Adam Oliver

51

Chris Ison on 11th December 2024

8th Sept, 1830 As JOHN COOK, WILLIAM BUTT and JAMES MURPHY were proceeding to their work in the Gaol Gang, they met with and killed their Overseer, ADAM OLIVER, opposite to the present lumber yard gate. COOK was the first who knocked him down with his spade and the others followed beating him till he was dead. It appeared that Oliver was not the object of their spleen, but their original Overseer WILLIAM JACQUEMAN was the man whom they intended to murder being disliked by the whole of the Gang. It happened, however, that the services of JACQUEMAN were this day required elsewhere, and as they had brought their minds to the horrid deed, poor OLIVER fell a prey to their ferocious designs, he being also generally disliked by the men. The murderers immediately gave themselves up to the authorities. (‘History of Norfolk Island from the period of its Discovery in the year 1774', to-1 August 1854, by Aaron Price)

116

Tony Beale on 29th June 2021

The Sydney Monitor (NSW : 1828 - 1838) Wed 12 Jan 1831 Page 2 SUPREME COURT. FRIDAY.—Crown Side.—Before the Chief Justice and the usual Commission. TRIAL FOR MURDER. John Cook, James Murphy, and William Bubb, were jointly indicted for the wilful murder of Adam Oliver, at Norfolk Island, on the 26th October, and John Wilson was indicted as an accessary before the fact. The prisoner Murphy having made an application to the Court to postpone the trial in consequence of his witnesses not having been sent up, Dr. Ross, who was present at the examination at Norfolk Island, was examined, when it turned out he gave in no names on their examination before Colonel Morriset the Commandant on their committal. The Court, therefore, ordered the case to proceed. Murphy, in consequence of the refusal, sat down on the floor of the dock. Edward M'Guiness—I am a prisoner of the crown ; I remember a man being murdered at Norfolk Island ; on Monday evening, the 25th of October, as I was returning home with my gang, I heard a blow struck, and a cry of " murder !" I immediately made the best of my way to the guard and alarmed them ; I cannot say what the blow was struck with ; I saw John Cook strike Adam Oliver with a spade ; I cannot say whether it was with the flat or the sharp part of the spade ; the man was down when I saw him struck ; I saw the body the next morning ; there was a severe injury on the back of the head ; I saw nobody strike or throw any thing at him but John Cook ; I know nothing about a reaping hook ; I know the prisoner Murphy ; I never heard Murphy say, " let us settle the tyrant." (This witness then stated that he was a prisoner for life at Norfolk Island, attached to the gaol-gang, loaded with heavy irons, and was almost starved to death ; that a man named Gascoign, who was overseer of the gang, had threatened witness if he did not implicate Wilson and Murphy in the murder, he would take witness to Court and get him flogged. He therefore stated what the overseer wished, thinking it would be better to come to Sydney than to be flogged. He now wished to state that what he had sworn respecting Wilson and Murphy, at Norfolk Island, was false ; and he hoped God would forgive him ; he wanted no forgiveness from man.) Wm. Herring—I am a prisoner for seven years at Norfolk Island; I know the prisoners ; I knew an overseer named Adam Oliver ; on Monday, the 25th October, I was returning home in the evening at sun-down ; Oliver was talking to a man named Ward ; and it not being usual for overseers to converse with prisoners, I looked round and saw Cook knock him down with the edge of a spade ; he had the spade over his shoulder when he struck him ; he struck him on the back of the head ; prisoner Bubb then struck him twice, once I know, on the head with the edge of the spade, while lie was lying on the ground ; Oliver fell from the blow he received from Cook ; Bubb's blows appeared as hard as he could hit with both hands ; Murphy struck him with the sharp part of a reaping-hook on the head ; Wilson said nothing, nor did I see him do any thing. By a Juror—I was a short distance from the deceased. Isaac Ward—I am a prisoner from Norfolk Island ; on the 25th Oct. as I was coming from work with the rest of the gang, Oliver came and walked along-side of me ; we were talking about Port Macquarie, where he had been with me ; I turned my head to ask him for some tobacco, when I saw Cook draw the spade he had and strike him on the back of the head ; Oliver fell to the ground face downwards ; his head was open, and his brains fell out on the ground ; when Cook was about giving him the second blow, Bubb ran up and struck him between the shoulders with his spade; he had scarcely struck the blow when Murphy stepped from behind Bubb and struck Oliver several blows on the head and neck with a reaping-hook ; the blows were hard, considering the light instrument he had in his hand ; I did not see any part of it enter his body ; Gascoign, an overseer, told a man named Bailey, who was standing between him and Cook and Murphy, to stand out of the way, that he might throw a stone at him ; Cook stopped the stone with a spade ; I should not know it again. By the Court—I saw Oliver the next morning ; he was dead ; I helped to put him in the coffin. Cross-examined by Murphy—I saw you standing with a reaping-hook ; I saw the marks of a reaping-hook on Oliver's head and neck. By the Court—On the morning Oliver was killed I saw two reaping-hooks taken out with the gang ; when Cook struck the blow Bubb was behind him a couple of paces. Moses Jones—I am a prisoner from Norfolk Island ; I know the prisoners ; know nothing about the death of Oliver ; in picking up a spade against the gaol-door among the rest of the tools, it was covered with blood ; I can not say who had it to work with ; I put it aside and marked it ; (spade produced ;) this is the spade ; the gaol-gang never threw their tools towards the gaol-door before that evening. By the Court—Reaping hooks are sometimes used to cut down high flags where the men are at work. Henry Gascoign—On the 25th of October I was an overseer at Norfolk Island ; the man who was murdered was an overseer with me ; whilst walking home with the gang I was alongside Oliver ; he said " look what a disturbance there is in the gang, I must go and keep them in their ranks ;" I told him to be cautious, as I had heard they intended to murder both overseers ; he said he must go ; and he walked into the middle of the gang ; I was surprised at it ; I heard a cry ; and looking along the gang saw Oliver on the ground, and Bubb striking him with a spade ; he held the spade with both hands, and struck two blows as hard as he possibly could ; having moved my position, I saw Murphy striking him with a reap-hook, and draw it across his neck as if he had a knife ; I went up to strike Murphy with my stick, when he attempted to strike me, and finding he could not overtake me, he threw the reaping hook at me. On the 21st I heard some mischief was intended which made me cautious ; I heard Murphy say to deceased, "you b------, I've settled you now." Cross-examined by Murphy—I was about three or four rod from you ; you had the reap hook all day. Dr. Ross—In October last I was at Norfolk Island, surgeon of the establishment ; I attended an inquisition respecting the death of Adam Oliver ; there was a wound on the back of the head from ear to ear, about two inches wide, and the small parts of the bone were driven into the interior of the head ; there were several small wounds on the lateral part of the head, and one on the top; the larger wound embraced the whole of the occipetal bone, and would cause instant death ; there was a small wound between the shoulders, merely grazed ; the small wounds taken separately might have caused death ; they were done with a sharp instrument. Cross-examined by Murphy—I cannot say whether the small wounds were done with a reaping-hook or a spade. This was the case for the prosecution. The prisoners said nothing in their defence. Bubb declared Murphy to be innocent of the charge. The learned Judge summed up, directing the Jury to acquit Wilson, as there was no evidence against him ; and then to ask themselves whether the remaining prisoners were guilty or not guilty of the charge laid in the indictment ? The Jury found Cook, Bubb, and Murphy Guilty, who were sentenced to be executed on Monday, and their bodies delivered over for dissection. Wilson was then discharged by proclomation.

