1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:08,040 - November 17, 1879. 2 00:00:08,040 --> 00:00:12,360 Outside a town called Wantabadgery, New South Wales, 3 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:14,400 one of the most violent gunfights 4 00:00:14,398 --> 00:00:17,598 during the bushranging era unfolds. 5 00:00:17,602 --> 00:00:20,152 (guns firing) 6 00:00:20,150 --> 00:00:23,640 Captain Moonlite and his gang are locked in battle 7 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,500 against 10 heavily armed police. 8 00:00:26,498 --> 00:00:29,168 (ominous music) 9 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,630 When it's over, two of the gang are dead, 10 00:00:33,626 --> 00:00:38,626 and Police Constable Edward Webb-Bowen is mortally wounded. 11 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:41,750 It will be six days before he dies. 12 00:00:43,274 --> 00:00:46,404 Moonlite was hanged for the policeman's murder, 13 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:48,580 claiming innocence to the end. 14 00:00:48,583 --> 00:00:51,083 (eerie music) 15 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:54,020 But questions remain. 16 00:00:55,624 --> 00:00:58,354 Did Captain Moonlite fire the fatal shot 17 00:00:58,350 --> 00:01:00,780 that killed Constable Webb-Bowen? 18 00:01:00,780 --> 00:01:03,070 And if he didn't, who did? 19 00:01:03,071 --> 00:01:05,251 (gun fires) 20 00:01:05,250 --> 00:01:08,000 (dramatic music) 21 00:01:11,900 --> 00:01:16,170 Our nation's history is etched with bushranger tales. 22 00:01:16,170 --> 00:01:18,090 Stories of rebels and outlaws 23 00:01:18,085 --> 00:01:21,105 and those who fought against them. 24 00:01:21,114 --> 00:01:25,424 I'm a descendant of bushrangers, and I really want to know 25 00:01:25,418 --> 00:01:30,188 just how true these epic tales really are. 26 00:01:30,190 --> 00:01:33,540 So come with me, and a team of experts 27 00:01:33,540 --> 00:01:36,740 as we unearth the truth behind 28 00:01:36,740 --> 00:01:40,890 Australia's most infamous lawless legends. 29 00:01:42,500 --> 00:01:45,170 (ominous music) 30 00:01:48,856 --> 00:01:51,216 ♪ You say I am a murderer ♪ 31 00:01:51,220 --> 00:01:53,860 ♪ Yet kill me in my sleep ♪ 32 00:01:53,860 --> 00:01:56,440 ♪ 'Twas you who loosed the dogs of war ♪ 33 00:01:56,442 --> 00:01:59,562 ♪ Setting flame akeep ♪ 34 00:01:59,558 --> 00:02:02,358 ♪ Hide behind that policeman's badge ♪ 35 00:02:02,362 --> 00:02:06,262 ♪ And grip your judge's hand ♪ 36 00:02:06,260 --> 00:02:09,080 ♪ I'll hunt you down and cut you up ♪ 37 00:02:09,082 --> 00:02:13,252 ♪ We'll see whose judgment stands ♪ 38 00:02:31,687 --> 00:02:35,827 - Captain Moonlite's real name was Andrew George Scott, 39 00:02:35,830 --> 00:02:38,770 and he was a complex and fascinating character. 40 00:02:38,770 --> 00:02:41,590 Certainly not your typical outlaw. 41 00:02:41,590 --> 00:02:46,270 Well educated, well dressed, a lay preacher, 42 00:02:46,270 --> 00:02:49,860 charismatic, and with high ranking friends. 43 00:02:49,860 --> 00:02:54,210 On the other hand, he was a conman, a liar, 44 00:02:54,210 --> 00:02:55,810 reckless, and vain. 45 00:02:55,810 --> 00:02:59,060 Some say he was even insane. 46 00:02:59,060 --> 00:03:02,100 But whatever demons drove Scott, 47 00:03:02,100 --> 00:03:04,080 it was along this very road 48 00:03:04,082 --> 00:03:07,222 that the gentleman bushranger, Scott, 49 00:03:07,223 --> 00:03:12,023 became Captain Moonlite, the notorious bushranger. 50 00:03:14,124 --> 00:03:17,804 1879 is the same time Ned Kelly and his gang 51 00:03:17,804 --> 00:03:20,094 are on the loose in Victoria. 52 00:03:20,090 --> 00:03:22,650 Their murderous exploits spreading fear 53 00:03:22,650 --> 00:03:24,020 throughout the colonies. 54 00:03:25,610 --> 00:03:30,020 Police are demanding government action and police protection 55 00:03:30,020 --> 00:03:33,850 from the so-called dangerous bushranger menace. 