Owen Mccormick

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Dianne Jones on 5th January 2023

REFERENCE: Edgar, W. (Bill). (2018). “The precarious voyage of her majesty’s convict ship ‘Nile’ to the Swan River colony, late 1857 – and the unexpected aftermath.” The Great Circle, 40(1), 20–43. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26783779

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Dianne Jones on 5th January 2023

OTHER: WITNESS IN COURT CASE From the Victorian Express (Geraldton), Wed 16 Apr 1884, p3 "POLICE COURT, GERALDTON. THURSDAY, ARPIL 10th, 1884. ... John S. Wood, master of the steam ship Natal, appeared under a warrant, issued at the instance of one Craask, cook of the said vessel, charging him with being about to leave the colony without satisfying a claim for damages amounting to over £5... Owen McCormack, labourer, Geraldton, sworn, said on last Monday, April 7th, I was working on the Natal, and I saw the cook, Craask, being taken along the deck of the steamer by the Captain; Craask had no handcuffs on then; two officers of the ship took him for'ard, but I did not see the Captain there when he was handcuffed; there was a great crowd there, and I did not see who put the handcuffs on him; he was carried to a closet opposite the galley; I think it was the two officers who were carrying him along the deck; they dragged him along the coals; they dragged him before he had the handcuffs on, and carried him afterwards; I did not see who commenced the scuffle with the Captain; Craask was the worse for drink; I saw him again after he was locked up; he broke out of the closet, took the handcuffs off, and threw them overboard; he walked up and down the deck for a considerable time, talking and shouting; I never heard him say anything about sending for the police; I did not see him handcuffed a second time. This witness was not cross-examined..." (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/214094346). --00--

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Dianne Jones on 3rd January 2023

OTHER: From the Victorian Express (Geraldton), Sat 12 Jan 1889, p3: “NORTHAMPTON. (From our own Correspondent. The sports on New Year's Day, particularly the running, turned out a grand success. About 150 Geraldtonians took advantage of the excursion train which ran from Geraldton that day for an outing at Northampton… The Consolation of 150 yards, was won by J. Evans, and Owen McCormick was down for the Old Man's race…” (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/211500407). --0--

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Dianne Jones on 3rd January 2023

IN WA: From his Fremantle jail record: McCORMICK, Owen; inmate #9814, arrived 10 Jan 1868 per Hougoumont Date of Birth: 1836 Date of Death: 10 Feb 1894 Place of Death: Geraldton, hospital Marital Status: Unmarried Occupation: Carter Literacy: Semiliterate Sentence Place: Liverpool Crime: Murder Sentence Period: Life Previous Convictions: Yes Ticket Leave Date: 3 Oct 1877 Comments: Conditional Release 8 Mar 1884 Geraldton. Teamster, general servant, labourer, miner (https://fremantleprison.com.au/). --00—

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Dianne Jones on 3rd January 2023

5 October, 1867: Owen McCormick was sent from Portsmouth to board the Hougoumont for transportation to WA: “The hired convict ship Hougoumont, which has been taken up, by the Government for the conveyance of a numerous party of convicts to Freemantle, Western Australia, left the Nore on October 1, and proceeded down Channel, after receiving on board 150 convicts from the establishments at Chatham and Millbank. The convicts from the Chatham establishment, at St. Mary’s, embarked from the dockyard on board the paddle-wheel steamer Adder, Mr. W. J. Blakely, and were in charge of a numerous party of convict guards and wardens, all heavily armed. Among the convicts shipped were a party of fifteen Fenians, who were engaged in the late conspiracy in Ireland, together with the officers and crew convicted of scuttling the ship Severn [only two were on the Hougoumont – Thomas Berwick and Lionel Holdsworth, each sentenced to 20 years for fraud], and some others who have achieved notoriety from their crimes. The Fenian convicts, like the remainder of the prisoners, were chained together in gangs, but it was observed that they were kept apart from the other convicts in a portion of the vessel by themselves. The steamer Petrel also took down a number of convicts from the establishment at Millbank, for shipment on board the Hougoumont, in charge of a strong escort and convict guard. On Tuesday, October 8th, the Hougoumont arrived in Portland roads. Shortly before midday ninety convicts were marched down to the Government pier at Portland under a strong escort of the 12th Light Infantry. The party included twenty-three Fenian convicts, among whom it was said, was Moriarty. The Government steamer employed in the breakwater service was used for conveying the convicts on board the Hougoumont transport ship. The convicts were chained together on embarking, and on board the steamer a strong guard of marines from her Majesty’s ship St. George was formed, and saw the convicts safely placed on board the Hougoumont. The Governor of the penal settlement at Freemantle, Captain Young, is on board the Hougoumont, and returns in that ship to his sphere of duty after paying a visit to his native land.” (Sydney Morning Herald, 19 Dec 1867, p4, at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28608271). --00—