221

D Wong on 23rd August 2018

2/4/1822 Morning Post London, England: ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE Jeremiah Jackson, alias Adam Oliver, was indicted for stealing, at the Parish of St. George the Martyr, on the 2d of December last, a horse, the property of John Snepp. The case was clearly made out against the Prisoner upon direct evidence of his offering to sell the horse at an under price, and his own confession of the robbery after apprehension. He was found Guilty__Death. 11/3/1824 Sydney Gazette: Absconders - Adam Oliver, Eliza (2), 24, Kent, 5 feet 8 and a quarter inches, brown hair, hazel eyes, ruddy complexion. Servant to Mr. Rankin, Bathurst. Colonial Secretary Papers: OLIVER, Adam. Per "Eliza", 1822 1824 Apr: Runaway. On return of settlers men punished in the County of Westmoreland (Reel 6023; 4/6671 p.115) 1824 Apr 27: On lists of prisoners transported to Port Macquarie per "Sally" (Reel 6019; 4/3864 pp.126, 474-5) 6/10/1826: Was operating as a bush ranger. Sent to Norfolk Island. 17/10/1829: Adam Oliver was a constable but a prisoner of the Crown on Norfolk Island. 1830: Adam Oliver – was described as a ‘cruel, vindictive overseer’ – The gang who attacked him in October 1830 intended to murder their usual overseer, William Jacquemend, but he was elsewhere and the widely disliked Oliver instead fell victim. Indeed, as he set about Oliver with a reaping hook, James Murphy was heard to exclaim: ‘you bugger. I’ve settled you now’. 20/11/1830: Convict Death Register - Age: 31; District/Parish: Norfolk Island. Murdered.