THE LAST BUSHRANGER IN QUEENSLAND : James Kenniff (1940)

Charters Towers, a beautiful outback town South West of Townsville was once a thriving hub due to the large deposits of gold (the second largest city outside of Brisbane). As the gold dried up, mining became uneconomic, Charters Towers population slowly declined, but the stunning old buildings and ghosts remained.

On the outskirts of Charters Towers sits what the locals call “the old cemetery”, the Lynd Highway Cemetery was established in 1895. This bleak, barren and dead flat cemetery is bordered by a well maintained cast iron perimeter fence and charming front gate. It is the resting place for a number of interesting local characters including Jupiter Mossman who, as the local lore has it, was one of the party that discovered gold in Charters Towers; Doctor Leonard Redmond who discovered Australian Dengue Fever; Frederick Pfeiffer, owner of the rich Day Dawn PC Mine and James Kenniff who was the last bushranger in Queensland.

The Grave of James Kenniff

The Grave of James Kenniff

James and his older brother Patrick were expert horsemen who made a living by horse stealing – a very serious crime.

They were wanted in connection to the theft of a horse. A police constable, Aboriginal tracker and station master pursued the brothers for several days through hard, mountainous country in Western Queensland. Surprising Patrick and his brother James they managed to overpower and arrest them both. As the tracker was sent to get handcuffs from the constable’s packhorse, gunshots rang out and the tracker ran for his life.

A later search found the constable’s horse wandering through the scrub and the burnt remains of the constable and station master. The brothers were tracked down again and following a shootout, both were captured and tried for murder.

Throughout the trial Patrick maintained his innocence and was denied the right to appeal to the Privy Council in London, by the judge Samuel Griffith. Though there was public shock and outcry, the Queensland Government seemed to be determined to see him hang.

Patrick was sent to the Gallows of Boggo Road Gaol, protesting his innocence to the very last. His final chilling words were saved for one man, the Chief Justice, now Sir Samuel Griffith: “I am as innocent as the judge who sentenced me.”

James’s life was spared, but he was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour. Being released in 1914, he refused visitors and lived out his life alone. Some say he was the one who pulled the trigger. He took the secret to his grave in Charters Towers.

Grave of Patrick Kenniff

Grave of Patrick Kenniff

Hear about this amazing story on Australia’s longest running true crime show “True Crimes” – presented by Jack Sim on 4BC Nights with Walter Williams. Thursday evenings 9.35pm on Radio 4BC.

Visit the grave of Patrick Kenniff on a South Brisbane Cemetery Ghost Tour

James Kenniff

‘I AM AS INNOCENT AS THE JUDGE WHO SENTENCED ME’

The last minutes of Patrick Kenniffs life were captured in an article written for The Brisbane Courier newspaper published the day after his execution. Patrick was a Catholic, and as such, was compelled to confess his sins before he died. Many placed great weight upon his maintenance, in the presence of death, that he was innocent of murder.

Following his burial in South Brisbane Cemetery, a grave was permitted to be erected. In 2003, to commemorate the centennial of the execution, a plaque was added in the presence of related families and members of the community. READ MORE FROM THE ORIGINAL ARCHIVES HERE.

The last chapter of the Kenniff story played out at Tamrookum Station with the internment of the victims remains in the church yard there. A memorial was later erected to mark the resting of their few mortal remains. Boggo Road Gaol would encourage readers to visit the lonely, but powerful gravesite near the town of Beaudesert. READ MORE FROM THE ORIGINAL ARCHIVES HERE.

THE KENNIFFS ON TRIAL

The whole state of Queensland was gripped by the trial of the Kenniffs, which took place in the Brisbane Supreme Court. The trial was held before Sir Samuel W. Griffith, regarded as one of the founders of the Australian Constitution.

The Prosecution case was circumstantial, and the evidence of Crown witness, tracker Sam Johnson, regarded as unreliable. However, during the trial the courageous indigenous man proved to be faultless in his recollection of what transpired that day. His testimony to the jury was damning, and showed, beyond reasonable doubt, that the Kenniffs had brutally shot and murdered Albert Dhalke and George Doyle. READ MORE FROM THE ORIGINAL ARCHIVES HERE, HERE and HERE

Join us Saturday 12th January for the commemoration of the execution of Patrick Kenniff, bushranger. GO TO OUR EVENT ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.

RUNNING THE KENNIFFS TO EARTH

As word of what the Kenniffs had done spread, stories, legends and folklore began to be created, some of which last to this day. Their reign was likened to the Kelly gang. Like the Kellys, in time the brothers began to be viewed by many, especially by their families, as the victims of prosecution for their Irish-Catholic origins – much to the disdain of authorities in the capital. As details emerged however, it was clear that murder had been committed, for which there was no excuse. READ MORE FROM THE ORIGINAL ARCHIVES HERE

One of the greatest manhunts in the history of Queensland began to locate the bushrangers. It took an incredible toll on those involved, man and animal alike. Horses died of exhaustion, caves and valleys were searched; for weeks men and beasts pressed on to catch the Kenniffs. READ MORE FROM THE ORIGINAL ARCHIVES HERE, HERE and HERE

A reward of 1000 pounds was offered, an enormous sum. Eventually, 23 June, the western bushrangers were apprehended. They were charged and brought before the courts. The end was now in sight. READ MORE FROM THE ORIGINAL ARCHIVES HERE and HERE

Join us Saturday 12th January for the commemoration of the execution of Patrick Kenniff, bushranger. GO TO OUR EVENT ON OUT FACEBOOK PAGE.

 

KETCHING THE KENNIFFS

The incident which spelt the beginning of the end for Patrick Kenniff took place on Monday, 24 March 1902 out in Western Queensland.

That night, three of the Kenniff brothers raided Merivale Station intent on causing trouble, and to steal stock. Reports soon began to circulate that they had gone even further, and had actually killed a police constable and the manager of another station, Mr Doyle, who had been in pursuit of the known cattle duffers. Expert horsemen, the outlaws would evade capture for a considerable period of time, hiding in the bush they knew so well. Slowly, exactly what transpired in the lonely Australian outback, and the process of bringing the killers to justice, came to light through newspapers of the time… READ MORE FROM THE ORIGINAL ARCHIVES

Join us on the GUILTY KILLER OR VICTIM OF THE SYSTEM? Commemoration of the execution of Patrick Kenniff, bushranger.
Sign up to join this event on our facebook page, and join us for a HISTORY OF BOGGO ROAD GAOL tour after this special event.

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