Clarke brothers

The Clarke brothers were Australian bushrangers active in New South Wales the late 19th century.

The Clarke brothers, Thomas and John and James, were from Braidwood, New South Wales. From 1865 they were active around the area that became the Australian Capital Territory, where they held up stations, raided stores and performed an armed holdup on the Queanbeyan Mail. In 1866, they held the town of Michelago, New South Wales captive while they waited for gold being escorted from Kiandra.

In their relatively short career as bushrangers, they are thought to have killed five policemen and committed 36 holdups. When they were captured they were both in their early 20s. They were executed in Sydney on 25 June 1867.

References

• Fitzgerald, A. 1977. Historic Canberra 1825-1945, a pictorial record. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra ISBN 0-642-02688-2

The murderous Clarke brothers were worse than any other bushrangers, outdoing the notorious Ned Kelly, Ben Hall, Captain Lightning, Frank Gardiner and Thunderbolt. The Clarke and Connell gang became known as "The Bloodiest Bushrangers".

Jack Clarke, a shoemaker had been transported for seven years in the "Royal Charlotte". He arrived in the Braidwood district as one of the assigned convicts brought in by Major Elrington in 1827. Old Clarke married Mary Connell and took up a leasehold in the Jingeras which proved too small to support his family of 5 children. He took to selling sly-grog, initiated his sons Tom and John into cattle duffing, and raised them to believe in his view of the fair and equitable distribution of property. They constantly raided crops and livestock, aided by their uncles Pat and Tom Connell. Their gang, the Jerrabat Gully Rakers were regarded as scientists in the art of cattle duffing and horse stealing. The Clarke gang of relatives and friends was well trained in bushcraft and heavily armed.

They plundered publicans, storekeepers, farmers and travelers. They ambushed Gold Shipments from Nerrigundah and Araluen and the coaches that traveled from Sydney and the Illawarra. Till November 1866 they marauded virtually unchecked in a triangle through the Jingeras from Braidwood to Bega, and up the coast to Moruya and Nelligen. Their run of luck ended with the conviction at Darlinghurst on 15th February 1867 of Tom Connell for the robbery and assault of John Emmott, when he stole 25 ounces of gold dust, two one-pound notes, some silver coins and a gold watch . The many other exploits of the "Blacksmith", including the death of Constable Miles O'Grady were ignored, but his death sentence was on appeal remitted to life imprisonment. In February 1867 Long Jim "Jemmy the Warrigal" a second member of the gang fractured his skull in an accident and died.

In late March 1867 the drought broke with floods which swept away steam engines, huts and mountains of earth. The remains of Billy Scott believed to have been murdered by his own gang, was found on April 9th, thus reducing the gang to two men, Tom and John Clarke. During April a police patrol led by Sergeant Wright and a "blacktracker" nicknamed Sir Watkin Wyne, followed information to Jinden Creek, and reached Berry's hut on Friday 26th April. After a shoot out on the Saturday morning, Constable Walsh called for their surrender.

(The surrender scene became the centerpiece of the Sydney Waxworks, with Tom shown with hand outstretched to meet Wright). The reward for Tom Clarke had by then been raised to 1,000 pound and that for John to 500 Pound.

The brothers were arraigned in Braidwood and then taken by coach to the port of Nelligen where they were shackled to the prison tree. From Nelligen, the steamship conveyed the Clarkes to Sydney. On May 13th they appeared in court for their committal hearing, on wounding the blacktracker Sir Watkin Wayne, prior to their capture by Wright, Walsh, Egan and Lenehan. The 1,500 pound reward was distributed as follows: Wright 300, Walsh 130, Wyne 120, Constables Lenehan, Wright and Egan 110 each, Sergeant Byrne 30, Constables Ford, O'Loughlin, Armstrong, Brown and Woodlands 15 each and 7 pounds 10 shillings to each of the trackers Emmott and Thomas. 500 Pounds went to a civilian informer. (This was the highest reward offered until the 2000 pound reward for Ned Kelly )

Their trial on 28 May 1867 only lasted one day. Chief Justice of NSW, Sir Alfred Stephen was known to be especially concerned about the crime of bushranging, in particular Frank Gardiner, and had most to do with the drafting of the "Felons' Apprehension Act".

It was stated in evidence that "when Thomas Clarke fired, John Clarke fired immediately afterwards... with the intent to kill and wound the constables...".

The jury took 1 hour and 7 minutes to find both brothers guilty. Before passing sentence, Sir Alfred Stephens pointed out that the Clarkes were to be hanged, not as retribution, but because their deaths were necessary for the peace, good order, safety and welfare of society. Their fate was to serve as a warning to others. He then pointed out the list of their offences over the 2 previous years. Thomas: exclusive of the 7 murders of which he was suspected, including that of Constable O'Grady, 9 robberies of mails, 36 robberies of individuals including chinamen, labourers, publicans, storekeepers, tradesmen and settlers, John's offences in one year numbered 26 and his possible implication in the unexplained murder of four specials. On March 13th 1865, the Araluen Gold Escort was attacked by the gang on the Majors Creek Mountain Road, and four troopers were shot dead. Two of the remaining troopers held off the attack and the gold was delivered to the Bank of New South Wales at Braidwood.

Despite the death sentences, an appeal was made on a point of law. Because of the small number of Supreme Court Justices, the court of appeal was made up of Sir Alfred the Chief Justice, and Justices Hargrave and Cheeke. The rejection of a new trial by two to one led many to believe that the conviction of the Clarkes was not altogether satisfactory. A memorandum was sent to the Governor, Sir John Young and the Executive Council. In the end, neither the Governor nor the ministry decided to interfere with the sentence imposed on either of the Clarkes. They were visited by their two sisters, their brother Jack (brought in from Cockatoo Island Prison), and their uncle Mick Connell (in gaol in Sydney awaiting his trial as one of their harbourers under the Felon's Apprehension Act for supplying food, gin and ammunition to the bushrangers in October 1866 as evidenced by his brother's 20 year old pregnant lover, Lucy Hurley).

Tom Clarke, 26, and his brother John, 24, were hanged from twin gallows at Darlinghurst Jail on 25th June 1867, ending a reign of terror on the south coast of NSW which had cost the lives of at least 8 men.

The Clarkes and other bushrangers may have had some influence in Parkes's campaign for educational reforms. In his electioneering speeches of 1867 he spoke of the Clarkes and the necessity of schools in the outback as a way of putting down bushranging. "The Clarkes and other executed bushrangers were in large measure the victims of circumstances. The eyes of the children of the bush opened upon wild, savage scenery. They grew up creatures of a warm, passionate nature, without knowledge and respect for the law of the land and without any bonds to bind them to the rest of society. We want the means of instructing the young so they shall form an honest and intelligent generation when we shall have passed away". Subsequently an attempt was made in the Braidwood district to improve the opportunities for education.

External links

• The Clarke Brothers at About NSW
• Phillips, Nan. "Clarke, John (1846-1867)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/clarke-john-3341. Retrieved 9 July 2011.