Fire in the Blood: the epic tale of Frank Gardiner - Bushranger

FIRE IN THE BLO0OD FRANK GARDINER BUSHRANGER *****The epic tale of ***** 1830 Francis (Frank) Gardiner (1830-1903?), bushranger, was born in Scotland, son of Charles Christie and his wife Jane, née Whittle. Scotland Charles Christie Jane Whittle 1830 1834 Francis The family reached Sydney in the James in 1834 and settled at Boro near Goulburn. They worked for a violent landowner, Henry Monro. Australia 1840 They travelled overland to Victoria. When Frank's father died Monro married his mother. But when she died in childbirth and he remarried someone of his own class, Frank and his sisters were treated as servants. Frank rebelled. FIRST ARREST | 1850 In October 1850 as Francis Christie, he was sentenced to five years' hard labour at Geelong for horse stealing FIRST ESCAPE Next March he escaped from Pentridge gaol and returned to New South Wales. 1854 SECOND ARREST In March 1854 he was convicted as Francis Clarke at Goulburn on two charges of horse stealing and imprisoned on Cockatoo Island. Goulburn 1859 In December 1859 he was given a ticket-of-leave for the Carcoar district, but broke parole and by the end of 1860 as Frank Gardiner he had a butchery at Lambing Flat. Sydney Cockatoo Island Harassed by police, Frank took up arms 1861 Known as "The Prince of Tobymen', he began highway robbery on the Cowra Road. Frank developed a reputation for gallantry toward women and scorn for the ascendancy - and quickly developed a following among the have nots'. He became the most: famous outlaw in the colony LAMBING FLAT BUTCHERY *** THE PRINCE OF FORYMEN In July 1861 at the shack of his great love "Kitty Brown near Oberon he shot and wounded Sergeant John Middleton; Trooper Hosie was also wounded although allegedly bribed to let Gardiner 1861 Cowra Road escape. - Johnny Piesley - John Gilbert BESHRANGING ASSOCIATES - Ben Hall - Henry Manns Jonny Bow Johnny O'Meally Michael Burke - John Dunn 1862 On 15 June 1862 at the Eugowra Rocks, Gardiner and his gang held up the gold escort and got away with 2,087 ounces of gold and cash valued at the time at 14,000 Pounds. Equivalent in today's money of over $10 million. Much of the gold was recovered by mounted police after they surprised the gang on Wheoga Hill near Forbes. What happened to the remaining gold is still the subject of much speculation and rumour. Treasure hunters still visit the area. Shortly after he went to Queensland with Kitty (wife of John Brown of Wheogo) Eugowra Rocks as Mr and Mrs Frank Christie. **** They ran a store at Apis Creek goldfields near Rockhampton. Queensland 1864 In 1864 he was traced by NSW police and arrested. Tried for wounding Sergeant Middleton with intent to kill he was sensationally acquitted by the jury but found guilty of two non-capital charges. His nemesis, Judge Alfred Stephen sentenced him to 32 yrs hard labour. -1864 THIRD ARREST RA 32 yrs hard labour 1872 After Frank's sisters petitioned the Governor, he decided that Gardiner had been harshly sentenced and in 1874 released him subject to his exile. Hong Kong Frank served ten years of his sentence. San Fransisco As a hero to the 'have nots the political furore following his release would bring about the fall of the Parkes Government. 1874 On 27 July Gardiner embarked for Hong Kong. 1875 By February 1875 was in San Francisco where he ran the Twilight Saloon on the notorious Barbary Coast. Newspaper reports suggest he married a wealthy widow with twin sons who owned a fine ranch in Colorado; and there he stayed until his mysterious death in the early ***** Colorado 1903 1900s. 1912 Two young Californians arrived in Grenfell claiming to be prospectors and asking for permission to make exploratory digs for two weeks around the area of Frank Gardiner's old camp. Mount Wheogo Witnesses said the two men carried a set of plans. After just one week the pair hurriedly packed up and returned to the US with "rock samples" Many believe they were the twin sons of Frank Gardiner's wife and they had returned to collect the gold buried by Frank 50 years earlier. FIREN THE BLOOD * BASED ON THE BOOK BY ROBERT MACKLIN * Sources: - Penzig, Edgar F. Australian Dictionary of Biography http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/gar..frank-3589 accessed 27th July 2012 ROBEKT MACKL Macklin, Robert Fire in the Blood: The epic tale of Frank Gardiner and Australia's other bushrangers Allen & Unwin, 2005 -Images courtesy of National Library of Australia http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/ accessed July 2012 BWMBooks ebook publishing, advice & marketing Infographic produced by BWM Books Pty Ltd "The do VENING POST.