This site is © 2001 - 2003
Material and images on this site may not be used with out written consent.

THE CAREER OF “THE SNOB”

By Fitzroy.

A NOTORIOUS RASCAL

No account of the “bad old days’ In Rockhampton and district would be complete without a pointed reference to that arch criminal, Edward Hartigan better known throughout Queensland as “The Snob”. Bad as some of the criminals already mentioned were at times when in need of money none of them appeared to fairly revel in wrongdoing in the way Hartigan did over a long period. There were few crimes of which he was not suspected, and most likely guilty, but he lived to expiate or escape them all, and died, at a very old age, in peace and quietness, under the care of a paternal Government at that healthy and not unattractive seaside home, Dunwich, it would be no exaggeration to say that men with fewer criminal instincts died under less favourable circumstances.

Hartigan was born in Ireland in 1835 and came to Australia in 1856 by the ship, Peter Maxwell, and a few years later found himself in Rockhampton working for the late Patrick O’Reilly, in Little Quay Street, as that time one of the busiest parts of the town. It is hardly likely that Hartigan made his debut as a breaker of his country’s laws in Rockhampton, for he was so slippery and cunning, and traveled all over the country under different names, that it was impossible to say for certain, in those days, what his offences were and where they were committed. He walked with a “flash” strut, was under middle height, possessed a muscular frame, and had a face like a bird of prey. He was remarkable for the smallness of his hands and feet and could easily free himself from ordinary handcuffs or leg-irons.

Other reasons that made Hartigan formidable to the police was his cunning and resource, and the fact that his misdeeds were usually carried out alone. A good horseman and bushman, he moved from one district to another rapidly, and till there were good roads and telegraphs, he could evade the authorities almost as he liked. With all his other expertness, he was a marvelous penman and could forge people’s names so skillfully that it was difficult to detect the forgery from the genuine. He could also change his appearance and manner very cleverly and taken altogether, he was one of the most difficult and formidable criminals the Queensland police ever had to capture and bring to justice.

Rockhamptons East St 1865

An Artful Law Breaker

In 1863 Hartigan was working for O’Reilly, as stated, he being a boot and shoemaker by trade. He probably did not remain very long at an honest occupation, but took to forging and uttering and also horse stealing, the crimes at which he was most adept. The western districts, or what may be ore correctly named the Near West, were the localities that first secured his attention. He had many encounters with the police as a suspect, and so became fairly well known to several of them. He had been arrested and escaped on a few occasions, and his nickname “The Snob” was known all over the settled districts.

One constable he is reported to have escaped from at Springsure was the late “Paddy” Walsh, so long a resident of Rockhampton. Later Hartigan was giving St. Lawrence the benefit of his presence, representing himself as squatter, and negotiated with Mr. Adair for the purchase of some bullock forms, He gave the name of Atkins as being his patronymic. The pseudo squatter made the acquaintance of Sergeant Buckley, then in charge of St. Lawrence, and in conversation told Buckley he knew The Snob. The Sergeant, of course, endeavoured to get information about that elusive gentleman, never guessing that he and his companion were identical. The Snob got to hear that Constable Walsh was expected at St. Lawrence, and as he was the last man he wished to meet, he cleared out from St. Lawrence without his bullock teams.

He went off to Collaroy and Bedrock, where he got into the clutches of Sergeant Melbrum, but what punishment he received is not clear. In 1866, however, he was arrested at Taroom for forgery and horse stealing and was sent via Rolleston to Rockhampton. He was placed in the lock-up for safekeeping but in the morning the cell was empty. He had not only escaped but had gone to a paddock, stolen a horse, and ridden away. It was eventually found that he had decamped to Rockhampton and from there had gone off to the Peak Downs with a Chinaman’s wife.

Another Escape

The police were very keen to go after the Snob after these escapes but for a time he dodged them all. Complaints appeared in the papers about the failure to arrest a criminal who was well known and yet continually managed to slip through the fingers of the police.

