I don't know why the link's not working, but here's the text from Ned Kelly's World:
ANDREW
GEORGE SCOTT (alias "Captain Moonlight")
Andrew
George Scott was born in the North of Ireland in 1842. His father, Captain Scott,
had formerly lived at Clanverraghan, near Castlewellan, where he had owned part
of the town land as well as some rural property. He later moved to Rathfriland,
and built a new house on Castle Hill, on the site of the courtyard of the ancient
castle of the Magennisses.The house which still stands today, was the birthplace
of this notorious bushranger.
Before Andrew came to Australia in 1868, he first went to New Zealand where
he served a term in a local militia contingent. Shortly after his arrival to
Victoria he was appointed lay Preacher for the Church of England and sent to
Bacchus Marsh to assist the Rev H.W. Cooper. The following year he was transferred
to the gold mining settlement of Mt Egerton.
While
there Scott became close friends with the local schoolmaster, James Simpson
and Julius Wilhelm Ludwig Bruun, who was the manager of the Mt Egerton branch
of the London Chartered Bank.
At
the end of the first week in May, Bruun was not able to transfer the gold to
the larger branch at nearby Gordon, and as a consequence was holding over a
thousand pounds in the safe. On the Saturday night when Bruun was returning
from dinner to the bank, where he slept, a man wearing a disguise on his face,
placed a revolver against his head and forced him inside. The assailant demanded
money and Bruun immediately recognised the voice of Andrew Scott. The bushranger
put the contents of the safe into two bags and then lead the blindfolded manager
over to the church where he told Bruun that he was waiting for his mate. They
waited 10-15 minutes and as no-one arrived, they then went on to the schoolhouse.
After going inside Bruun was forced to face the wall while the bushranger wrote
a short note, and signed it 'Captain Moonlight'.
Bruun was then tied up and left in the classroom while the robber made his escape.
The young bank manager freed himself and raised the alarm accusing the Reverend
Andrew Scott as the man who had committed the crime.
Andrew
Scott acted dumbfounded and categorically refuted the claims, explaining that
he had just arrived from Melbourne, and produced a train ticket to prove his
innocence. The Reverend even went as far as visiting Bruun's father, demanding
that he advise his son to apologise. He was so convincing that the police believed
he was innocent and therefore diverted their attention to Bruun, who was duly
arrested. They also took into custody the School Master, James Simpson, who
was accused of being an accomplice and author of the "Moonlite" letter.
On
July 23rd, 1869, Bruun and Simpson were tried at Ballarat by Mr Justice Redmond
Barry. Included in the witnesses for the prosecution was the Reverend Scott
who testified against his former friends. Both men were acquitted on the grounds
that there was insufficient evidence.
Less than two months after the trial, Scott paid for his passage aboard a ship
from Melbourne to Fiji.
Shortly
after arriving in Fiji, Andrew Scott ran up a debt of £260 to a Mr George
Winters over the acquisition of some land. The loan was never paid as Scott
left for Sydney via New Caledonia.
After
his arrival in Sydney, Scott sold a cake of gold and with the money he purchased
a yacht called the 'Why Not', with intentions of moving on once again. But before
he could leave, he was arrested for passing bad cheques. On December 20, 1870,
he was brought before the Sydney Quarter Sessions charged with obtaining goods
by means of false pretences. On being found guilty, he was sentenced to twelve
months in Maitland Gaol. During this time the former bank manager at Mt Egerton,
Julius Bruun, became obsessed with tracking down the good Reverend, and hired
a private investigator by the name of George Sly.
Sly
was a very competent investigator and soon discovered him in Parramatta Gaol.
He also discovered that the cake of gold Scott sold to the bank in Sydney was
of almost the identical weight to one stolen from Mt Egerton. Thanks to Sly,
the Victorian police built up quite a case against Scott, and on his release
in March 1872, he was promptly arrested and extradited to Victoria to face a
re-opening of the Mt Egerton Bank Robbery.
But
Scott did not plan to hang around for the trial, and as soon as he was placed
in the Ballarat Gaol, he made plans for his escape. He teamed up with another
inmate named Plunkett, and together with four others named James Dermoody, James
Stapleton, William Taylor and William Marshall, escaped over the south wall.
