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“The Day the Gentleman Bushranger got himself killed”
CAPTAIN THUNDERBOLT’S FOLLY- The Day the Gentleman Bushranger Got Himself Killed.
How can it be that Frederick Ward, a master horseman and a good judge of horses, could find himself on a horse run down by a single mounted policeman and shot dead? It was indeed Captain Thunderbolt’s Folly! This book examines the many unusual happenings on that fateful day, 25 May, 1870. What started out as a typical day of plundering for the man known as Captain Thunderbolt, became very complicated, leading to an unexpected finale at Kentucky Creek a few miles from Uralla. Added to the intrigue was the little-known fact that Thunderbolt was suffering from terminal tuberculosis, though probably didn’t know it. After ranging about central and north western N.S.W. for almost seven years, robbing all and sundry of their valuables, it seems Thunderbolt, perhaps unconsciously arrogant, tightened the odds of getting captured by the police. It was always too easy! He would have thought that, as usual, he could always escape capture, so long as he was mounted on a superior thoroughbred. On that fateful day, 25th May 1870, he found himself trialling a “suspect horse” when the police arrived. Not only that, but he was also quite inebriated! He had spent two hours imbibing at Blanch’s Inn. This was where he made several critical wrong decisions. This was recklessness not exhibited in his earlier career. Put in the words of a man who knew Thunderbolt, Edward Hynes concluded, “He also declared that "Thunderbolt" would never have been caught but for the fact that he had been drinking, and when chased by the police took the wrong horse.” We investigate what happened during the chase by Constable Walker, the young policeman, the confrontation when Thunderbolt was shot dead and the aftermath, including the Magisterial Inquiry and the behaviour of individuals involved in this epic event. |
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After retiring from a technical sales career in the chemical and allied industry, John Donohoe realised that there were other things in life he wanted to do. With a burgeoning interest in Bushranger History, John researched and published two books on Ben Hall, arguably Australia’s greatest bushranger. His first book, “Ben Hall’s Treasure” was released in 2014, followed by his second book, “Ben Hall’s Last Days” in 2016. After several years of studying bushranger history, John was mesmerised by the legendary life of Frederick Ward, known as Captain Thunderbolt. After two years researching Thunderbolt, including many visits to the New England region, where the man known as “The Gentleman Bushranger “roamed, John produced his latest work: “Captain Thunderbolt’s Folly”. John lives in Epping, Sydney when he is not on a field trip or on a cruise ship as a “special interest” lecturer. He is a current director of The Epping Club. |
