In the early days of Coolgardie, there was no provision for holding prisoners pending their appearance in court, so Corporal McCarthy chopped a four-foot log from a three-foot thick trunk of a blown down salmon gum to which they were chained by a strong steel staple at one end and handcuffs at the other. (A […]
The Black Tracker – a verse
22/01/2022 By Leave a Comment
The Black Tracker Swart bloodhounds of the fenceless West, Black gallopers that lead the Law, To whom your victims stand confessed By every lightest line they draw; The hawks that high above you sail Have eyes less keen to pierce the blue, The dingo on his hunting trail Runs slacker in the chase than you! […]
Alexander Pitman – The Man Behind the Legend
12/12/2020 By Leave a Comment
I am sure that most people who are interested in the history of the Goldfields of Western Australia will have heard the story of the two gold stealing officers who were cruelly murdered and their bodies dismembered and thrown down a mine shaft just outside of town at Millers Find. A great deal has been […]
The Great Unwashed Preserver of the Peace:
29/02/2020 By Leave a Comment
Constable JOLLY – Coolgardie, Western Australia 1909 Nick-named ‘The Great Unwashed Preserver of the Peace’ Constable Jolly blamed the scarcity of water for his economical use of it which in turn, caused some dissatisfaction among his fellow police officers who finally planned to lure him to Silverthorne’s dam and push him in. This drastic step […]
The Mysterious Mr Bradley – a family story
31/08/2019 By 3 Comments
The comment ‘not another Lionel’ is a long-standing joke, between a good friend of mine and fellow historian, Graeme Sisson, who was the Archivist of the Police Historical Soc of WA at the time. It came to refer to any research inquiry that we were working on that was more than a little complicated and […]
