Bushranger: MORGAN, Daniel South 1860, 1864-5

Alias John Smith, Billy the Native (see Arthur MOORE), Sydney Bill etc., also the Swagman's Friend and the Traveller's Friend. Probably the illegitimate son of a woman named Owen, known locally as "the Gipsy," and a barrow-man from the Haymarket in Sydney named Fuller or Fulton, born at Appin (nr. Campbelltown) ca. 1830. Charles White says he was adopted by "Jack the Welshman," with whom he remained until he was aged 17.

On or about 18 April 1854, robbed a hawker 8 miles from Castlemaine; arrested two and a half weeks later on Menzies Station (East Charlton), tried by Redmond Barry and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment, the first two in irons, which sentence he served on the hulk Success. Released on ticket-of-leave, 23 June 1860. A month later was posted illegally at large (failing to report).

Over the next eighteen months lived in the Kings River/upper Ovens district, known as Down-the-River Jack (that being his declared place of origin). He was employed as a horse breaker (detective Manwarring declared he had "a strange affinity with horses"), and sometimes stole finer specimens. Two local squatters, Evan Evans and Edmund Bond, were trailing one stolen horse in particular when they found Morgan asleep in a cave. Evans at once let fly with a shotgun; Morgan was wounded in the right arm and shoulder, 27 pieces of shot altogether. He escaped and cleared off to NSW, it then being August 1861. For almost three years he lived in the Riverina-Billabong country, travelling from Tarcutta to Tumbarumba and Tocumwal catching brumbies for sale, and trading horses for the Victorian market. The odd stolen horse found its way into the shipments.

In June 1863 he turned to bushranging, robbing John Manson and two others at Walla Walla on the 17th. Next day he bailed up the seven Pabst and Purcell boys on the Ten Mile Creek (Germanton) - Cookardinia road. On 29 July he bailed up Wallandool station, tying the owner (Mr. Gillbanks), the superintendent and a friend to trees. This was presumably a return for the station's reputation as "a bad shop"; Morgan took offence at squatters who did not deal fairly with their employees, or failed to give swagmen rations or hospitality. During the remainder of his lifetime, few stations turned any traveller or swagman away. This changed immediately with his death.

On 23 August 1863, Morgan and "German Bill" were on the Wagga Wagga / Urana road, and on foot when Henry Baylis, police magistrate of Wagga, rode along. Baylis easily outdistanced them, and after a three mile spurt he reined in to discuss the episode with a drayman. A few minutes later, Morgan and Bill galloped into sight. Baylis wheeled and headed for the thickest scrub in sight, but was eventually overhauled, both ways. What little he took, Morgan returned; but Baylis saw his clear duty and next day, after holding court at Urana, he returned to the chase with the Wagga police. On 26 August the party encountered the bushrangers and Baylis shot German Bill, fatally (his remains were found on nearby Mahonga Run two years later). Baylis, in return, was seriously wounded by Morgan, and only narrowly escaped being shot by Constable Brown [Baylis' account: Reminiscences of the Bushranging Days &c.].

The night after this encounter, a shepherd named Haley was murdered at his hut on Urangelline Creek. There is no certainty Morgan was the murderer, but Haley is believed to have supplied information to the police.

In November Morgan bailed up the Stitt brothers' Walla Walla station. He asked the station hands how they were treated, and told them to let him know any time if they were ill-used. He told Mr. Stitt "that it was reported the men on the station were not properly treated. If no amendment took place, he declared his intention of avenging the men." [BP, 13 November 1863].

On or about 3 November he robbed Burrumbuttock station, taking a quality horse named Pablo, and then Kidston's station, Walbundrie, where he demanded a race horse, either Euclid or Never Mind. Kidston was innoculating sheep when Morgan arrived: "The horse was duly procured, and we believe the process of innoculation went on as if nothing had happened." Morgan next bailed up Bulgandry, where he made the owner, Mr. Gibson, write out cheques for £30 each for all of his employees and shearers. "Fortunately, a messenger from Mr. Gibson reached Albury in time to stop payment [B.P. 13 Nov. 1863].

