Rode By", it details the action that led to "the wild ones" being captured.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
, born in Kamloops, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
(then called Thompson's River Post).
His father Donald McLean
Donald McLean (fur trader)
Donald McLean was a Scottish fur trader and explorer for the Hudson's Bay Company and who later became a cattle rancher near Cache Creek in British Columbia's Thompson Country . McLean was the last casualty of the Chilcotin War of 1864...
, a Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
chief trader, had taken charge of the company post at Thompson's River in 1855. The previous year he had married Sophia Grant, a Colville
Colville (tribe)
The Colville tribe is a Native American tribe of the Pacific Northwest. The name Colville comes from association with Fort Colville, named after Andrew Colvile of the Hudson's Bay Company...
Indian. Following Allan McLean's birth, two daughters and two sons, Charley and Archie, were born.
Donald McLean died in the Chilcotin War
Chilcotin War
The Chilcotin War, Chilcotin Uprising or Bute Inlet Massacre was a confrontation in 1864 between members of the Tsilhqot'in people in British Columbia and white road construction workers...
in 1864. The family was then ranching near the village of Cache Creek
Cache Creek, British Columbia
Cache Creek is a junction community northeast of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is on the Trans-Canada Highway in the province of British Columbia at its junction with northbound Highway 97...
. His widow received a small pension for 5 years, but in 1867 she sold the ranch and moved to Kamloops. McLean's sister refused to recognize his Indian marriage and claimed her brother's estate, which caused legal arguments for years. Until it was settled, the family was on its own resources. The sons grew up in the saddle, working at ranches mainly as horse breakers and as jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
s.
The outlaw years
The depression of 1877 hit Kamloops hard, and the McLean brothers turned to crime. They were joined by Alex Hare, who was wanted for assaultAssault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and cattle rustling
Cattle raiding
Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle.In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the person as a duffer...
.
Johnny Ussher, the constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
and jailer, had little incentive to chase them, knowing they could easily break out of his jail. The Wild McLean Boys’ contempt for the law grew with threats to local dignitaries, including John Andrew Mara
John Andrew Mara
John Andrew Mara was a Canadian merchant, rancher and a politician at both the provincial and federal levels....
, who had seduced their sister, Annie McLean, and fathered her child.
On December 3, 1879 the gang stole a stallion from rancher William Palmer, who reported it to John Ussher. Justice John Thomas Edwards issued a warrant for the arrest of the McLeans and Hare, with rewards offered. Ussher, Palmer, and John McLeod
John McLeod
John McLeod was a Scottish-born explorer of Canada, in his capacity as a fur trader with the North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company...
set out to arrest them and found the outlaws on December 9 at their camp at Long Lake near Quilchena
Quilchena, British Columbia
Quilchena is an unincorporated community located on the south shore of Nicola Lake near the city of Merritt, British Columbia, Canada in that province's Nicola Country region. On the former main route between Merritt and Kamloops, it is now largely bypassed since the construction of the Coquihalla...
. The outlaws resisted and both John McLeod and Allan McClean were wounded. Constable Ussher was killed.
The McLean gang fled to the Nicola Valley Indians, stopping at ranches along the way to steal firearms. They killed one rancher, a man named James Kelly. Allan McLean, who was married to a daughter of Chief Chillihetza (son of the famous Chief Nicola
Nicola (chief)
Nicola , also Nkwala or N'kwala, was an important First Nations political figure in the fur trade era of the British Columbia Interior as well as into the colonial period...
), tried to gain their support and revive an abortive uprising planned by the Interior First Nations in 1874. Chilliheetza refused, knowing McLeans' motivation was not political, and chastised them for their criminal behaviour. The outlaws then took refuge in a cabin near Douglas Lake.
The citizens of Kamloops formed posses to capture the fugitives. About 70 men besieged the cabin and on December 13, the outlaws surrendered. They were brought to the British Columbia Penitentiary in New Westminster. A preliminary hearing under Clement Francis Cornwall
Clement Francis Cornwall
Clement Francis Cornwall was a Canadian parliamentarian and the third Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia....
committed them to New Westminster jail, charged with the murders of Constable Ussher and James Kelly.
On March 13, 1880, the trial of the McLean brothers and Hare opened. Judge Henry Pering Pellew Crease
Henry Pering Pellew Crease
Sir Henry Pering Pellew Crease was a British lawyer, judge, and politician, influential in the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia...
stressed the plight of fatherless mixed race men as outcasts, but a guilty verdict was a foregone conclusion. On March 20, they were all sentenced to hang. Since no proper commission had been issued for the special assize, matters came to a halt. On June 26, the British Columbia Supreme Court decided unanimously that the assizes were invalid. The outlaws endured a second trial on November 10 and were again sentenced to death. They were hanged on January 31, 1881, at Westminster.
Allan McLean's widow and two children remained with the Nicola Valley Indians. His son George McLean was decorated in 1917 for exceptional bravery at Vimy Ridge
Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought primarily as part of the Battle of Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the Canadian Corps, of four divisions, against three divisions of the German Sixth Army...
, where he single-handedly killed 19 attacking German soldiers.
Cultural Representations
George BoweringGeorge Bowering
George Harry Bowering, OC, OBC is a prolific Canadian novelist, poet, historian, and biographer. He has served as Canada's Parliamentary Poet Laureate....
's 1994 novel Shoot! tells the story of the wild McLean gang, their exploits and hanging, highlighting issues of racism and disenfranchisement of the "halfbreed" brothers, as well as the remembrance and writing of history in Canada's West.
The Canadian folksinging duo Ian and Sylvia
Ian and Sylvia
Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959, married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975.-Early lives:...
recorded a song about the McLean gang. Called "Four Rode By", it details the action that led to "the wild ones" being captured.