REGULAR FEATURES
EPISODE 2 CAPTURE AND ESCAPE BY AL FINEGAN On a quiet Sunday morning a few weeks before the trial date, Francis knew that most of the warders went to church, leaving only two men on guard. He gave strict orders to the other prisoners. As was the routine, a warder opened the cell door to hand in a fresh toilet bucket. Immediately Francis caught him by the throat and dragged him in, while William
As dawn was breaking on a quiet, isolated Tavern on a cold June morning in 1850, just 20Km from Portland, Victoria, three young men lay half awake, still snuggling in their beds and looking forward to their last day’s ride to Portland with their booty. Without warning, the door burst open, and four men rushed into the room waving pistols at the slumbering men. Francis Christie, John Newton and William Stewart were handcuffed before they were thoroughly awake. Shackled and copping the odd whack from a baton, it was a new experience for Francis, as he was roughly shoved outside and into a prison carriage. Each time he yelled a complaint at a trooper, he was struck again. He decided it was best to go along with the guards’ brutality, all the while looking for a weakness he could exploit. The prisoners and the horses were taken into Portland, and the three accused were immediately brought before the police magistrate and remanded in custody overnight. On the following day, they were brought before the court and committed to be held in custody pending a trial. From Portland, they were sent to Geelong, thence to Pentridge in Melbourne, and three months later, back to Geelong for the trial that was set for a Monday in October 1850. Francis, a natural born leader, found himself in the Geelong Remand Centre with ten other prisoners including his two comrades, all awaiting trial. He studied the guards’ routines and determined a plan. He felt strongly about leading his two friends into gaol and resolved to get them out, and himself, if possible, as a second priority. 40
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Stewart, and John Newton rushed out to overpower the other warder, then dragged him back into the cell, and locked it behind them. The other prisoners, following the plan, rushed out, armed themselves with sticks, then bolted in all directions. Two of the town police saw the escape and rushed to secure the gaol just as Francis, William and John were exiting. The escapees fought with all their strength while the police made free use of their batons. Francis, fighting madly, yelled at his comrades to run. William Stewart took off in full flight while Francis and John fought a losing battle with the two policemen, finally ending up in handcuffs and bandages. Eight escapees, amongst whom was William Stewart, made good their escape, and only one of them was afterwards secured. William was never heard from again. his comrades to run. William Stewart took off in full flight while Francis and John fought a losing battle with the two policemen, finally ending up in handcuffs and bandages. Eight escapees, amongst whom was William Stewart, made good their escape, and only one of them was afterwards secured. William was never heard from again. As soon as Henry Munro heard of his stepson’s arrest, he tried everything in his power to have him released, or at least treated with leniency. Through his excellent standing as a wealthy grazier, he attempted to exert some influence on Morton, a fellow Scot, due to their acquaintance as respected graziers. Unfortunately, this influence fell on deaf ears, as Morton would have none of it and stated that he expected the full force of the law to be administered on Christie and his mates.
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Morton replied that he had not the power to interfere and said that the request was a highly improper one to make. Munro sought out others in authority to help free his troublesome stepson, but to no avail. Francis and John were tried and convicted. They were both sentenced to five years on the roads of the colony and sent to Pentridge. They had not been there for more than a few months when, on the afternoon of the 26th March 1851, they were part of a work party engaged in gathering rubble for road metal purposes in a paddock adjoining the Pentridge Stockade. Francis, nonchalantly moved nearer to one of the troopers, then rushed at him, seized his carbine, and knocked him violently to the ground. He then pointed the carbine at the other guard and fired a shot at his feet. The guard fled in a panic at the menacing sight of an armed snarling Francis. All the prisoners from the work party took off, shouting in glee, and disappeared into Coburg. First discovered in 1850 and with more discoveries being made almost daily all around the colony, by early 1851, the whole of Victoria had gone certifiably insane. Citizens everywhere dropped their jobs and headed to the diggings. In a few years the population jumped from 70,000 to 400,000 as shipload after shipload arrived in Port Phillip, when entire ships passengers and crews headed for the goldfields. Ships by the dozen lay abandoned in the bay. Policemen and soldiers in large numbers discarded their uniforms and headed off to try their luck, as stories of quick riches spread like wildfire throughout the population. Endless streams of people rushed off to towns in the goldfields region such as Maldon, Beechworth, Clunes, Heathcote, Maryborough, Daylesford, Stawell, Beaufort, Creswick, St Arnaud, Dunolly, Inglewood, Wedderburn and Buninyong and in particular, Ballarat and Bendigo, to name just a few. Francis simply melted into these masses and headed north, telling anyone who asked that his name was Frank Clarke.
