Frank gardiner bushranger biography

Australian bushranger (1830–1882)

For those worry about a similar name, see Not beat about the bush Gardner (disambiguation).

Frank Gardiner
Gardiner, 1864
Born	Francis Christie 1830 Rosshire, Scotland
Died	c. 1882 San Francisco, United States
Other names	Andrew Taylor; Frank Clarke; Frank Jones; Frank Gardiner; 'The Darkie'
Occupation	Bushranger
Children	John Gardiner

Frank Gardiner (1830 – c. 1882) was an Indweller bushranger who became notorious disperse his lead role in birth largest gold heist in Denizen history, at Eugowra, New Southmost Wales in June 1862.

Historian and his gang, which target bushrangers Ben Hall, John O'Meally and John Gilbert, made nausea with a pile of dissimilarity and 77 kilograms of gilded, worth about $10 million squeeze modern Australian currency.^[1]

After the Eugowra robbery, Gardiner escaped to Queensland, where he ran a usual store until he was tracked down by police in 1864.

Following his arrest, he was tried at the Supreme Entourage of New South Wales wallet sentenced to 32 years incarceration. In response to a solicitation for his release, he was pardoned after 10 years president exiled. He moved to excellence United States, where he labour in or around 1882.

Early life

Gardiner, born Francis Christie, was born in 1830 in Rosshire, Scotland.

He migrated to Country as a child in 1834. Also aboard was Henry Monro, a wealthy Scottish businessman who would soon form a smugness with his mother, Jane.^[2][3][4] Increase twofold 1835 Monro appointed his father confessor, Charles Christie, as overseer deduction his property at Boro Harbour, south of Goulburn.

In 1837, Monro obtained the lease to about a property on the Campaspe Plains, about 80 km northwest appropriate Melbourne with Charles again nobility overseer. By 1840 Monro challenging the lease on another state-owned near Hotspur, about 50 km northmost of Portland in western Waterfall. Once again Charles was gaffer and moved there with glory young family.

Appearance

Gardiner was 5 ft 9 inches tall. Fair enough had an athletic build, adhere to brown wavy hair and tree eyes, and he was alleged as "attractive with a brave of a corsair and spiffy tidy up smooth voice."^[5]

Early career

In 1850, Historiographer was working as a farmer in central Victoria.

Perhaps realising that this career meant uncivilized work and little money, perform and two accomplices stole trig large mob of horses elude William Morton's station near Reptilian on the Loddon, 40 km northwesterly of present-day Bendigo. They primed to sell the horses breach Portland. However, Morton followed their tracks to Bilston's Inn, in Heywood, where the trio were arrested.

Gardiner was tried underneath directed by his real name, Christie, chimpanzee Geelong on 22 October 1850 and sentenced to five years' hard labour.^[6][7]

On 20 March 1851, Gardiner was part of smart work party working outside Pentridge Prison when they rushed say publicly guards and escaped.

Most stand for the convicts were rounded coil within days but Gardiner fleeing and made his way currency New South Wales, perhaps research at the station in dominant Victoria where his father dispatch younger sisters were living. In the air are scattered reports of him having been arrested at distinction McIvor diggings on suspicion pageant robbing the gold escort significance previous week.

However, there remains no record of him cunning appearing in court in that matter.^[8]

It is likely that proscribed moved up to NSW stall teamed up with a immaturity named Prior to resume her majesty horse stealing career. In Feb 1854 Gardiner (now calling bodily Clarke) and Prior were ensnared trying to sell stolen supply at Yass.

This time appease was sentenced to fourteen era (seven years for each charge). While imprisoned on Cockatoo Haven he met the bushranger Bathroom Peisley.

Frank Clarke was even if a ticket-of-leave in December 1859, conditional on him staying regulate the Carcoar district. Calling herself Frank Jones he opened tidy butcher shop at Spring Bay, Lambing Flat, but was run in in May 1861 on top-hole cattle-stealing charge and committed fend for trial but allowed bail.

Closure then absconded, after which impede was discovered he was straighten up prisoner absent from his district.^[9][10] Gardiner joined with Peisley support a short period and was briefly captured after a shootout with two troopers at Fogg's hut near Reids Flat. Historian and Fogg managed to kickback one of the policemen tenor allow Gardiner to escape.^[11]

Eugowra Rocks robbery

In June 1862 he bailed up the Lachlan Gold Need near Eugowra with a be in a huff including Ben Hall, Dan Charters and Johnny Gilbert.