All were back behind bars within several days except Stapleton, who was finally
run down a month later at Mt Bolton.
On July 24th, Andrew Scott was brought before the bench of Redmond Barry to
face the charge of Bank Robbery at Mt Egerton. The trial lasted eight days with
Scott upstaging his counsel, Mr McDonald, and was given permission to cross-examine
the witnesses himself. However, in the end the jury did not sympathise with
Scott and found him guilty. Judge Barry sentenced him to ten years imprisonment
for the robbery, and an additional twelve months for his escape from Ballarat
Gaol.
Following
his release on March 18th, 1879, Andrew Scott was kept under close surveillance
by the police. At the time he had an accomplice named James Nesbitt alias Lyons,
who he had met in prison.
During
this period Scott was very heavily involved in lecturing about prison reform,
and following one of these given at Ballarat, he met a Thomas Williams, alias
"Frank Johns", alias "Charlie Davidson". Tom had never been
in trouble with the law, and told his parents he was going to Horsham to work.
On
August 15th the Lancefield bank was robbed and the trail led to Scott and Nesbitt,
who were found living in Fitzroy with young Tom Williams. Although both men
were strongly suspected, not enough evidence could be found to have them charged.
While
living on the outskirts of Melbourne, two others were also to join them. They
included 22 year old Thomas Rogan alias "Baker", who had formerly
been convicted on larceny and horse-stealing charges, and Augustus Warneckie,
the 19 year old son of Ernest Warneckie who had owned both the Royal Oak Hotel
and the County Court Hotel in Melbourne.
In
October 1879, Andrew Scott decided to leave Melbourne and head north into New
South Wales, supposedly to find work somewhere around Wagga Wagga for him and
his mates.
The
Victoria Police watched the progress of the party, as it moved northward on
what Scott professed to be was 'a possum-hunting picnic'. Supt. Sadleir made
the claim that 'Scott sent word to Ned Kelly that he wished to join forces with
him. Kelly sent back word threatening that if Scott or his band approached him
he would shoot them down.'
Finally
Scott and his party reached the Murray River and crossed by punt at a place
six miles from Albury, called Benquille. From there they continued in the direction
of Wagga Wagga but were forced to keep travelling, as jobs were very scarce.
During this time another man also joined the group, his name was Graham Bennett.
Graham,
who was born in England in 1859, took up sailing as a career, and eventually
arrived in Australia in 1877. It is believed that he came to try his luck on
the goldfields, but having failed, sought work firstly in north-east Victoria
and then into New South Wales.
Scott
and his party were heading east towards Wantabadgery, when they stopped at the
home of the McGlede family to ask for work. Although there was no job there
for them, they were given bread and milk. From there they rode to Clarendon
and stopped in at David Weir's store. Once again they asked for work but he
could only offer them 8 lbs of flour. Feeling tired, hungry and dejected, they
turned south and headed for Wantabadgery Station.
On
arrival, Scott and his party went to the homestead and enquired as to the possibility
of employment. They were informed that the owners and overseer were away, but
they could try again next day.
After
camping in the hills for the night, the men walked up to the homestead next
morning and once again asked for work. A servant girl told William Baynes, the
Station manager, that the men were outside, but he kept them waiting for 2½
hours before informing them that there wasn't any and they better clear out.
The
men were now very dejected, and without having had anything to eat since early
the previous day, were suffering the pangs of hunger. That night it rained,
and by next morning Scott chose that if the station would not give them what
they wanted, they would go back and take it from them.
It
was 3.30 in the afternoon of November 15th, when Scott and his companions walked
up to the back gate of Wantabadgery Homestead. They bailed up the servants,
and then Falconer MacDonald and William Baynes and their families, and after
taking possession of all the firearms, they helped themselves to the storeroom
to get something to eat. Messrs MacDonald and Baynes were kept prisoners away
from the rest, and Scott told Baynes that his life would be forfeited. Towards
evening several more people were bailed up and the bushrangers prepared to stay
for the night.