On the top of this a Mr. Baker, a Victorian, traveling with sheep to Peak Downs, wrote to the “Bulletin” complaining of the robberies of The Snob and the ineptitude of the police in net having got him under lock and key. This letter did some good, for it showed the police where The Snob was on a certain date. Sergeant Brannelly, then in charge of Clermont, determined to make a special effort to capture this slippery shoemaker.

Baker’s letter also drew the attention of Gordon Downs people to The Snob being in the neighbourhood. A day or two later Mr. Baker was at Gordon Downs, when who should he see among the men but The Snob himself. Baker was a powerful man and at once sized Hartigan and with assistance tied him securely to a tree. He was going to give his prisoner no chance to escape so he bound him with all the girths, sursingles, and straps he could find, so as to give the police an easy job when they arrived. In the morning the prisoner had flown, and all that remained was a heap of straps, Baker’s feelings can be more easily understood than described.

Brannelly Makes a Capture

Sergeant Brannelly and Constable Dillane then rode to Gordon Downs, but got very little information, so Brannelly decided to try Columbia, on the Mackenzie River, John Maclarlane then managed the Station, and in answer to inquiries, said a man answering the description given to The Snob had worked there for a week, but had been discharged for insolence. This was a week or two after the Baker episode.

Brannelly was of opinion they were on the track of The Snob and he and the constable rode to Wilpend, where they were informed the men were at the lambing in a grassy glade in the middle of a scrub. The sergeant thought it was just the spot an escape would make for and he went off to look for it. He was lucky to find a blacks camp, and an old gin agreed to show him this secluded spot, which was difficult to find.

The gin took the police to this hidden spot, which had a waterhole in the center. Several men were erecting a sheep yard, but none of them was The Snob, and Sergeant Brannelly feared he had made the journey fruitlessly. However, on looking round more carefully, the police espied a man sitting under tree some distance away. They went up to him cautiously dodging behind trees, as The Snob would not have hesitated to fire had he suspected they were police. Of course they were not in uniform. The snapping of a piece of dry stick arouse the man to the approach, but the police were close to him when he looked up, and sprang to his feet with a revolver in his hand. “Hello” said the Sergeant “Taking it easy” “Yes,” replied the man,”I am shepherd here.” He was then question about where he had been, and the man replied that he was traveling around from station to station looking for work, which he had now got.

Sergeant Brannelly apparently admitted they belong to the police for he next told the man he was looking for The Snob. The man pretended to be amused and said he had read a letter about him in the “Bulletin.” “He is all right,” said the man. Brannelly then said “I believe you are The Snob,” to which the pretending shepherd replied with a laugh “Oh, no,” I ‘m not The Snob, but I was very amused at what I read in the “Bulletin,” how he got away from Gordon Downs. That was very funny.”

The fellow was so cool and self-possessed that Brannelly was very doubtful if he was the wanted man, but resolved to arrest him anyway. Some more talk followed and the Sergeant said, “Well, I am going to arrest you anyway.” The police then put the handcuffs on the man and preferred charges of escaping from Rolleston lockup, forgery, and horse stealing.

“You are making a great mistake, for I am not The Snob,” declared the prisoner. “All right, said Brannelly, “if you are not I will let you go at Clermont.”

They started off for Wilpend Station, but the man, who was The Snob all night, wanted to change the dirty old clothes he was wearing for clean articles he had in his swag. This Brannelly would not allow. He had already taken possession of the prisoner’s revolver, a fully loaded Navy Colt.

The Sergeant was determined the prisoner should not escape, and during the night he and Dillane watched him in turns The next morning The Snob said “You are making a big mistake, and a d-d fool of yourself, and you will only be laughed at.” He again wanted to change his clothes, but was told he could do so at Clermont.

By this time the fellow was very nasty and complained of being treated badly. Brannelly told him plainly all his talk was useless as he was determined to taken him to Clermont.

