- bushranger
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—bushranging, n./boosh"rayn'jeuhr/, n.1. a person who lives in the bush or woods.2. Australian.a. a person who lives by robbing travelers and isolated homesteads in the bush.b. a person who drives a hard, and sometimes dishonest, bargain.[1810-20; BUSH1 + RANGER]
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▪ Australian banditany of the bandits of the Australian bush, or outback, who harassed the settlers, miners, and Aborigines of the frontier in the late 18th and 19th centuries and whose exploits figure prominently in Australian history and folklore. Acting individually or in small bands, these variants of the classical bandit or highwayman followed the usual pattern of robbery, rape, and murder. They specialized in robbing, or “bailing up,” stagecoaches, banks, and small settlements. From 1789, when John Caesar (called “Black Caesar”) took to the bush and probably became the first bushranger, until the 1850s, the bushrangers were almost exclusively escaped convicts. From the 1850s until their disappearance after 1880, most bushrangers were free settlers who had run afoul of the law. The last major bushranger—and also the most celebrated—was Ned Kelly (Kelly, Ned) (1855–80).While many bushrangers, such as John Lynch and Daniel “Mad” Morgan, were ruthless killers, the glorification of bushranging in Australian society stems in part from the actual deeds of certain figures: Matthew Brady and Edward “Teddy the Jew-boy” Davis, both transported convicts, were known for their humane treatment of their victims; Davis actually shared his booty with the poor. Both ended their career on the gallows, despite popular protestations for leniency. The cult of the bushranger is the source of such folk songs as “Bold Jack Donahoe” and “Wild Colonial Boy,” as well as the expression “as game as Ned Kelly.”* * *
Universalium. 2010.