At
10.30 next morning, a 16 year old boy named James Stearman was taken hostage
after delivering the mail between Wagga Wagga and Clarendon. Shortly after this,
Scott, accompanied by some of the prisoners, rode over to the old station and
captured Mr Reid, the Station overseer and his wife.
On the way back to Wantabadgery, Scott stopped at the Australian Arms Hotel.
There he bailed up the patrons, and after taking several weapons escorted them
back to the homestead.
Not
long after Scott returned, several horsemen approached the house. One of them
was John Beveridge, a descendant of one of the oldest families in the district.
These men where taken hostage and their horses put in the horse-yard. Scott
took a liking to Beveridge's horse, and after unsuccessfully trying to ride
it, shot it dead.
The
number of hostages now being held was over thirty, and for a small community
such an occurrence could not go unnoticed. About mid-afternoon, Alexander McDonald
at Paterson's Hotel heard that something was going on, and rode into Wagga Wagga
to alert the police. Another man named Fred Williams was informed by Mrs McDonald
after her husband left, and he rode to Gundagai to inform the authorities there.
Four
Constables from Wagga Wagga arrived at Wantabadgery Station at 4 o'clock on
Monday morning. Leaving their horses with Alex McDonald, about 400 yards at
the back of the house, the troopers took up position closer to the house and
waited till daylight.
When
it was light enough to see, the police started to approach the back door, but
when within about 20 yards, their presence was given away by a dog barking.
As Scott went to the door to check out the cause of the disturbance, Constable
Headley called on the bushrangers to surrender. Scott opened fire and was quickly
joined by the rest of his friends. The troopers drew back and positioned themselves
amongst some trees.
During
a lull in the fighting, Scott forced Falconer MacDonald, his son and Mr Baynes
onto the roof to keep the police under surveillance. The bushrangers then planned
to surround the police, and while Scott and Nesbitt resumed firing, their companions
now on horseback attempted to outflank them. Cut off from their horses, the
troopers were forced to retreat, and walked to Tenundra Park. After acquiring
fresh mounts, they waited for the arrival of reinforcements from Gundagai.
With
the police now gone, the bushrangers decided it was time to leave, and after
commandeering the police horses and several others belonging to the station,
the gang left.
Riding
on past Pattersons Hotel, the gang headed towards Eurongilly, but after having
gone about two miles, they decided to call back to McGlede's farm, where they
had visited a few days before.
As
the district was alerted, men started to come from every direction. On being
notified, Senior Sergeant Carroll left Gundagai with four Constables, while
Constable Wyles came from Bethungra. Civilians also came to help and included
a dozen armed men organised by the contractors Fishburn and Morton, who were
constructing the Junee to Narrandera railway. John Beveridge, who had been one
of the hostages, rode straight home to 'Dollar Vale', and after securing firearms,
returned with two other men.
As
the bushrangers travelled along Eurongilly Road, they met up with Beveridge's
party. Scott, on seeing they were armed, immediately guessed what their intentions
were, and bailing them up, took their weapons. At that moment six of the squatter's
shearers arrived on the scene and were also searched for guns, but they found
none.
All
the hostages were then stood in a line on the side of the road, and Scott announced
that he intended to put Beveridge and his two accomplices on trial for bearing
arms against them. A jury was formed and Scott appointed himself as judge. When
the jury found them 'not guilty', Scott was obviously upset as he clearly wanted
the squatter dead, and as an alternative he shot his horse instead.
The
prisoners where made to kneel down, while Scott walked past and kicked each
of them. When Beveridge tried to avoid the kick, the bushranger threatened to
cut off a piece of his nose. The gang collected the captured guns and burnt
them before leaving.
As
the party continued down the road, they met Constable Wyles, who was immediately
disarmed and forced to accompany them to the farmhouse of Edmund McGlede.
On
arrival at the house, Scott found only Mrs McGlede, and assuring her that they
meant no harm, they partook of milk and brandy and prepared to leave.
Meanwhile,
at Tenundra Park the two police parties met up and after acquiring fresh horses,
rode on to Wantabadagery homestead. On finding the bushrangers had left, they
took up their trail. Shortly after the party was joined by John Patterson and
Daniel Egan, and on their arrival at the Australia Arms Hotel, they were given
directions as to which way the gang had gone.
