Missy's father, Scott Winslow, gave us a great book..."Outback Heroes: Australia's Greatest Bush Stories", by Evan McHugh. It includes a story about Harry Redford, whose claim to fame is that he was Australia's most famous "duffer" (cattle rustler). In 1870, he stole 1,000 head of cattle in Queensland, and with two associates drove them south to Adelaide, a distance of 1,500 K, through previously unexplored territory. It was an epic journey. He was eventually arrested in New South Wales and tried in Queensland, two and a half years after the event. The jury acquitted him, even though the prosecution produced clear evidence of his guilt. The judge was furious. Apparently this was not an uncommon outcome in early Australia, founded as it was by a convict class.
The author explains that Redford had stolen the cattle from land owned by absentee landlords in England. They owned fifteen (15) stations (ranches) and thousands of cattle in Queensland. In fact, when police informed the station managers that 1,ooo of their cattle had ended up in Adelaide as steaks, they scoffed in disbelief. They had so many cattle that 1,000 had not been missed in over a year. So public sentiment was not always on the side of landowners, especially the absentee type. One judge, in a duffing case, complained when the jury returned the following verdict..."Not guilty, but he needs to return the cattle". The judge was enraged by the jury's impertinance and sent them back to continue deliberations. The jury returned with a revised verdict..."Not guilty...and he can keep the bloody cattle." Ah...that's the Australia that I love. It's a great read.
No comments:
Post a Comment