On 17 June 1863, Robert Morton, a squatter from
Wagga Wagga, and Maurice Brach, a hawker from
Beechworth, were camped at
Walla Walla. Two robbers rode up to the camp, one of them armed with a double-barrelled gun and a
revolver, and told them to bail up. The robbers took
£30 worth of goods and money from Brach and four £1-notes and some nuggets from Morton. When Morton was asked whether he had any connection with Brach and he answered “no,” the money and nuggets were returned to him. John Manson of Beechworth drove up at the scene, at which point the robbers stuck him up as well. One of the robbers was “supposed to be a man named Morgan,
alias Beardie.” The following day, on 18 June, four young men were held up and robbed at
Cookendina station, east of
Henty. The robbers, one of whom fitted the description of Morgan, stole three
racehorses, together with saddles and bridles, and 15
shillings in cash. around this time. On 29 July, Morgan and his companion arrived at Wallandool station, west of Henty, and stuck up two overseers, tying them to trees. They then proceeded to the homestead and accosted the squatter, a man named Gilbank. Morgan and his accomplice “then made a deliberate survey of the premises, and the result of their foray was that they rode clear off with two horses, saddle, and bridle, and other property which took their fancy, at the estimated loss to Mr. Gilbank of some £65.” Even at that stage, Morgan's
fatalistic attitude was evident; during the robbery he was reported to have said: “I expect I’ll be shortly taken, so I may as well go the whole hog.” The description of Morgan given to police after the Wallandool robbery was as follows: “35 years of age, 6 feet high, long black hair curly at the ends, bushy beard and moustache, brownish color; rather knock-kneed, nose wrinkled, but not pockmarked; had on check trousers too short for him”. Both Morgan and his accomplice “wore hairy coats; and rode fine grey horses; and carried carbines in buckets”. On the afternoon of 21 August 1863 a Mr. Scott was travelling with sheep near
Bullenbung when he was held up by two men and robbed of £4 4s.,a watch, a ring, and a new saddle. The watch and ring were afterwards returned. The robbers were identified was the same men who had carried out the ‘Wallandool’ robbery. On this occasion Morgan was identified as “Jack Morgan,
alias Big Morgan”. On Wednesday, August 26, the police contingent led by Henry Baylis discovered Morgan's camp in dense scrub about seven miles from Urangaline Creek. Sub-Inspector Morrow, Trooper Brown and Baylis remained at the camp to await the bushrangers’ return. It appears that Morgan “had notice of the movements of the police” and after nightfall stalked the campsite “for the purpose of surprising the police”. Towards midnight the police heard a noise in the scrub. Baylis went to investigate “but had not advanced three yards before a discharge of firearms took place in front, close to his person, and he fell instantly”. Trooper Brown returned fire “in the direction of the flashes of the ruffians’ guns” but the bushrangers escaped. Baylis had received a bullet through his right breast which exited from his left shoulder “leaving a fearful opening”. The Police Magistrate eventually recovered, though he continued to suffer from the effects of the injury. The bullet that had passed through his body was later presented to Baylis “enclosed in a gold casket”, which he wore suspended from his watch chain. In 1875 the colonial government presented Baylis with a gold medal for his “gallant and faithful service”. On the day following the wounding of Baylis a shepherd named Haley, in the employment of Henry Osborne at ‘Brookong’ station, was "fired upon and dangerously wounded by armed men". This incident was later included in a published list of crimes perpetrated by Daniel Morgan, in apparent retribution for the shepherd providing information to the police regarding the location of the bushrangers' camp.
Bushranging alone On the morning of 3 November 1863 Daniel Morgan (now operating alone) arrived at Gibson's ‘
Burrumbuttock’ station (34 miles north-west of Albury). The squatter, Thomas Gibson, was absent but Morgan made himself comfortable in the house by ordering breakfast and sending “one of the men to fetch up Mr. Gibson’s favourite horse”. Before leaving he changed his clothes, putting on one of Gibson's suits. Riding Gibson's horse he went to the public-house at
Piney Range where he had drinks with some of the patrons before proceeding to the nearby ‘Walbundrie’ station where he stuck up Thomas Kidston and stole a chestnut horse called Euclid. Morgan then proceeded to the ‘Bulgandra’ station, another of Thomas Gibson's runs, where Gibson was supervising the shearing. After announcing that “he was now Mr. Gibson” Morgan ordered the shearers from the shed and “told the overseer, Smith, to prepare for death, as he would not see the morrow’s sun”. However, the overseer's wife pleaded with the bushranger, saying “if he killed her husband, he must kill her and the child too, and have three murders to account for”. Her pleas were successful in saving her husband's life. Morgan then took Gibson into the house and made him sign nine cheques of £30 for each of the shearers, one of £95 for Morgan himself and another for £15 to pay a man to go to town and get them cashed. When the man returned with the money Morgan departed. Early the following morning Daniel Morgan “called on” the Stitt brothers’ ‘
Walla Walla’ station “and helped himself to various articles which struck his fancy”. While there he “compelled the proprietor to bring rum to the woolshed, and treated all the shearers”. Morgan pointedly enquired about how the shearers were being treated, and instructed them “to acquaint him if they were ill-used, as he was always to be found thereabouts”. In January 1864 Thomas Henty's "Arab entire horse" was stolen in the night from ‘Round Hill’ station (east of
Culcairn), a theft for which Morgan was suspected. Later the superintendent of the station, Ingram, met Daniel Morgan near Cookardinia. Morgan accused Ingram of “spreading a report” that he had stolen the Arab horse and “affected much virtuous indignation at the scandal”. Morgan then stole Ingram's mount, after which he informed the superintendent where Henty's Arab horse could be found. On 2 April 1864 Morgan stuck up the mail between Ten-mile Creek (
Holbrook) and
