James Hopkins

1825 Hobart October 29th, Town Gazette entry: RUNAWAY NOTICE. Police Office, Hobart Town, October 29 1825 The undermentioned Persons, in addition to those advertised in last week's Gazette, having absented themselves from their usual Places of Residence, all Constables and Others are hereby required to use their utmost Exertions to apprehend and lodge them in safe Custody. A. W. H. HUMPHREY Superintendent of Police, 368. James Hopkins, 5 feet 3½ inches, brown hair, grey eyes, 20 years of age, a stocking weaver, tried at Gloucester, April 1821, sentence life, arrived by the Claudine, bom at Chasedale, Gloucester, a scar on the right cheek, absconded from Port Dalrymple, March 7, 1825.--£2 Reward.

James Hopkins (c.1805- ), a stocking weaver, was found guilty on 4 April 1821 at the Gloucester Assizes, Gloucestershire, of a robbery. Sentenced to life transportation he arrived at Hobart, Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania), aboard the Claudine in December 1821. He was described in 1827 as being 5 feet 3½ inches (161 cms) tall, and had brown hair, grey eyes, and a scar on his right cheek. For absconding from the Launceston Prisoner Barracks he was sentenced to 50 lashes on 22 January 1825. In December 1825 Hopkins escaped from the Launceston Watch House with Thomas Jefferies, John Perry and Edward Russell. The men formed a gang, with Jefferies as their leader. After stealing a musket and some supplies from Joseph Railton's dwelling at Spring Plains in the Evandale area Hopkins parted company with the other two men. Hopkins was captured in January 1826, the first of the gang to be caught; Jefferies and Perry were captured the next month. Hopkins was sentenced to death along with Jefferies and Perry but had the sentence commuted to life transportation on 12 May 1826. He was probably the James Hopkins who was sent to Norfolk Island in February 1827. He absconded from the island on 29 May 1833. His convict record simply states 'Dead'.

Fri 27 Jan 1826 Page 3 Launceston News, Summary of the Letters of our Correspondents. "I shall now conclude the history of the monster Jeffries. A few days ago, the wretch, with one companion, came up to a bark-hut, where a party that was in pursuit of him, consisting of two soldiers, a stockman, and three volunteers (two of them currency lads) were resting themselves. Jeffries fired into the hut, and wounded a soldier slightly. Soon after one of the soldiers came upon Hopkins (an accomplice of Jeffries) and found him asleep and without arms; he surrendered and was brought in. "Yesterday morning a party of twelve men were resting in a hut, when a man was ob- served by a black aboriginal native boy, at a short distance, behind a gum-tree. The alarm was given, and he was instantly surrounded; it proved to be Jeffries. He beg- ged for quarter, threw down his arms (a musket and pistol), and was taken prisoner. He was seized by a prisoner for life, named William Parsons, who will of course receive the promised rewards. He was brought into town about 7 o'clock last night. It is quite impossible for me to express in adequate terms, or to do common justice to the feelings that were shewn by all descriptions of people, on the approach of the monster to the town. No one, I believe, ever, witnessed such a scene. It clearly shewed that Jeffries stands alone, unequalled, unparalleled, among the human race. Men, women, and children, free and prisoners, joined in their personal execrations against this monster. The town was literally glutted of its inhabitants; there must have been upwards of 500 persons crowding round the cart that brought this inhuman wretch to the gaol. Their shouting reached the remotest parts of the town. It was with the greatest difficulty imaginable the people were prevented from tearing him to pieces. Prisoners of all descriptions joined in the execrations expressed by others. "I should tell you, that when Hopkins was escorted through the streets on Saturday, Mrs. Feutril, the grandmother of the murdered infant, mistook a constable that was with him for Jeffries, and rushing from her house in a paroxysm of rage, stabbed him with a fork, but fortunately for her he was only slightly wounded.

PIRATICAL SEIZURE OF A GOVERNMENT BOAT, BY CONVICTS, AT NORFOLK ISLAND We have gathered the, following particulars of the seizure of a Government Boat at Norfolk Island, by a band of desperate characters, under Colonial sentence to that Settlement. On the 29th May last, the Government Colonial Vessels Isabella and Governor Phillip were lying to off the Island, discharging their cargoes, when, about 3 o'clock, P.M., a boat returning laden from the latter vessel, was met by the launch belonging to the Settlement, going off empty, with the exception of a cask of water, for the use of the schooner Isabella. Previous to their meeting, the prisoners in the launch, to the number of eight, had forcibly taken her from the Coxswain, and three or four free men, who had charge of her. On coming in contact with the laden boat, the prisoners in possession of the launch, took on board the crew of the former, and also a quantity of maize, which they stowed away; they then commenced cutting up the canvas bags in which it had been shipped, to make sails for the launch; they then transferred the Coxswain and his men from the launch to the other boat, disclaiming the intention of doing personal injury to any one, and then left them to carry the news of their exploit to the island. There being a perfect calm at the time, the fugitives, sixteen in number, double banked their oars, and pulled away to the eastward, in sight of the two Government vessels, who had not the means to prevent them. The following is a correct list of the runaways, but it must be observed, in justice to two of the number, viz, William Woods and John Bailey, that they were pressed against their will; the former whose term of banishment to Norfolk Island, has nearly expired, being a sail maker, and his services therefore, considered indispensable, and the latter from his known usefulness as an experienced seaman. We have also been informed that China, who was within 3 weeks of being free, was pressed against his will:- John Thompson, William Woods, Thomas Hughes, James Banks, John Hiatt, Daniel Byrne, William China, John Lomas, John Gambler, James Dingle, Robert Hanslin, William Green, James Hopkins, John Bailey, George Haycraft, James Ward. Three cheers were given by the runaways when they became masters of the boat. … (The Australian 19 Jul 1833, p. 2.)