The first recorded murder on Queensland’s Darling Downs was solved by a member of parliament. I told a version of this story on radio 4WK.

The facts from almost one hundred and eighty years ago are only known thanks to John “Tinker” Campbell. He was one of Queensland’s first historians, pioneered the Queensland beef trade with Britain, and in 1840 was the first settler on the Darling Downs. But Tinker is forgotten today because while he returned south, the more famous Patrick Leslie remained and grabbed the headlines and credit.

Tinker was also well-acquainted with the explorer Ludwig Leichhardt. Leichhardt tried to cross Australia from east to west but was never seen again. Tinker said Leichhardt was hopelessly untactful with his men, and believes they mutinied in the desert and escaped to Western Australia.

But that’s another story. Today I’ll tell you about the first recorded murder on the Darling Downs by a European on another European.

Early in 1842 an old man named Kelly, his wife and son aged about 21, came to Tinker Campbell’s run at Westbrook (homestead pictured top of the page) outside of Toowoomba. They had been hawking goods and were suspected of selling sly grog. A policeman arrived at the almost time as soon as they did, he couldn’t find any grog but fined them £5 for not having a hawker’s licence.

Further along at Leyburn west of Warwick, the Kellys were joined by two supposed shearers, but in reality they were bushrangers. At daylight the bushrangers shot young Kelly as he lay asleep. Their intention was to kill whole family and take all the horses, drays, and goods. But old Kelly rushed at them with a double-barrelled shotgun. The killers ran off and got away.

The Kellys continued south and a party was sent from northern New South Wales to the scene of the tragedy in hope of capturing the perpetrators.

One of the killers had made off south in the direction of New England and was never more heard of again.

The other, who was an evil-looking, little, dark man with his right eye missing, at first went south but then doubled back to the Darling Downs. The excitement in the district was huge as the man was sighted at various places.

A young man called William Barker was living at Eton Vale near Cambooya south of Toowoomba, and he decided to take up the chase. He left the main roads and followed the bushranger from station to station, until he arrived at Pikedale on the Southern Downs. That’s where the fugitive had bailed up a hut keeper and taken a horse, saddle and bridle, and was able to leave at pace.

The police then had a tip-off and arrived at Gatton down in the Lockyer Valley only after half-an-hour after the bushranger left. In an apparent rush to scape, the man had accidentally shot off the middle finger of his left hand, and so went to see Doctor Goodwin at Rosewood to get it dressed, but again escaped capture.

Meanwhile, Barker had travelled down at Telemon south of Beaudesert where he had an idea that the bushranger might be headed that way. Barker gave a hut keeper a complete description and told him that the government had offered £100 reward, or a free pardon if it was a convict who assisted in the capture.

The hut keeper was a convict and was very excited to get a free pardon. Not long afterwards a little dark man, with his right eye missing and his middle finger shot off, walked into the convict’s hut. He was subsequently arrested, sent to Maitland, tried for the murder, convicted, and sentenced to hang.

The young man William Barker later became The Honorable William Barker as a member of Queensland’s first Legislative Council. He is probably the only member of parliament in history to be responsible for the capture of a bushranger and murderer.

But like many politicians, he made-up inducement of a free pardon for convicts, so I’m not sure what happened to the hut keeper.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A VERSION OF THIS STORY TOLD ON RADIO 4WK.

Photo credits:
Westbrook Station homestead c1877 – State Library of Queensland.
John Tinker Campbell – State Library of Queensland.
Eton Vale Homestead Ruins chimney 1992 – by Heritage branch staff Queensland Heritage Register, Wikimedia Commons.