56 00:03:37,522 --> 00:03:40,452 But Moonlite and his motley crew of five 57 00:03:40,450 --> 00:03:43,160 are far from your classy bushrangers. 58 00:03:44,210 --> 00:03:45,900 James Nesbitt and Thomas Rogan 59 00:03:45,897 --> 00:03:48,437 are small time street hustlers, 60 00:03:48,444 --> 00:03:51,774 Thomas Williams has no criminal record, 61 00:03:51,770 --> 00:03:55,290 Graham Bennet is a piano playing drifter, 62 00:03:55,287 --> 00:03:59,537 and Gus Wreneckie is a 15 year old runaway. 63 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,470 They've walked 500 kilometers from Melbourne. 64 00:04:04,470 --> 00:04:08,990 Broke and starving, a violent gunfight with police 65 00:04:08,988 --> 00:04:11,468 is the last thing on their minds. 66 00:04:16,445 --> 00:04:19,105 Wantabadgery is a small farming community 67 00:04:19,110 --> 00:04:21,240 in southern New South Wales, 68 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:24,590 just over halfway between Melbourne and Sydney. 69 00:04:25,850 --> 00:04:29,910 Almost 140 years ago, the Moonlite Gang's 70 00:04:29,910 --> 00:04:32,140 bloody shootout with police 71 00:04:32,140 --> 00:04:35,930 took place in an unmarked corner of this paddock. 72 00:04:36,962 --> 00:04:40,602 (dramatic music) (guns firing) 73 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,190 The story goes that around 150 shots 74 00:04:44,190 --> 00:04:46,310 were exchanged in the chaos. 75 00:04:47,530 --> 00:04:51,520 Of the gang members, only Thomas Rogan stayed out of it, 76 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:53,440 hiding under a bed. 77 00:04:53,442 --> 00:04:58,442 (guns firing) (dramatic music) 78 00:05:03,910 --> 00:05:06,280 By the end, the youngest bushranger 79 00:05:06,280 --> 00:05:08,660 Gus Wreneckie is bleeding to death. 80 00:05:12,210 --> 00:05:16,200 Moonlite's closest friend, James Nesbitt is dead 81 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:17,690 from a bullet in his head. 82 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:23,600 And Constable Webb-Bowen is fighting for his life. 83 00:05:23,602 --> 00:05:26,192 (somber music) 84 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,310 Now, the Lawless team has arrived to investigate 85 00:05:33,314 --> 00:05:37,634 whether Moonlite really was guilty of Webb-Bowen's murder. 86 00:05:39,460 --> 00:05:40,760 They set up their headquarters 87 00:05:40,764 --> 00:05:43,234 in the local Wantabadgery Hall. 88 00:05:45,070 --> 00:05:48,340 Archeologist Adam Ford has unearthed mysteries 89 00:05:48,343 --> 00:05:50,803 all round the world. 90 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,710 Professor Roger Byard is one of the country's 91 00:05:53,710 --> 00:05:56,330 leading forensic pathologists. 92 00:05:56,330 --> 00:05:59,140 And historian Dr. Kiera Lindsey 93 00:05:59,140 --> 00:06:02,360 is a scholar of Australian colonial history. 94 00:06:03,430 --> 00:06:07,500 All here to examine the evidence and plan their strategy. 95 00:06:07,500 --> 00:06:09,700 Okay for you guys, what have we got? 96 00:06:09,700 --> 00:06:11,840 - Well I've got these absolutely fantastic 97 00:06:11,840 --> 00:06:14,670 newspaper accounts, and I've also got prison records, 98 00:06:14,670 --> 00:06:17,460 court records, some mugshots. 99 00:06:17,460 --> 00:06:20,620 It's just a great pile of things to discover. 100 00:06:20,617 --> 00:06:22,117 - And Roger? 101 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:23,950 - Well the big question for me really is you know, 102 00:06:23,950 --> 00:06:26,320 who shot Constable Webb-Bowen? 103 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:29,090 And we do have court transcripts and autopsy reports, 104 00:06:29,090 --> 00:06:31,390 and so they describe the fatal bullet, 105 00:06:31,390 --> 00:06:33,160 and I think that's a very good start. 