James Alpin McPherson
Encyclopedia
James Alpin McPherson otherwise known as The Wild Scotchman, was an Australia
n bushranger
active in the area around Gin Gin
, Queensland
in the 19th century.
He was born in Inverness-shire
, Scotland
, the eldest of the eight children of John McPherson, farmer, and his wife Elspeth, née Bruce. The family migrated in the William Miles and arrived at Moreton Bay
on 19 January 1855. The father worked as a farm labourer for D. C. McConnell of Cressbrook. Alpin went to a Brisbane
school where his diligence pleased the teachers; he learnt some French
and German
, and became a fluent and entertaining speaker. Apprenticed to the builder, John Petrie
, he attended the Brisbane Mechanics' School at night and achieved prominence in its debating class.
In 1863 McPherson ran away and worked on various stations, becoming an excellent horseman and an accurate shot. His first recorded law-breaking activity was early in 1865 near Bowen
, where at gunpoint he held up a publican
who owed him back wages. The government offered a £
50 reward for his apprehension. He went to New South Wales
and is alleged to have stuck up several parties on the Northern Road. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, 23–24 February, he assumed the name of John Bruce, stole a horse from Wowingragong but failed to find his hero, Ben Hall. The Scotsman lost his horse and ammunition and, in his only clash with the police, was shot in the arm by Sir Frederick Pottinger; in return he had only blank cartridges to fire. He took to the scrub and was reading quietly by the Lachlan River
when the police surrounded him. He was taken to Forbes
and remanded from week to week until he was sent to Sydney
to be tried for shooting at Pottinger. The charge was dropped when that officer died in April.
McPherson was remanded for holding up the publican near Bowen, where he was committed to the October Assizes at Rockhampton
. He escaped from the ship at Mackay
, stole a horse and began to rob mail coaches on the roads between Maryborough
, Gayndah
and Gladstone
, sometimes sending the stolen cheques to Governor Bowen. The government raised the price on McPherson's head to £250 and the police commissioner, David Thompson Seymour
, lamented the appearance of bushranging in Queensland while the parliament debated the Felons Apprehension Bill. On 31 March 1866 The Scotchman was waiting for the mailman near Gin Gin station when he was recognized by John Walsh who quickly organized an armed party of four. McPherson's horse was too fatigued to outpace his pursuers and when they fired he surrendered. He was taken to Maryborough and remanded to the criminal sittings in Brisbane for holding up the publican but was found not guilty, much to the disgust of officialdom. He was then taken to Maryborough to face charges of robbing the mails, found guilty and sentenced by Chief Justice Cockle to twenty-five years in the penal settlement on St Helena Island
, Moreton Bay.
McPherson entered St Helena on 13 September 1866 and remained there until his sentence was remitted on 22 December 1874 following a petition presented by Brisbane citizens at the instigation of Rev. B. G. Wilson. While on St Helena he again aroused public imagination with a spectacular though unsuccessful escape attempt. On his release he worked on McConnell's property at Cressbrook as a stockman and later overseer of an outstation. The manager of another outstation was Sylvester Browne, brother of the novelist, Thomas Alexander Browne
, author of Robbery Under Arms
. Legend has some of McPherson's exploits adapted for use in the novel by Browne who was familiar with the Scotchman's story through correspondence with his brother. In his last years he was known for his anecdotes and ready wit, regaling listeners with stories of the bushranging days. Aged 53, he died on 23 August 1895 at Burketown
, North Queensland, survived by his wife Elizabeth Annie, née Hausfeldt, whom he had married in 1878 at Blackall, and by four sons and two daughters.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n bushranger
Bushranger
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...
active in the area around Gin Gin
Gin Gin, Queensland
Gin Gin is a small rural town located on the Bruce Highway in central Queensland, Australia, approximately 51 km west of Bundaberg and 370 km north-west of Brisbane, the state capital. The town owes its existence to its strategic location about halfway between Brisbane and Rockhampton. It...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in the 19th century.
He was born in Inverness-shire
Inverness-shire
The County of Inverness or Inverness-shire was a general purpose county of Scotland, with the burgh of Inverness as the county town, until 1975, when, under the Local Government Act 1973, the county area was divided between the two-tier Highland region and the unitary Western Isles. The Highland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the eldest of the eight children of John McPherson, farmer, and his wife Elspeth, née Bruce. The family migrated in the William Miles and arrived at Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
on 19 January 1855. The father worked as a farm labourer for D. C. McConnell of Cressbrook. Alpin went to a Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
school where his diligence pleased the teachers; he learnt some French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and became a fluent and entertaining speaker. Apprenticed to the builder, John Petrie
John Petrie
John "Jocky" Petrie was a Scottish football player who played for Arbroath F.C..He holds the record for the most goals ever scored in a senior British football game with 13 goals. This occurred during Arbroath's famous 36–0 victory over Bon Accord F.C...
, he attended the Brisbane Mechanics' School at night and achieved prominence in its debating class.
In 1863 McPherson ran away and worked on various stations, becoming an excellent horseman and an accurate shot. His first recorded law-breaking activity was early in 1865 near Bowen
Bowen, Queensland
Bowen is a town on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Bowen had a population of 7,484.-Geography:Bowen is located on the north-east coast of Australia, at exactly twenty degrees south of the equator. In fact, the twentieth parallel crosses the main street...