Tumbarumba and stole a horse from the mail contractor. Afterwards it was reported he was seen “enjoying himself” at Ten-mile Creek “without experiencing… hindrance from either police or civilians”. Three days later Morgan and another man stuck up two men named Elliot and Donnelly 20 miles from
Narrandera on the Jerilderie road. Morgan's companion (shorter in height with a "sandy complexion") carried a double-barrelled gun. The men were robbed of money, a horse and a saddle and bridle. The men did not report the crime when they arrived at Jerilderie and it was only later, after a routine police enquiry, that a report was made. The reason given by one of the men for the reluctance to report the incident was fear of retribution. This incident is the first time Morgan was reported with an accomplice since the death of his companion Clarke in August 1863. On the morning of 12 April 1864 Morgan called at William Haines' 'Jerilderie' station (near
Jerilderie township) and bailed up three men. Before departing that evening he exchanged his black mare for a grey mare belonging to Haines.
Murder On 2 June 1864 D. F. Johnston and two other men, while droving stock to Melbourne, were camped on ‘Round Hill’ station when they were bailed up by Daniel Morgan. He robbed Johnston of money and a gold watch, and afterwards “selected a fine black mare, saddle and bridle” before making his departure. On 19 June 1864 Morgan arrived at ‘Round Hill’ station, east of
Culcairn. Those present at the homestead were the superintendent Samuel Watson and his wife, the overseer McNeil, the cattle overseer John McLean and the son of a neighbouring squatter, John Heriot. With “a revolver in each hand, cocked and capped” Morgan demanded that the liquor supplies, consisting of six bottles of gin, be produced. He insisted that his captives join him in drinking gin (to an extent that all involved were probably inebriated). After ordering a meal be served to him he rounded up the station personnel into a cattle shed. After inspecting the station horses the bushranger mounted his horse to leave. At that point the superintendent Watson “rather rashly” made a comment that Morgan's stirrup irons had been stolen. Morgan “coolly turned round in his saddle, took deliberate aim at Mr. Watson’s head, and fired”. Watson put up his hand “through which the ball passed” and then grazed his scalp. Watson ran behind the shed and Morgan fired two more shots, one of which hit John Heriot's lower leg “shattering the bone in pieces”. Suddenly taking pity on Heriot, the bushranger “who seemed to act with the inconsistency of drunkenness, or of a murderer gone mad… swore a fearful oath that he would blow the brains out of every man on the station if they did not come to Heriot’s assistance”. At this time two men made their appearance (“evidently ‘Morgan’s men’”), one of them described as “a half-caste aboriginal”. Morgan supervised Heriot being made as comfortable as possible, at which point John McLean, “seeing Morgan apparently relenting, as if satiated with bloodshed”, asked him “if he might go for a doctor”. The bushranger answered “yes”, but soon afterwards had second thoughts. He set out to follow McLean along the road, “overtook him five or six miles from the station, and without ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ coming close behind him” shot him in the back above the hip. Morgan dismounted and lifted the mortally wounded man onto his horse and led him back to the station. Morgan and his men “then remained carousing until two the next morning, when they departed as they came”. The police under Superintendent McLerie arrived just five minutes after the bushrangers had left. The next day Churchley and three young volunteers set off from Tumbarumba in search of Maginnity. That same morning the mailman had discovered Maginnity's body “a little off the road” about six miles from ‘Coppabella’ station. After meeting the mailman on the road, Churchley proceeded to the location. Maginnity's body was conveyed to Tumbarumba via ‘Glenroy’ station. A magisterial inquiry into the incident was held in the Tumbarumba court-house several days later, with the events leading to Maginnity's death based on the evidence of Constable Churchley's single eye-witness account. On July 3 the policemen, Sergeant Carroll and constables Horrigan and Dalziel, were riding through part of Charles Edgehill's station (north-west of Henty) when in the distance they caught sight of a man galloping away from “an old hut” occupied by the Corcoran family. This aroused the suspicions of the police, knowing Morgan was likely to be in the district. The police gave chase and engaged in an extended pursuit through the bush on the adjoining 'Wallandool' station, during which Morgan's identity was confirmed. At one stage Carroll managed to fire his revolver at Morgan, but the bushranger eventually escaped. The woman at Corcoran's hut “alleged ignorance of Morgan”, stating the man that the police had seen leaving “was a perfect stranger to them”. On the night of 4 September 1864 four policemen from Albury, Senior-sergeant Thomas Smyth and three constables, were encamped at the swamp on Thomas Keighran's ‘Doodle Coma’ run near Henty. Their tent had an open front before which a fire had been made and at about nine o’clock the men were “lying and resting on the ground inside the tent”. Suddenly a simultaneous volley of bullets was fired into the tent, “both from the opening and through the back”. The policemen jumped to their feet and rushed outside. Smyth and Constable Connors returned fire into the darkness and the “firing continued on both sides”. The others “made a skirmish” into the thick scrub but “without being able to come up to their cowardly assailants”. On returning to the tent the men “found poor Smyth insensible and bleeding profusely” with a bullet wound to his left shoulder. Smyth was taken to the station homestead and next morning driven in a dog-cart towards Ten-mile Creek for medical assistance. After a dreadful trip during which the dog-cart driver lost his way in the bush Smyth arrived at Ten-mile Creek, after which he was transferred to Albury “by easy stages”. Five days after the attack on the policemen camped at ‘Doodle Coma’ Morgan had another narrow escape from the authorities. A group of four policemen sighted Morgan in the distance on “King’s Run”, adjoining Edgehill's station. Sub-Inspector Zouch, who had the freshest horse, chased Morgan towards the ‘Doodle Coma’ swamp during which the bushranger, being “hard pressed”, threw his rifle into the scrub (which proved to be the rifle he had taken from Maginnity). Once again, however, Morgan eventually managed to escape.