Later that month, Morgan raided Mittagong station, near Hanging Rock, where manager Isaac Vincent had vaunted his eagerness to meet the said desperado. Morgan burned down the woolshed and mustered the shearers into the homestead, where he saw them well feasted before departing.

 

Description of Offender (in 1865)

Daniel Morgan - 35 years of age, 5 feet 10 inches high, long black hair, long beard with brown tinge on points, long nose, very sharp and straight down face, sallow complexion, with brown spots like freckles, loose jointed, seems to have weak knees, speaks slowly and quietly, lost top of third finger of right hand, the nail growing over it, tumour about the size of a pigeon's egg on back of head.

[NSWPG No. 13, 29 March 1865, p. 117]

In January 1864, with two mates, he robbed a storekeeper at Corowa; on the 22nd, stole a horse from Round Hill station. On April 6th he robbed the Germanton / Tumbarumba mail and two men near Round Hills; on the 12th, stole a horse from Jerilderie. The reward for his capture was posted at £500.

Morgan's deeds of blood began on 19 June 1864, when he bailed up Round Hill station. He arrived about 11 in the morning with two mates, and found there several people including the manager (Sam Watson) and his wife, John McLean the overseer, and John Heriot, a neighbour. Liquor was indulged in (the strain of pursuit telling on Morgan) and Watson presumptuously asked Morgan where he had stolen his stirrup irons from. Morgan reared his horse angrily and galloped it about the yard a couple of times, in the course of which one of his pistols discharged. He took this as an attack on himself, and reacted by firing off wildly. One bullet passed through Watson's hand and then struck Heriot in the knee. This brought Morgan to his senses, and he sprang off his horse and took Heriot into the house. Either McLean offered to go for the doctor, or Morgan directed him so; but it was made clear he must ride straight to Dr. Stitt at Walla Walla, and not deviate to Germanton, where police were stationed, as Morgan intended to remain until he was assured Heriot would be cared for. McLean mounted and rode off, but before he was out of sight turned for Germanton.

Morgan rode after him, calling to him to stop. McLean did not stop. Morgan fired, and the shot passed through McLean's body. Morgan carried him back to the station and attended him closely, expressing the greatest regret over the whole incident, but McLean died anyway. The reward was now doubled to £1000.

On 24 June Morgan encountered Sergeant David McGinnity and constable Churchley on the Tumbarumba road. After a brief exchange Morgan declared: "You are one of the bloodthirsty wretches looking for bushrangers," drew his revolver, and shot McGinnity dead. Churchley fired two rounds and galloped off, to be officially charged with cowardice. Morgan took the police horse, rifle and revolver, but left McGinnity's cap in the middle of the road so that the body could be found.

Various police parties were in the field. One, under command of Senior Sergeant Smyth, encamped near Doodle Cooma Swamp, making daily forays after Morgan, unaware that he kept constant watch on them. He shot Smyth on 3 September 1864.

Morgan now lay low, mostly living along Billabong Creek - he was reportedly seen bathing in the Murray near Howlong, and Detective Manwarring claimed he attended the races there where "he was well known but nobody attempted to molest him."

He resumed operations on 15 January 1865 when he bailed up a gang of road contracors near Kyemba. Getting little money, which he now desperately needed, he burned their tents and also robbed five Chinese labourers, one of whom he shot through the arm. Later that day he stopped two buggies and robbed their occupants, robbed two hawkers near Pulletop, robbed the Albury mail on its down journey and also the return mail from Albury, and cut the telegraph lines to Sydney.

For the next few months little was heard of him, but on 2 April 1865 he crossed the Murray into Victoria. The Victorian press and authorities had dared Morgan to make the move, and he was supposed to be intent on "taking the flashness out of the Victorian police;" but the chase in NSW harried him, and sheer force of numbers was making his haunts unsafe. Away from the Culcairn / Billabong district, however, he was a fish out of water.