, where at gunpoint he held up a publican
Publican
In antiquity, publicans were public contractors, in which role they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the collection of port duties, and oversaw public building projects...
who owed him back wages. The government offered a £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
50 reward for his apprehension. He went to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and is alleged to have stuck up several parties on the Northern Road. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, 23–24 February, he assumed the name of John Bruce, stole a horse from Wowingragong but failed to find his hero, Ben Hall. The Scotsman lost his horse and ammunition and, in his only clash with the police, was shot in the arm by Sir Frederick Pottinger; in return he had only blank cartridges to fire. He took to the scrub and was reading quietly by the Lachlan River
Lachlan River
- Course :The river rises in the central highland of New South Wales, part of the Great Dividing Range, 13 km east of Gunning. Its major headwaters, the Carcoar River, the Belubula River and the Abercrombie River converge near the town of Cowra. Minor tributaries include the Morongla Creek...
when the police surrounded him. He was taken to Forbes
Forbes, New South Wales
-Notable residents:*Carolyn Simpson - Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales; Member of the first all-female bench to sit in an Australian court*NSW Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt was born and raised in Forbes....
and remanded from week to week until he was sent to 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...
to be tried for shooting at Pottinger. The charge was dropped when that officer died in April.
McPherson was remanded for holding up the publican near Bowen, where he was committed to the October Assizes at Rockhampton
Rockhampton, Queensland
Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately from the river mouth, and some north of the state capital, Brisbane....
. He escaped from the ship at Mackay
Mackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
, stole a horse and began to rob mail coaches on the roads between Maryborough
Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
, Gayndah
Gayndah, Queensland
Gayndah is a town located on the Burnett River in Queensland, Australia. It is north of the state capital, Brisbane, and west of the regional city of Maryborough. The Burnett Highway passes through the town. At the 2006 census, Gayndah had a population of 1,745.-History:Exploration of the...
and Gladstone
Gladstone, Queensland
- Education :Gladstone has several primary schools, three high schools, and one university campus, Central Queensland University. It is also home to CQIT Gladstone Campus.- Recreation :...
, sometimes sending the stolen cheques to Governor Bowen. The government raised the price on McPherson's head to £250 and the police commissioner, David Thompson Seymour
David Thompson Seymour
David Thompson Seymour , soldier and police commissioner, was born on November 5, 1831 at Ballymore Castle, County Galway, Ireland, son of Thomas Seymour, gentleman, and his wife Matilda Margaret, née Lawrence...
, lamented the appearance of bushranging in Queensland while the parliament debated the Felons Apprehension Bill. On 31 March 1866 The Scotchman was waiting for the mailman near Gin Gin station when he was recognized by John Walsh who quickly organized an armed party of four. McPherson's horse was too fatigued to outpace his pursuers and when they fired he surrendered. He was taken to Maryborough and remanded to the criminal sittings in Brisbane for holding up the publican but was found not guilty, much to the disgust of officialdom. He was then taken to Maryborough to face charges of robbing the mails, found guilty and sentenced by Chief Justice Cockle to twenty-five years in the penal settlement on St Helena Island
St Helena Island National Park
St Helena Island is an island in Queensland, Australia, 21 km east of Brisbane in Moreton Bay. Originally used as a prison, it is now a national park. Named Noogoon by the Australian Aborigines, it was renamed St Helena after an aboriginal named Napoleon was exiled there in 1826. The island...
, Moreton Bay.
McPherson entered St Helena on 13 September 1866 and remained there until his sentence was remitted on 22 December 1874 following a petition presented by Brisbane citizens at the instigation of Rev. B. G. Wilson. While on St Helena he again aroused public imagination with a spectacular though unsuccessful escape attempt. On his release he worked on McConnell's property at Cressbrook as a stockman and later overseer of an outstation. The manager of another outstation was Sylvester Browne, brother of the novelist, Thomas Alexander Browne
Thomas Alexander Browne
Thomas Alexander Browne was an Australian writer, who sometimes published under the pseudonym Rolf Boldrewood and best known for his novel Robbery Under Arms.-Biography:...
, author of Robbery Under Arms
Robbery Under Arms
Robbery Under Arms is a classic Australian novel by Rolf Boldrewood . It was first published in serialised form by The Sydney Mail between July 1882 and August 1883, then in three volumes in London in 1888...
. Legend has some of McPherson's exploits adapted for use in the novel by Browne who was familiar with the Scotchman's story through correspondence with his brother. In his last years he was known for his anecdotes and ready wit, regaling listeners with stories of the bushranging days. Aged 53, he died on 23 August 1895 at Burketown
Burketown, Queensland
- Morning glory cloud :From the months of August to November, a rare meteorological phenomenon known as "Morning Glory" - long, tubular clouds, some up to 1000 km in length - is often observed in the skies above Burketown.....
, North Queensland, survived by his wife Elizabeth Annie, née Hausfeldt, whom he had married in 1878 at Blackall, and by four sons and two daughters.