Morgan's 'business' In late October 1864 Morgan, in company with “two or three mates”, stuck-up the ‘Yarrabee’ station (about 35 miles from Jerilderie). The occupants of the station were held hostage until the early hours of the following morning. At about 3 o’clock in the morning on 23 November 1864 the Deniliquin mail coach was stopped at the Turangelina Scrub (about 43 miles from Wagga Wagga) by “Daniel Morgan and another offender”, and robbed of the mail bags. The mailman attested that “Morgan opened most of the letters and then returned them”. Two of the passengers were robbed of two horses. On 11 December 1864 Morgan made an appearance at a road contractor's camp at Kyeamba (14 miles south-west of Tarcutta). He bailed up all the men at the camp, and when it was discovered the contractor Adams had no cash on hand, “he set fire to the tents”. He ordered five Chinese men (described as "miners") to strip “with a view to searching their garments”. When they hesitated, perhaps not understanding his command, Morgan shot one of them in the arm just below the shoulder joint. The money he recovered “was trifling” (“one small gold piece, and about thirty shillings in silver – the latter he threw away, from his chagrin”). He remained there until five in the afternoon “having caused tea to be made and a damper prepared for him”. When Morgan left he took several hostages with him, taking them “over the mountains to eight miles north of Kyamba” (at a location known as Kyeamba Gap). There he held up two buggies, one belonging to Mr. Manson and his wife from Beechworth and the other driven by two young men. After robbing the occupants, he then “conversed freely for some hours, detailing his various exploits at great length, and dwelling particularly upon the murder of M’Ginnerty and Smyth, at which he made no attempt at concealment”. He spoke of three men “whom he was determined to shoot before ‘retiring from business’”. The men named were “Mr. M’Kenzie, late of Mundarloo; Mr. M’Laurin, of Yarra Yarra; and Sergeant Carroll”, each of whom “he expressed himself determined to revenge”. After Manson and his wife were allowed to depart the mail coach to Albury arrived, but “being very light” Morgan “allowed it to pass after a merely formal examination”. Shortly afterwards the mail coach coming from Albury arrived. Morgan ordered the driver to stop, but when this was not instantly complied with “he fired a shot at him to bring him to”. He then made the driver “hold the horses heads, while he ransacked the mails”. Two days later two hawkers named Knight and Shane were stuck up by Morgan near ‘Pulletop’ station (west of Kyeamba) and robbed of £60 worth of liquor and gold nuggets, as well as a horse, a saddle and bridle. The hawkers had been well-armed and had “openly stated that they were not the least frightened of Morgan”. However the bushranger had watched their campsite during the night and bailed them up in the morning as they unhobbled their horses. As he was leaving Morgan told them “he could have shot the two of them the night before and not to be so cocksure of their defense in future”. On 9 March 1865 a shepherd, John Pender, “was quietly feeding his dogs” on ‘Wallandool’ station (west of Henty) when “he received a shot in the thigh from Morgan’s revolver”. Pender crawled to his hut, followed by the bushranger. Morgan told him “he had mistaken the shepherd for some one else”. Pender later gave evidence against Michael and James Corcoran who were charged “with aiding Morgan” in the murder of Senior-sergeant Smyth, as well as being involved in his own wounding. The Corcoran family had first come to the attention of the police when Morgan was spotted leaving their hut on Charles Edgehill's station near Henty in July 1864. On 23 March 1865 Morgan stuck up the mail between Wagga Wagga and Urana. He ransacked the bags and stole a number of letters. A week later, at two o’clock in the morning on March 30, Morgan stopped the mail coach from Albury on the road between Kyeamba and Tarcutta. He detained the coach for about two hours while he opened letters, but managed to find only a small amount of cash. ==Into Victoria==