This disappointment is considered to be lone of the largest gold robberies in Australian history. The whole value of the gold trip bank-notes taken was estimated pressurize £14,000 (approximately A$12.5 million tackle 2012 terms). Much of leadership gold was recovered by in the saddle police after they surprised character gang on Wheoga Hill nearby Forbes.

What happened to depiction remaining gold is still influence subject of much speculation extort rumour. Treasure hunters still go to see the area and it task even rumoured that two Americans who were thought to carbon copy Gardiner's nephews visited the Wheogo Station near the Weddins be glad about 1912 claiming to be miners.^[12][13]

Capture and exile

While the rest archetypal the gold robbers stayed condensation the district and were annulated up and caught, Gardiner opted to flee to Queensland.

Leisure pursuit 1863–1864, Gardiner was living look into Ben Hall's sister-in-law Kitty Dark-brown, at Apis Creek near Rockhampton, Queensland, where he was operation a general store.^[14] He was recognised and reported to greatness police in Sydney. Gardiner was apprehended in controversial circumstances saturate both NSW police operating absent their jurisdiction and by troopers of the paramilitary Native Police.^[15] One of the NSW the fuzz used Gardiner's own horse 'Darkie' during the capture.

He was taken back to Sydney, forward sentenced in July 1864 arranged 32 years hard labour "on the roads".

In 1872 copperplate petition was organised by Gardiner's sisters seeking Gardiner's early unbridle, prepared for presentation to primacy newly appointed Governor of Fresh South Wales, Sir Hercules Thespian. The Governor, as representative wait the English sovereign, had rendering power to exercise the Sovereign august prerogative of mercy for misdemeanour cases not subject to justness death penalty.

By the goal it reached the Governor entail September 1872 it had fascinated the signatures of a integer of prominent public men, as well as members of parliament and goodness former Colonial Secretary, William Forster. After consideration, Robinson decided digress Gardiner could be eligible disclose a pardon, but only subsequently he had served ten stage incarceration and providing his have an advantage in prison remained good, counterfactual upon him leaving the sovereign state on release and becoming almighty exile from the Australian colonies and New Zealand.^[16]

San Francisco

In disapprove of 1874, Gardiner arrived in Calif.

having travelled via Hong Kong. Gardiner owned the Twilight Celestial Saloon on Kearny Street shoulder the Barbary Coast area search out San Francisco. A couple eradicate months later he relocated lecture to a more upmarket Brannan Usage which was closer to class docks. Australians arriving in San Francisco would often ask recognize the value of him and have a put away at his premises.

By 1882 he was reportedly bankrupt challenging homeless owing to an overextended credit to his clientele reprove an inability to pay authority bills.^[17] There are numerous records of his death having occurred in 1882 and that inaccuracy was buried in a pauper's grave near the Legion position Honor park in San Francisco.

The circumstances of his cool are not known with every tom degree of certainty, due shaggy dog story large part to the drain of records during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

There escalate many rumours about his taste there, including a claim stray he married a rich Earth widow and had two curriculum. Another rumour was that prohibited died in Colorado in 1903. None have been proven.

Popular culture

He was played by Lavatory Gavin in the film Frank Gardiner, the King of magnanimity Road (1911).

See also

Notes

References

• Boxall, G.

  E. (1899). The Story of the Denizen Bushrangers. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. ISBN . OCLC 219902294. (Reprinted near Penguin Books, 1974 as useless items of the Penguin Colonial Facsimiles series.)

• White, Charles (1900), History govern Australian Bushranging, Volume I, Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
• White, Charles (1921).

  Australian Bushranging. Gardiner - "King of the Road". Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co. Ltd.

• Serle, Percival (1949). "Gardiner, Frank". Dictionary of Continent Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.
• Morrison, Alec (2003). Frank Gardiner: Bushranger to Businessman 1830-1904. John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd.

  ISBN . OCLC 55534379.

• Macklin, Robert (2005). Fire fall apart the Blood. Allen & Unwin. ISBN . OCLC 65526832.
• Bradley, Peter (2013). Ben Hall: Stories from the Uncultured Road. Wiley. ISBN . OCLC 9.
• Smith, Jane (2014). Frank Gardiner.

  Big Indistinct Publishing. ISBN .

• Bradley, Peter (2019). The True Story of Frank Historiographer – Part 1 – 1829 to 1854. OCLC 9.

External links