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James Alpin McPherson
James Alpin Macpherson (1842–23 August 1895) sometimes spelled "MacPherson" or "McPherson," and otherwise known as The Wild Scotchman, was a Scottish–born Australian bushranger active in Queensland and New South Wales in the 1860s. He was operational throughout the greater Wide Bay area and was eventually apprehended by members of the public outside the town of Gin Gin, Queensland.
The eldest of eight children, Macpherson was born in Inverness-shire, Scotland, in 1842, to John, a farmer, and Elspeth, his wife. When Macpherson was twelve, his family migrated to Australia aboard the William Miles. After arriving at Moreton Bay on 19 January 1855, John Macpherson found work as a farm labourer, while James began school at Ipswich, where he displayed a skill for languages, becoming fluent in French and German.
After finishing his schooling, Macpherson first started work at a stoneyard on the corner of Wharf and Queen streets in Ipswich, owned by a Mr. Petrie, before finding work on a cattle station. On the station he began 'tailing' cattle (keeping them near the head station at mustering time) and bought a revolver to practice shooting with in his spare time.
On 4 March 1864, Macpherson was part of a group of three who 'stuck up' the public house of Richard Willis at Houghton River, wounding Willis, and stealing 'three cabbage tree hats, two pairs of riding pants, one pair of boots, one gun, one crimean shirt, one bottle of whisky, and fourteen pounds of flour'.
Following the robbery, the government offered a £50 reward for the culprit's apprehension, and Macpherson left Queensland for New South Wales, with the aim of joining up with a bushranging gang, that included Ben Hall, Frank Gardiner, John Gilbert and John Dunn. Macpherson is said to have committed highway robberies on his way to find the gang, and to have combined his father's given and mother's maiden name to create the alias John Bruce. Other aliases included Mar, Kerr, Scotia and Scotchie.
On 17 August 1864, Macpherson was almost apprehended by Sir Frederick Pottinger, a New South Wales Police officer, who had earlier pursued Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner, with mixed success. Pottinger later told Police in Brisbane that he encountered Macpherson, who was on foot, and they exchanged fire, both receiving arm wounds, before Macpherson escaped.
Based on information received from Pottinger, a police patrol from Forbes, led by Sgt Condell and accompanied by an Aboriginal tracker, captured Macpherson on 28 February 1865 on the Billabong Creek northwest of Forbes. He was described as 'about five feet nine inches in height, has light hair, blue eyes, florid compaction, and altogether not a forbidding sort of a look about him' with a mark on his arm where Pottinger had wounded him. Macpherson was taken to Forbes, and then Sydney, where he was to face trial for shooting at Pottinger, but before the trial could begin Pottinger fatally shot himself, either accidentally, or as an act of suicide, and, in April 1865, the charge was withdrawn.
Macpherson was still wanted over the Willis public house robbery and was to be returned aboard a coastal steamer, but managed to escape from the custody of the police constable who was escorting him. He began to rob the mail coaches around Maryborough, Gayndah and Gladstone.
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James Alpin McPherson
James Alpin Macpherson (1842–23 August 1895) sometimes spelled "MacPherson" or "McPherson," and otherwise known as The Wild Scotchman, was a Scottish–born Australian bushranger active in Queensland and New South Wales in the 1860s. He was operational throughout the greater Wide Bay area and was eventually apprehended by members of the public outside the town of Gin Gin, Queensland.
The eldest of eight children, Macpherson was born in Inverness-shire, Scotland, in 1842, to John, a farmer, and Elspeth, his wife. When Macpherson was twelve, his family migrated to Australia aboard the William Miles. After arriving at Moreton Bay on 19 January 1855, John Macpherson found work as a farm labourer, while James began school at Ipswich, where he displayed a skill for languages, becoming fluent in French and German.
After finishing his schooling, Macpherson first started work at a stoneyard on the corner of Wharf and Queen streets in Ipswich, owned by a Mr. Petrie, before finding work on a cattle station. On the station he began 'tailing' cattle (keeping them near the head station at mustering time) and bought a revolver to practice shooting with in his spare time.
On 4 March 1864, Macpherson was part of a group of three who 'stuck up' the public house of Richard Willis at Houghton River, wounding Willis, and stealing 'three cabbage tree hats, two pairs of riding pants, one pair of boots, one gun, one crimean shirt, one bottle of whisky, and fourteen pounds of flour'.
Following the robbery, the government offered a £50 reward for the culprit's apprehension, and Macpherson left Queensland for New South Wales, with the aim of joining up with a bushranging gang, that included Ben Hall, Frank Gardiner, John Gilbert and John Dunn. Macpherson is said to have committed highway robberies on his way to find the gang, and to have combined his father's given and mother's maiden name to create the alias John Bruce. Other aliases included Mar, Kerr, Scotia and Scotchie.
On 17 August 1864, Macpherson was almost apprehended by Sir Frederick Pottinger, a New South Wales Police officer, who had earlier pursued Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner, with mixed success. Pottinger later told Police in Brisbane that he encountered Macpherson, who was on foot, and they exchanged fire, both receiving arm wounds, before Macpherson escaped.
Based on information received from Pottinger, a police patrol from Forbes, led by Sgt Condell and accompanied by an Aboriginal tracker, captured Macpherson on 28 February 1865 on the Billabong Creek northwest of Forbes. He was described as 'about five feet nine inches in height, has light hair, blue eyes, florid compaction, and altogether not a forbidding sort of a look about him' with a mark on his arm where Pottinger had wounded him. Macpherson was taken to Forbes, and then Sydney, where he was to face trial for shooting at Pottinger, but before the trial could begin Pottinger fatally shot himself, either accidentally, or as an act of suicide, and, in April 1865, the charge was withdrawn.
Macpherson was still wanted over the Willis public house robbery and was to be returned aboard a coastal steamer, but managed to escape from the custody of the police constable who was escorting him. He began to rob the mail coaches around Maryborough, Gayndah and Gladstone.
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