John Bowen

Level 338

Penny-Lyn Beale on 6th August 2020

John Bowen - 7 March 1833 - Hanged at Sydney for burglary and putting in fear at Inverary. ---------------------------------- The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) View title info Thu 14 Feb 1833. Page 2 Supreme John Bowen and Henry Hughes were again put to the bar on an indictment charging them with burglariously entering the dwelling-house of William Barber, at Inverary, in the County of Argyle, on the 11th December, 1832, putting the inmates in bodily fear, and forcibly taking therefrom sundry articles, the property of William Barber; and James Killeen for receiving 1 shirt and 4 brass curtain rings, part and parcel of the property aforesaid, knowing them to have been so stolen. Mr. THERRY appeared as counsel for the prisoner,Killeen. It appeared from the evidence of William Jones, a sawyer, living at Mr. Barber's, that on the night laid in the indictment he was awoke by loud rapping at the door, which was answered by a witness of the name of Hickey; the person on the outside demanding admission, Hickey mistaking the voice as being that of MCAuliffe, a constable in the district, arose and opened the door; the witness was immediately told by the prisoner (Bowen) to arise, with which he complied, thinking be was a constable; prisoner then procured a light by means of a piece of stringy bark; the fire was not quite out; the prisoners were armed; they proceeded to ransack the house; witness still imagined them to be constables having a search warrant, until he saw the features of James Dick, whom he knew, (who was subsequently shot by the Mounted Police), when be discovered himself to be in the hands of bushrangers; they searched every part of the hut, and bundled up whatever they chose to avail themselves of; witness never saw the boy, Henry Hughes, during the transaction; witness asked one of them for his trousers, as he had no other, which he returned to him, and told him they had not taken his jacket, which was in the house; while witness went to look for the jacket they departed; during the time one of the robbers was employed in ransacking the house, the other stood over Jones and Hickey, with his cocked piece, outside the door, ready to fire in case of resistance being offered. This evidence was corroborated by the testimony of the witness Hickey. A corporal of the Mounted Police, to whom information had been given, proceeded in company with one of his men to the residence of the prisoner Killeen; and when at a short distance from his house, he came to the door, and throwing up his hands, exclaimed "Here are the Mounted Police!" The prisoner Bowen and James Dick immediately came out at the door and run up the hill near the house: when a short distance up, the prisoner (Bowen) turned round and discharged his piece at the mounted policeman, which shot off his hat; the corporal, in endeavouring to cut off their passage up the hill, had his horse so badly wounded by a ball from the piece carried by James Dick, as to render him incapable of proceeding; Bowen was, however, captured and lodged in security, as also Killeen, in searching whose house, a shirt, identified by the first witness, and four rings identified by Mrs. Barker, with sundry other suspicious looking property were found. It appeared from the evidence of William Cassidy, a servant in the employ of Killeen, that his master had long lent himself to the lawless pursuits of the many bushrangers that infest that quarter; and made a statement of his master's having been absent in their company during the whole of several nights, returning laden with property which he had no doubt was stolen; the witness Cassidy had pointed out to the police a large hole in the house capable of concealing six men, which was so ingeniously covered as to evade observation. The learned Counsel in his cross examination of the several witnesses, endeavoured to shake their testimony as to the identity of the property laid in the indictment. No part of the evidence affected the prisoner, Henry Hughes, who is not more than 14 years old, as being concerned in this transaction with the exception of his having given up to Mrs. Barker, at the suggestion of the police at Inverary, a silver ring, which she identified as being her property, and part of the articles specified in the indictment. The case for the prosecution being closed, the learned Judge recommended the jury to return a verdict of not guilty against the prisoner Hughes, who had been found guilty on a former indictment, which was sufficient to subject him to exemplary punishment. The jury retired, and after a deliberate consultation returned a verdict of Guilty, against John Bowen, and James Killeen, Henry Hughes, Not Guilty. His Honor delivered an affecting address to the prisoner Bowen, expatiating at some length on the enormity of his offence; aggravated in a high degree by his having encouraged a mere child to become a participator in his delinquences. This circumstance and a long career of crime rendered it imperative on him to endeavour to awake the prisoner to a sense of the awful situation in which he stood, exhorting him to shut out all hope of mercy on this side of the grave, and implore forgiveness from his offended maker. His Honor then, in a most solemn manner, passed on the prisoner the awful sentence of Death, to be carried into execution on such day as may be appointed by his Excellency. His Honor seemed much affected at the depravity of the juvenile delinquent, Hughes, who has proved himself to be a determined offender; having been several times charged with robberies since his transportation to this Colony. He was sentenced to be transported to a penal settlement for seven years. ------------------------------------------------- New South Wales, Australia, Convict Death Register, 1826-1879 Name: John Bowin Date of Death: 12 Mar 1833 District: Sydney Executed -----------------------------------------------

Level 62

Keith South on 19th April 2015

Assigned to John Pike at Hunter River on arrival. Executed 1833.

Level 62

Keith South on 13th April 2015

John was a native of Dublin. 18 and single. Occupation apprentice Carpenter.