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Dianne Jones on 3rd January 2023

28 May, 1867: Owen McCormick was sent to Portsmouth Prison, Hampshire – inmate #972. A notation on this record says he was to “have a visit he missed at Millbank. He may have it when clear of reports 3 months, see Director’s Interview Book.” (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for Owen McCormick; Portsmouth Prison, Registers of Prisoners, 1866-1868). Portsmouth, Portland, Chatham and Spike Island in Ireland were listed public works stations and the second stage in the penal process. After separate confinement, prisoners were “placed on work parties at various locations, most commonly naval stations, where maintenance of facilities was vital for the effective protection of Britain’s far flung commercial and military influences around the world. While there, attitude and behaviour were monitored closely. In theory, only after consistently positive reports was a prisoner moved on to the third stage of his incarceration — transportation.” (Edgar, p40) --0--

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Dianne Jones on 3rd January 2023

20 September, 1866: He was sent to Millbank Prison, Pimlico, London; inmate #2419, a carter, 29 years old, Roman Catholic, married, semi-literate; sentenced to death, commuted to penal servitude for life, for murder. Family – wife Mary, 3 Tacklock [Tatlock] Street, Liverpool. Tatlock Street in north Liverpool is two blocks south of St Martins in the Fields Church (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for Owen McCormick; Millbank Prison; Register of Prisoners, 1866-1867). In Millbank, he would have been kept in separate confinement. “After a sentence of transportation was handed down, the prisoner entered into a separate stage where he was placed into an individual cell, isolated from others, apart from brief periods of exercise and attendance at chapel. However, no communication of any kind with other prisoners was permitted at any time. The philosophy behind this penal methodology had its provenances in the religious, monastic traditions; i.e., that in the isolation of his cell the malefactor would be able to contemplate the errors of his way, unadulterated by the negative influences of former contemporaries, and be reformed.” (Edgar, 2018, pp39-40) When first put into practice, the mandated period of separate confinement was 18 months. By the late 1840s, authorities had conceded that such conditions of imprisonment were “injurious to many prisoners’ mental health” and the stint was reduced to 12 months. Periods of separate confinement were reduced further “as a prisoner displayed good behaviour tendencies” (Edgar, p40). Millbank, Pentonville, Wakefield and Mountjoy in Ireland were the “Probation” or “Separate” prisons, as were some local jails. --0—

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Dianne Jones on 3rd January 2023

JAILS: 7 August, 1866: Owen McCormick was admitted to Kirkdale Prison, Dingle Lane, north Liverpool. He was held there for 1 month 13 days in separate confinement. His behaviour was listed as “good” (UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951 for Owen McCormick; Millbank Prison; Register of Prisoners, 1866-1867). --0--

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Dianne Jones on 2nd January 2023

NEWSPAPER report of his trial: MURDER OF AN OLD WOMAN BY HER SON.--At the Liverpool Assizes on Saturday, before Mr Baron Martin, Owen McCormick, a labourer, was tried for murdering his mother on the night of the 19th of June, in a court in Thurlow Street, Liverpool. The details of the case disclosed an amount of brutality on the part of the prisoner rarely equalled. On the night in question, the prisoner came home drunk, and lay on the floor of his room. After he had been in this state a few hours, his mother (a very old woman, who had gone up stairs to be out of his way) came down to him and tried to coax him to get into bed. This so enraged him that he knocked her down, jumped on her head and body, broke a boot over her head, dragged her round the room by the hair, and finally struck her savagely in different parts of the body with a poker. He then left the house, but was soon arrested by the police. The chief evidence was that of a little girl named Hunt, who witnessed the prisoner's attack on his mother, but was so terrified at his threats, that she did not dare to inform her parents, who were in a room upstairs. When the deceased was ultimately discovered by the Hunts, she was covered with blood and scarcely recognisable, and a surgeon was promptly sent for. She only lingered a few hours. The prisoner had no defence, except that he was drunk and unaware of what he had done. When sober he expressed great regret. It was proved that, as a general rule, the prisoner was very kind to the deceased, that he had even beaten his wife for annoying her, and that he gave her 18s. the day before the murder. The prisoner, who wept bitterly during the trial, was sentenced to death, and removed by the turnkeys in a fainting state.” (Friday 17 August 1866, Newcastle Courant, p3) --00--

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Dianne Jones on 2nd January 2023

TRIAL: 7 August, 1866: Owen MacCormack [stet] was tried at the Liverpool Assizes, convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of his mother. Further, his body was “to be buried within the precinct of the [Kirkdale] prison”. He had two previous convictions for felony and one for a misdemeanour (England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892; England; Lancashire; 1866). —00—