He crossed the border about 50 miles upstream from Albury. At Tallangatta he stole a racehorse. On 5 April he stuck up McKinnon's station at Tarwonga. Next day he appeared at Evan Evans' and set fire to the haystacks. He then struck west, crossing the Melbourne road near Benalla, then north for Wangaratta. He had dinner at a Winton pub, and then resumed the saddle, bailing up such people as he passed on the road until calling a halt for the day. The following morning, Saturday 8 April, he stuck up Warby's farm, 10 miles from Wangaratta, where he forced the household to cook him breakfast.

At a quarter past six that afternoon, Morgan bailed up Peechelba (accented as betel-bar) station. He remained there overnight, not sleeping, and demanding company to fill up his evening. Alice Keenan, using the excuse of a crying baby to leave the house, got word to the police, and by daylight the house was ringed by police, volunteers and station hands. (There is a story to the effect that the crying baby was Christina McKinnon, later famous for putting the tune "Craigie Lea" to the verses of Waltzing Matilda collected by Paterson through the columns of the 'Bulletin').

Despite police orders not to fire, as Morgan stepped from the house at 8 a.m. he was shot from ambush by Wendland or Quinlan, and died some hours after.

After Morgan's death, the attitude of squatters hardened, and itinerant workers and swagmen were again sent away empty handed. Notices appeared at station gates:

 

This is to give notice to all travellers that your mate Morgan is dead, and this station no longer accommodates tramps.

[Quoted in Hatherley: Bushrangers Bold, p. 70].

Cuthbert Featherstonhaugh, manager of Brookong station, who would soon have his own encounter with bushrangers (see Robert COTTERALL). He went out of his way to correct an error about Morgan's story. (It had been reported: "Morgan has paid a visit to Mr. Rand's station at Mahonga ... Morgan demanded if there was anyone about the place who could play some music, and on hearing that one of the men could do so on the concertina, ordered him to strike up, at the same time requesting Mr. Rand to favour him with some dancing ... after the execution of various steps, he was allowed by Morgan to retire to bed about midnight, the bushranger stopping an hour or two later" [Wagga Wagga Express, 18 March 1865]). At the same time he corroborates an equally famous staory:

 

The yarn about Morgan making Mr. Rand dance on the table while Mr. Rose, the manager, played the concertina, is an invention, but it's perfectly true that he compelled Mr. Rand to promise he would issue double rations to all his outstations under a threat of being shot, and this was regularly carried out. The story goes that the ration cart had just left the store when the news came that Morgan had been shot at Peechelba, whereupon a messenger was despatched post haste after the cart, and the extra rations were brought back!

[C. Featherstonhaugh: After Many Days (1917), pps. 367-8]

Folk history continues in Morgan's favour. John Meredith O.A.M. spent a fair time with the German settlers around Holbrook, Culcairn etc, and he informed me in 1987 that "the old people still cry when they talk about Morgan, you would think he only died yesteday."

Morgan's body was descrated by the police (Superintendent Cobham, for example, flayed the beard and skin off his face, for which he received "a severe reprimand," and it is reported his testicles were removed to make a tobacco pouch) and then buried at the edge of Wangaratta cemetery. Soon after the interment, "a willow and some some shrubs" were planted over Morgan's grave; "it is said, by females." [AE, 5 August 1865]. These were officially removed. His grave was marked in 1911 by Jack Bradshaw. Local government later expressed its opinion of Morgan by erecting a public toilet as his tombstone.

On 3 May 1865, Thomas Maslen was charged at Wahgunyah Police Court with threatening to avenge the death of Morgan, by shooting Wendlan. "In addition to the quantity of arms and ammunition, this wretch had a bottle of strychnine with him which, he said, was intended for himself, in case of failure." [Darling Downs Gazette, 20 May 1865].