106 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:36,280 - For me, the by far the most important 107 00:06:36,280 --> 00:06:39,740 crucial piece of evidence is missing, 108 00:06:39,740 --> 00:06:40,890 which is the sketch plan 109 00:06:40,890 --> 00:06:43,360 that was done by the surveyors for the court case 110 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:47,240 that identified accurately the location of the buildings 111 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:50,270 and the location of the bushrangers and the police 112 00:06:50,270 --> 00:06:53,150 and how they moved during the gun battle. 113 00:06:53,150 --> 00:06:55,760 People have been looking for it for years, can't find it. 114 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:57,600 It's in the wind, it's gone. 115 00:06:58,440 --> 00:06:59,650 And all we have are some 116 00:06:59,650 --> 00:07:01,660 artists' impressions of the shootout. 117 00:07:03,299 --> 00:07:06,289 - So for each of you, what are the key questions here, Adam? 118 00:07:06,290 --> 00:07:09,020 - The first one is did Captain Moonlite 119 00:07:09,020 --> 00:07:13,040 fire the fatal shot that killed Edward Webb-Bowen? 120 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:16,240 - And if he didn't shoot the constable, who did? 121 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:17,680 - Well I've got two questions. 122 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:20,710 So the first is did Moonlite get a fair trial? 123 00:07:20,710 --> 00:07:22,450 There's a lot of conjecture that he didn't, 124 00:07:22,450 --> 00:07:25,090 and if not, why didn't he get a fair trial? 125 00:07:25,090 --> 00:07:27,640 And the second question is, who is Moonlite? 126 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,500 He's educated, he's charming, he's witty, 127 00:07:30,500 --> 00:07:32,970 he's well-connected, he's a gentleman. 128 00:07:32,970 --> 00:07:36,570 So how does his life end up in this bloody mess? 129 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:41,270 - After the Wantabadgery shootout, 130 00:07:41,270 --> 00:07:45,070 Moonlite becomes known as a bloodthirsty killer. 131 00:07:45,070 --> 00:07:49,200 His extended family in Australia flees to New Zealand 132 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:51,400 to avoid the publicity and shame. 133 00:07:53,610 --> 00:07:57,620 87 year old Biddy Orr has only recently discovered 134 00:07:57,615 --> 00:08:01,075 that her great grandfather was Moonlite's cousin. 135 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:02,960 So, she's come from New Zealand 136 00:08:02,956 --> 00:08:05,486 to be close to the investigation. 137 00:08:05,490 --> 00:08:08,100 How did your relatives react 138 00:08:08,095 --> 00:08:10,605 when they realized that they were 139 00:08:10,610 --> 00:08:12,490 related to Captain Moonlite? 140 00:08:14,060 --> 00:08:17,120 - I think they were a little bit astounded. 141 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:18,500 They would have felt it was 142 00:08:18,500 --> 00:08:22,750 a terrible slur on the family. 143 00:08:22,750 --> 00:08:24,690 You know, a skeleton in the family cupboard, 144 00:08:24,690 --> 00:08:27,750 and I don't think people wanted to 145 00:08:27,750 --> 00:08:30,120 talk about skeletons in the cupboard. 146 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:34,210 - So Biddy, once you learned you're related to 147 00:08:34,210 --> 00:08:36,830 someone so infamous, how did you feel about that? 148 00:08:36,830 --> 00:08:38,920 - Well I guess quite protective. 149 00:08:38,916 --> 00:08:41,816 I guess blood is thicker than water. 