Jimmy Governor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1875 |
| Died | 18 January 1901 (aged 25–26) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Occupation | Fencing contractor |
| Criminal status | Outlaw |
| Spouse | Ethel Page |
| Children | Sidney Golding Louis, Thelma Violet[1] |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
Jimmy Governor (c. 1875 – 18 January 1901) was an Indigenous Australian who was proclaimed an outlaw after committing a series of murders in 1900. His actions initiated a cycle of violence in which nine people were killed (either by Governor or his accomplices). Governor and his brother Joe were on the run from police for fourteen weeks before Jimmy was captured and Joe was killed by authorities.
In July 1900, Governor and his accomplice Jack Underwood murdered four members of the Mawbey family and a schoolteacher at Breelong in what was then the Colony of New South Wales. Underwood was captured soon afterwards, but the Governor brothers took to the bush. During the period they were at large, ranging over a large area of north-central New South Wales, the brothers committed further murders and multiple robberies. A manhunt involving hundreds of police and volunteers was initiated, with the Governors occasionally taunting their pursuers and deriding the police.
In October 1900, Governor was wounded and, a fortnight later, captured near Wingham. Four days after his brother's capture, Joe was shot and killed north of Singleton. Governor was tried for murder and hanged at Darlinghurst Gaol in January 1901.[2]
Governor's life and crimes formed the basis for Thomas Keneally's 1972 novel The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, which explored themes of Aboriginal dispossession and racism. Fred Schepisi's 1978 movie of the same name was an adaptation of Keneally's novel.
- ^ Moore & Williams, page 152.
- ^ G. P. Walsh. "Jimmy Governor (1875–1901)". Governor, Jimmy (1875-1901). National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help)