Seeing the police were determined to stick to him The Snob admitted they had got the right man. “I don’t care,” he blurted out, “I will get out of this lot, too and will get away before I am sent to Rockhampton.” Brannelly assured him he would not get away, but was so pleased at having caught the slippery scoundrel that he allowed him to satisfy his vanity by changing into clean clothes.

It was not easy task the two police had, for it took them five days to get to Clermont, and they watched their prisoner night and day, in addition to being handcuffed.

At length Edward Hartigan was safely lodged in Clermont lockup, and the news spread rapidly, every person being pleased the desperado had been captured. He was brought before the magistrates and committed for trial at the District Court to be held at Rockhampton in December. For safekeeping Sergeant Brannelly had Mr. Neidermayer make a special set of leg irons, out of which The Snob failed to get.

A Severe Sentence

Hartigan found himself safe in gaol, where he remained till the Court sat on the 3rd of December 1867, the Judge being Mr. Justice Innis, afterwards Sir George Innis. The Snob was charged with forgery and uttering and horse stealing. On account of the difficulty of getting evidence from the distant parts of the country and the tricky manner in which the prisoner had carried out his rascalities, the evidence in the first case did not seen so strong as was expected. He made a wonderful address to the jury, declaring his innocence and saying that every undiscovered crime in the country was attributed to him if he happened to be anywhere near the locality. He avowed in a loud voice that the witnesses were all making false statements and as for the Crown Prosecutor, Mr. Hirst, he would say anything.

The Snob was eventually found guilty on the least charge, that of uttering, and no doubt the wily rascal thought he would get off with a light sentence. If so, he reckoned without Judge Innis, who assured him he would take good care that the prisoner has no opportunity of continuing his evil career for some time to come, and sentenced him to ten years penal servitude.

When he heard the sentence Hartigan let his vile nature be clearly exposed. He poured out a torrent of abuse hurling all manner of epithets at the Judge who sat on the Bench with a calm unmoved face. Hartigan declared the Judge was a grandson of Margaret Catchpole who was transported to Australia for horse stealing. While other charges were made with hurricane force, Judge Innis looked quietly on and clearly did not lose his temper, or the sentence might have been increased.

The Snob at this time was thirty-two years of age and so far as is known it was the first heavy sentence he received. Hartigan was sent to St. Helena, in Moreton Bay, to serve his sentence, and he proved quite a different man in gaol to what he was when at liberty. He was obedient and well conducted, and at the new system for a remission of two months in every 12 came into vogue in 1868, The Snob must have determined to do all in his power to merit all the remissions possible. His behaviour was so commendable that in 1875 he was again a free man.

Again In Trouble

Once again free with all his old crimes stoned for there was a splendid opportunity for Hartigan to start on a new life for he was still only a man of 40. Instead of leading an honest life, Hartigan went straight back to his old habits and associations, and on the 27th of September in the same year, he was discharged, he was committed for trial at Springsure for horse-stealing and for forging and uttering six cheques for £50, £32, £25, £12, £15, £10 and £17 15s. This was a formidable array of offences for a man so lately liberated from St. Helens, Remembering the dance led the police in the sixties, the public were well pleased. The Snob’s career had been so quickly nipped in the bud.

His trial came on in Rockhampton on the 11th of December 1875, before Mr. Justice Hirst, who had been the Crown Prosecutor when he was last convicted. Hartigan was first tried on the forgery charges, and defended by C. S. D. Melbourne. This time the chares were shouted home very clearly, the jury taking only seven minutes to decide on the verdict.

On being asked if he had aught to say in extenuation of his crime, the Snob made an earnest and plausible appeal for leniency. He said when liberated he had found employment in Brisbane, when the gaol warder informed his employer whom he was, and he was compelled to leave. Quite likely that was true, but few will blame the official for letting the employer know the kind of man he had engaged so that he would know the risk he ran.

