Sam Poo

Sam Poo was a Chinese bushranger in Australia who was active in the Coonabarabran region of New South Wales during 1865.

Poo was a Chinese emigrant to Australia during the Gold Rush, but instead took to highway robbery on the road between Gulgong and Mudgee. He was a skilled and elusive bushman, and evaded capture from the authorities for several weeks, however early in 1865 he raped the son of a settler, [There are inconsistent theories as to whether it actually occurred. Some sources say a settler's wife was raped.] and shot and killed Senior Constable John Ward of the New South Wales Police Force. He was finally shot and captured several weeks later, and when he recovered he was tried and hanged in Sydney.

Notes

References

*Noonan, Rodney. "The Journal of Australian Studies". "Wild Cathay Boys: Chinese Bushrangers in Australian History and Literature."
* [http://www.policensw.com/info/policerem/text/index2.html "Police Deaths in NSW"] at www.policensw.com
* [http://www.sapolicehistory.org/clippings.html "Curious Clippings"] at South Australian Police Historical Society