Jimmy Governor
| Jimmy Governor | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1875 |
| Died | 1901 |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Penalty | Death |
| Status | Executed |
Jimmy Governor (1875 – 18 January 1901) was one of the Governor brothers, two Indigenous Australian men who committed a series of murders in the Central West region of New South Wales around the turn of the twentieth century.
Governor had held various jobs, including that of an Aboriginal tracker, and he was continually discriminated against. He married a white woman, who had to endure criticism from other people for having married an Aboriginal man.
In April 1900, Governor was employed by John Mawbey, fencing the Mawbey's property at Breelong, near Gilgandra. After a dispute with his employer, Jimmy and his friend Jacky Underwood (aka Charlie Brown) murdered most of the members of the Mawbey family, including the children, on the night of 20 July. A surviving witness, a little boy, raised the alarm, resulting in a large manhunt. Jacky Underwood was quickly caught, but Jimmy teamed up with his brother Joe, and the two fled Breelong, committing a further four murders as they moved east towards the coast.
Jimmy Governor was shot in the mouth on 13 October, and was subsequently captured on 27 October 1900, several months after the massacre. Joe Governor was shot dead four days later "outside of Singleton". Convicted of murder, Jimmy was hanged the following year.
The police cell in which Jimmy Governor was detained can be seen in Wingham. This cell is on display at the Manning Valley Historical Society Museum opposite Central Park and The Log in the centre of Wingham.
The life of Jimmy Governor was the basis for Thomas Keneally's novel The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith.
[edit] Victims
- Sarah Mawbey, wife of John Mawbey (Breelong, 20 July)
- Helen Kerz, schoolteacher (Breelong, 20 July)
- Grace Mawbey, 16-year-old daughter of John and Sarah (Breelong, 20 July)
- Percival Mawbey, 14-year-old son of John and Sarah (Breelong, 20 July)
- Hilda Mawbey, 11-year-old daughter of John and Sarah (Breelong, 20 July)
- Alexander McKay, property-owner (near Ulan, 23 July)
- Elizabeth O'Brien (near Merriwa, 24 July)
- "Poggie" O'Brien, baby son of Elizabeth O'Brien (near Merriwa, 24 July)
- Keiran Fitzpatrick, property-owner (near Wollar, 26 July)
[edit] References
- Australian Dictionary of Biography Online, Jimmy Governor
[edit] External links
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- Australian outlaws
- Indigenous Australian people
- Indigenous Australian bushrangers
- Bushrangers
- Australian mass murderers
- Executed mass murderers
- People executed by hanging
- 1875 births
- 1901 deaths
- Executed Australian people
- People executed by New South Wales
- Australian people convicted of murder
- People convicted of murder by New South Wales
- 20th-century executions
- Australian people stubs
