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John Garvey (?–1866)

A daring case of sticking-up has just occurred on the Ironbarks, under circumstances almost unparalleled in New South Wales in the presence of several people, and right in the midst of the houses. The facts of the case are as follows:—On Thursday last, about three o'clock in the afternoon, the shareholders in the Frenchman's Claim, Post Office Reef, having finished crushing their stone at Mr. Smith's machine, were carrying the gold (a cake of about 120 ounces) from the machine to the store, a distance of about 400 yards. When about 100 yards from the machine, two men, who galloped down the hill, with their faces painted blue, and well armed with rifle, revolver, and pistol, ordered them to deliver up their gold. One of the party, Daniel Anstey [Henzerling], better known as Dan the German, did not believe in seeing his hard earnings wrenched from him at a grasp; he resisted, when the ruffians shot him in the thigh and through the body; the poor fellow is not expected to recover. Dr. Ryegate, from Wellington, has attended him, and extracted the ball, which had entered below the breast on the right side, and lodged in the back. The desperadoes took the gold and rode off. As soon as poor Dan fell, William Bragg, of the firm of Bragg and Laurance, ran into his house, loaded one barrel of his gun with ball, and, as the bushrangers were riding about 120 yards off, he took deliberate aim, and shot one through the back—the ball passing through the lungs, and grazing six inches of the horse's neck, lodged under its ear. The wounded robber galloped about 300 yards, and then fell off his horse a corpse; his companion dismounted, took the gold from him, and is still at large. The fallen man was found lying on his rifle and revolver, and the horse he rode was found in the bush by a Chinaman. The horse proved to have been stolen from Burrandong on Monday night. The villain was identified, and proved to be a man (named John Garvey) who had been working at Mr. Bell's machine for the past four months, and left the same morning—as he said, to go to Bathurst. The body was interred in the bush, 300 yards from the camp. Several persons have been arrested on suspicion of being implicated in the affair. —Correspondent of the Western Examiner.

Original publication

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Citation details

'Garvey, John (?–1866)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/garvey-john-15336/text26545, accessed 29 March 2024.

© Copyright Obituaries Australia, 2010-2024

Life Summary [details]

Death

6 February, 1866
Barraba, New South Wales, Australia

Cause of Death

shot

Occupation