LETTER XXIV

Summary

White Hills, Bendigo, October 10th, 1853.

In my last I stated that by a Government return of Van Diemen's land it was shown that upwards of 9,000 of the convict population of that island had made their way over to Victoria, largely originating those effects of robbery, murder, and demoralisation which I described. I promised you at the same time a striking example of the character and doings of escaped Norfolk Islanders on this colony; and here it is. I do little more than cut out the strange narrative as it stands in the Launceston and Melbourne papers:—

“The Murderers Bradley and O'Connor.—The Launceston Examiner gives the following detail of the dreadful doings of these murderers prior to their escape from Circular Head:—‘Henry Bradley and — O'Connor, passholders, the former in the service of Mr. George Kay, and the latter in the service of James Gibson, Esq., and receiving high wages, without any cause whatever left their employment on Tuesday night, the 14th September, and proceeded to the hut of Mr. Jonathan House, and having tied up the two men, took a double-barrelled gun. They then visited the residence of Mr. John Spinks, tied up the whole family, and possessed themselves of another double-barrelled gun. After this they left for the farm of Mr. Staines, about five miles off in the forest, and after tying Mr. Staines and another man together, compelled a servant of the name of Smith to accompany them, saying they were going to Mr. John House's—the adjoining farm. […]”