An ABC interview and an incredible new discovery in the story of James McPherson

I’ve shared bushranger James McPherson “The Wild Scotchman’s” story though my blog before, as it is a colourful story about a young, bold and charismatic bushranger who roved around Central Queensland in the 1860’s. Read Part 1 and Part 2 here to catch up on James’ full story. In commemorating 160 years since his capture, I talked with ABC Radio recently, exploring what we know about James McPherson’s experiences in the St Helena Penal Establishment. In the interview, I shared new research from The St Helena Island Community that revealed an astounding truth that has never been realised before – that James McPherson’s son was also incarcerated at St Helena Penal Establishment.

If you prefer to listen to the radio story, just scroll through the link below to 1 hour 10 minutes. Here you will hear Belinda Daly from The St Helena Island Community and Ranger Daley Donnelly sharing their knowledge of James McPherson’s times in St Helena Penal Establishment:
 https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/widebay-breakfast/breakfast/105626896?utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared

ABC Radio and Belinda Daly, The St Helena Island Community

The ABC Radio interview is an interesting one, exploring the fascination we still have for Queensland’s early bushrangers. ‘The Wild Scotchman’s’ escapades have captured the imaginations of Queenslanders from the 1860’s until today, and may even explain that fact that James McPherson was released despite only serving 8 years of a 50 year (25 years concurrent) sentence. It seems that an 1870 petition, begun by James’ parents and promoted fervently by Reverend Wilson also had great support amongst a wide range of politicians, businessmen and others of high standing in the community. Mr W. Brown, Visiting Justice stated: “During the time on the island, his conduct with one exception has been remarkably good when in jail. I believe the prisoner to be thoroughly reformed…”  

Yet this is not the truth, as evidenced by James’ 7 misdemeanours in 13 months on St Helena Island, including an attempted escape on the 10^th of April 1870, only 7 weeks after his arrival on the island on the 22^nd February 1870.  Following this, he complained about the lack of vegetables, assaulted a fellow prisoner, was pulled up for fighting, made frivolous complaints, made noise in his cell, refused to work and disobeyed orders. All of this earnt him punishments ranging from stopping indulgences to a month in solitary confinement. This is not good behaviour – he seems to be protesting, getting attention, or just fighting against the system and its punitive and restrictive regulations. Certainly there is every possibility he is feeling helpless and hopeless due to his situation, as revealed by his first poem, entitled ‘St Helena,’ where he writes:

“How wretched are they who are shut up in prison;

lying unhappy in the dark night and reflecting on the past life?

This is life; alas, unhappy me!

What the future has in store, I do not know.

But this time to me is an eternity.

I would rather be tortured than live such a life for twenty years.”

By James McPherson

But there’s more to the story than even I realised, as The St Helena Island Community database has unearthed a bombshell that was totally unexpected. New information shows that there were actually two James McPherson’s incarcerated at St Helena P.E, and it is a shock to realise that the second one is James McPherson’s son, James Ossian McPherson. The second James McPherson was a 23 year old man who was accused of horse stealing and sentenced to 3 years imprisonment in 1906. I’ve compared the data and I’m convinced this man is James McPherson’s eldest son, meaning that father and son both found themselves amongst the beachrock walls of St Helena Penal Establishment.

James Ossian McPherson was born at Hughenden, Queensland on the 10^th May 1882, the second child of James McPherson and Elizabeth Ann Horzfeldt’s seven children.  It is his very unusual second name ‘Ossian’ that is of the most interest here. You see, James McPherson Senior had been a poet for most of his life, writing poetry in prison, as well as published pieces for newspapers on his release. His poetry shows great skill in his use of vocabulary and the construction and flow of the verse, as well as revealing his knowledge of poetry and verse throughout history. Enjoy a few lines from his poem about mosquitoes, written in his prison cell:

Like as the troops of Xerxes came, to waste the Grecian land.

Like as the Spanish Armada, to fight on British strand.

I raised my flag aloft again and cried aloud the while;

What could the Spartan heroes do in such a Thermophile.

Now Frenzy joined our revel dire, my flag went round my head,

My couch was strewn with broken wings, with dying and with dead.

By James McPherson

James McPherson Senior knew a great deal about Ossianic poems, which are a collection of epic poems and ballads that derive from ancient Gaelic oral tradition. These poems were first published by (yet another) James Macpherson in the 18th century, who claimed to have translated them from ancient Scottish Gaelic manuscripts. So, the play on the name of James McPherson and the connection to Ossian poetry led ‘The Wild Scotchman’ to name his first-born son James Ossian McPherson.

Unfortunately for the McPherson family, James Snr died on the 23^rd July 1895 after falling from a horse at Burketown, when James Junior was only 13 years old. This would have placed a large burden on the eldest son, striving to keep his family going by working on properties around Queensland and breaking in and selling horses. Only 11 years after the death of his father, at aged 24, James Ossian McPherson, using the alias John Pearson, was arrested for stealing a bay mare. It appears that he sold this mare in Brisbane for a price lower than James hoped to receive. The mare was then shipped with others to Gatton and sold on to a local policeman, before going missing. James was accused of the theft and found himself in court. Here, he brought no witnesses to support him in the trial and plead Guilty to the charge.

Name: James Ossian McPherson alias John Pearson

Crime: Horse Stealing

Tried: by Chief Justice Cooper at Supreme Court Brisbane

Sentence date: 20^th August 1906

Sentence: 3 years HL

Date of Admission at St Helena P.E.: 13^th September 1906

Due Date of Discharge from St Helena P.E.: 19^th February 1909

Once he was within St Helena Penal Establishment, James seemed to mimic some of the behaviour of his father.  

Sources:

Births, Deaths and Marriages, Queensland

Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Friday 24 March 1911, page 6

Colonial Secretary’s Correspondence, from QSA.

General Record and Description of Male Prisoners Admitted-HM Penal Establishment 1900- 1907, Qld State Archives

Poems World – The Enigmatic Beauty of Ossianic Poems – Poems World 

Prisoners’ deposition book 1867 to 1886– HM Penal Establishment, St Helena. Queensland State Archives, Item ID ITM92271

Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld. : 1861 – 1908), Saturday 4 August 1906, page 5

Sabato, Edna MacPherson website: www.sabatech.net/Scotchman/Ws-jnr.htm

St Helena Penal Establishment, prisoner, male. Record of all prisoners admitted to the Hulk Proserpine 10May1863-10May1867. QSA DR56513

St Helena P.E. Register of the descriptions of prisoners admitted 1867-1886, Qld State Archives

Trethewey, Moreen. The Mosquito poem’s original manuscript typed and made available for publication in the ‘Bulletin’ by Mrs Moreen Trethewey.