Judge Hirst reminded Hartigan of the clemency shown to him by the Government in remitting so much of his previous sentence but warned him that he must protect the public and deter him and others from committing such offences. He added, “ The sentence may seem to be heavy one, but it is necessary for your conduct shows that, although some prisoners behave themselves well in gaol they are the very first when released to commit themselves again by pursuing their old evil courses. The sentence of the Court is that you be kept in penal servitude for 15 years,” Hartigan seemed overcome by the sentence, but on this occasion said nothing. Thus in the same year he was liberated he was back again at the island convict settlement with a “stretch” of 15 years before him.

The Snob again showed exemplary good conduct, and with remissions he was free again in 1888, having reach the age of 53 years.

Other Criminal Charges

No warnings appeared to have any good effect on The Snob, for in a few months he was again in his old trouble – forging and uttering. He had forged the name of Hugh Neill, of Galloway Plains and pleaded guilty to uttering and asked for leniency. This time he appeared before Judge Miller, and the custom of giving light sentences instead of heavy ones had come into vogue. The judge gave the old criminal some sage advice and sentenced him to imprisonment for 21 months, having been awaiting his trial for thee months.

He served his sentence, less remissions, and at once went back to the western districts and started his old game of forgery. At Alpha, in September 1895, he was committed for trial for forgery, but this time no true bill was filed and he was liberated.

The next month, however, he was brought up for forging A.R. Brown’s signature to a cheque for £15 odd. He was tried before Judge Miller at Barcaldine, and the prisoner did all in his power to have some other judge for he said, he was ashamed to come before Judge Miller again, he had given him such kindly and gentlemanly advice on the last occasion. Being found guilty Judge Miller sentenced Hartigan to nineteen months imprisonment in Brisbane Gaol.

A Murder Charge

So far as known, Hartigan had never committed murder, but he was not to end his career without at least being strongly suspected of that crime. Under the name of George Parker, for he seems to have traveled under numerous aliases. The Snob was seen with a road mate name John Daniel Ackroyd, on the road from Clermont to Aramac. The two men camped together at Greyrock, twenty-five miles from Aramac, in July 1896. In the early morning shot was heard from the direction of their camp. The next day Parker (or rather The Snob) was seen with Ackroyd two horses and his dog. Soon after Hartigan sold these horses presumably saying that they were his own.

Strange to say from the night they were camped at Greyrock, a little off the road, nothing was even seen of the Ackroyd. He disappeared as though the earth had swallowed him, leaving his property in the hands of Edward Hartigan. When interrogated on the subject The Snob had some plausible reason, which nobody ever believed but apparently there was not enough evidence against him for the police to make an arrest, and so he marched off free instead of being arrested.

About twelve months after the disappearance of Ackroyd, a kangaroo shooter found a lot of human bones at an old fire about where Hartigan and Ackroyd had camped. The bones appearance to have been cut with an axe or a tomahawk, and burned. Other things were also found, including the clasp of a purse, supposed to have belonged to the missing man. As nothing had even been seen or heard of Ackroyd since the night he was camped there with the Snob, suspicion quite naturally was directed to that arch criminal, and he was arrested and charged with the murder of Ackroyd.
The points against Hartigan were that he was travelling with Ackroyd on a lonely road. Hartigan’s mate possessed two horses and probably money. One night they camped in a lonely spot, and during the night shots were heard from that camp. Nothing more was ever seen or heard of Ackroyd, but his horses and dog were in the possession of the notorious Snob, who could not satisfactorily account for Ackroyd’s disappearance. Twelve months after human bones that had been cut up and burned were found where the fire of the two men was supposed to be and it was morally certain they were the remains of the missing man, taken in conjunction with other articles found.

The public could quite easily put the whole dreadful story together and leave not a single doubt as to how Ackroyd had died.

Not so the Attorney General however for he filed no bill against Hartigan, and the scamp was liberated.

Hartigan was now approaching three score and ten years, and a broken down old sinner at that. The next heard of him was that he was sent to Dunwich, where he spent a few years in contemplation of the beauties of Moreton Bay, and died leaving a memory that will be imperishable in the annals of crime in the state.

Previous Page