As
the police rode on towards McGledes hut, the bushrangers were in the process
of just leaving. However, on seeing the patrol, Scott and his men returned to
the house and prepared to make a stand.
When
the bushrangers' backs were turned, trooper Wyles seized the opportunity and
ran to the approaching police party. There he was given a revolver and joined
their advance.
The
bushrangers had taken cover behind a fence and trees near the house, and when
the police called on them to surrender, Scott gave a defiant refusal. At that
point both sides started shooting.
In
the first volley Constable Barry's horse was shot from beneath him before he
could dismount. The police, now on foot, spread out in a half circle and approached
the hut.
Two of the police, Sergeant Cassin and Constable Barry, managed to make their
way up to where the bushrangers had tied their horses, and after freeing them,
scared them off. The Sergeant was now joined by Carroll and leaving Barry, they
tried to get closer to the house. Barry, who was hiding behind a log fence,
watched Warneckie fire two shots which landed dangerously close to the officer.
The Constable took aim, and as the bushranger stood up to take another shot
at him, Barry fired with deadly accuracy. The Sergeant, on seeing Warneckie
fall close by, thought he was only faking it, and rushed up and struck him with
his rifle. Graham Bennett, who witnessed the incident from a window, was also
shot a few seconds later when a bullet passed through his arm.
The
police, now feeling more confident, converged on the house, and the bushrangers
retreated to the detached kitchen, taking Mrs McGlede with them.
As
Constables Webb-Bowen and Headley took cover behind a spring cart only about
eight yards from the house, Scott stepped out from the kitchen door and firing,
hit Webb-Bowen in the neck. Headley, now joined by Gorman, ran to the house,
and as they went, were fired at by Nesbitt. Gorman took aim and on firing at
Nesbitt struck the bushranger in the neck.
Things
were now hotting up for Scott with three Constables concentrating their fire
on his position. He decided that the odds were against him and called out that
he wished to surrender.
Carroll
at this point ran around and entered the back door of the kitchen. He first
saw Nesbitt lying on the floor and then noticed Williams, who was curled up
crying inside the chimney. He called on him to surrender, and after agreeing
ran outside into the arms of Constable Wyles. Scott threw his guns outside and
was taken prisoner by Cassin, who handcuffed him. Bennett also came out and
was surrounded by three Constables. Rogan at this stage could not be found,
and fearing he had escaped, Sergeant Carroll took two Constables with him to
search for him in the direction of Junee. Constable Johns was also dispatched
to take the news of the outlaws capture to Wagga Wagga.
Around
three o'clock that afternoon Warneckie died, and his compatriot, James Nesbitt,
followed two hours later.
That
night, the remaining bushrangers spent the night at McGlede's house under guard.
The following morning, as the police were making preparation to take their prisoners
to Gundagai, Thomas Rogan was found hiding under a mattress in McGlede's bedroom.
Senior
Constable Edward Mostyn Webb-Bowen was transported to Gundagai by wagon, but
despite all efforts to save him, he eventually died on Sunday, November 23rd.
The
four remaining bushrangers were brought before the Gundagai Court on November
20th, charged with 'Robbery-Under-Arms' and 'Wounding with Intent to Murder
Constable Webb-Bowen'. The trial lasted two days, but when the Constable died
the following day, the four men were remanded to appear at Sydney Court on a
charge of murder.
They
were again tried in Sydney on December 8th, and after deliberation for two hours,
the jury found them all guilty, but recommended mercy for Rogan, Williams and
Bennett. Justice William Windeyer was not feeling merciful that day and sentenced
them all to death.
Following
two appeals against their sentences, the Executive Council eventually commuted
the sentences of Bennett and Williams to life imprisonment.
Scott and Rogan were hanged on January 20th, 1880. Their companion, Thomas Williams,
would only live five more years, being hanged for the stabbing of a fellow inmate
inside Berrima Goal. Graham Bennett, remains a mystery. It is either assumed
that he served his time, or may have died in prison. Hopefully, one day it will
be discovered what happened to him, and another chapter in the annals of bushranging
history will be complete.