150 00:08:41,816 --> 00:08:45,406 I just wonder that he had two sides to him. 151 00:08:45,410 --> 00:08:50,410 The chivalrous side, and a nasty, mischievous side 152 00:08:52,940 --> 00:08:56,690 rather like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 153 00:08:56,690 --> 00:08:58,690 It's really hard to get to the truth, 154 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,600 so he still is an enigma. 155 00:09:04,490 --> 00:09:06,470 - Andrew George Scott. 156 00:09:06,470 --> 00:09:08,980 So he starts off here as a well-dressed, 157 00:09:08,980 --> 00:09:13,260 well-groomed gentleman full of pride and colonial ambition. 158 00:09:13,260 --> 00:09:15,780 A civil engineer with military training, 159 00:09:15,780 --> 00:09:18,610 and an impressive gift of the gab. 160 00:09:20,010 --> 00:09:22,450 But there's a turning point in his life. 161 00:09:22,450 --> 00:09:24,780 In his early twenties, his ruin begins 162 00:09:24,780 --> 00:09:27,340 when he's linked with a bank robbery. 163 00:09:27,340 --> 00:09:29,890 The culprit, apparently disguised, 164 00:09:29,890 --> 00:09:33,100 leaves a note signed Captain Moonlite. 165 00:09:33,100 --> 00:09:34,960 Now no one is convicted, 166 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,600 but a lot of suspicion falls on Scott. 167 00:09:37,595 --> 00:09:40,925 He embarks upon a career as a conman, 168 00:09:40,930 --> 00:09:43,530 and is soon imprisoned for fraud. 169 00:09:43,530 --> 00:09:46,820 After his release, the police discover that Moonlite 170 00:09:46,820 --> 00:09:49,290 has sold gold from the bank robbery, 171 00:09:49,290 --> 00:09:51,060 and he's arrested again. 172 00:09:51,060 --> 00:09:53,710 He's sent to Victoria's notorious 173 00:09:53,710 --> 00:09:56,940 Pentridge Prison for seven years. 174 00:09:56,940 --> 00:09:59,640 It is a transformative experience. 175 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:01,310 He forms a lifelong friendship 176 00:10:01,310 --> 00:10:04,210 with a fellow inmate, James Nesbitt, 177 00:10:04,210 --> 00:10:05,430 and when they are released 178 00:10:05,430 --> 00:10:08,300 he embarks upon yet another career. 179 00:10:08,300 --> 00:10:12,200 This time, as a public speaker, Captain Moonlite, 180 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:14,740 lecturing on prison reform. 181 00:10:14,740 --> 00:10:17,630 These lectures infuriate the authorities, 182 00:10:17,630 --> 00:10:20,400 and they pressure venues to cancel his performances 183 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:22,810 and shut him down. 184 00:10:22,810 --> 00:10:26,500 Both the police and the press begin to accuse Moonlite 185 00:10:26,500 --> 00:10:30,560 of any crime that is happening in Victoria. 186 00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:34,730 It's preposterous, but it's also harassment. 187 00:10:34,730 --> 00:10:39,420 Scott is now penniless and embittered, a social pariah, 188 00:10:39,420 --> 00:10:42,050 and he begins to dream of a new beginning 189 00:10:42,050 --> 00:10:44,590 across the border in New South Wales. 190 00:10:46,790 --> 00:10:49,730 - Moonlite and his followers are not alone on the road. 191 00:10:49,730 --> 00:10:52,760 The gold rushes are over, and chronic unemployment 192 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:55,270 in the cities sees thousands of men 193 00:10:55,270 --> 00:10:58,180 leave Victoria looking for work. 194 00:10:58,180 --> 00:11:00,070 But Moonlite has heard that 195 00:11:00,070 --> 00:11:02,570 the owner of Wantabadgery Station 196 00:11:02,570 --> 00:11:05,040 looks kindly on itinerant workers. 197 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:10,690 Exhausted, cold, and starving, 198 00:11:10,690 --> 00:11:14,380 they arrive here at Wantabadgery Station. 199 00:11:14,380 --> 00:11:16,750 They're expecting a bit of relief 200 00:11:16,750 --> 00:11:18,780 after such an arduous journey. 201 00:11:19,710 --> 00:11:21,800 But that's the last thing they get. 202 00:11:21,801 --> 00:11:24,631 (thunder rumbles) 203 00:11:26,270 --> 00:11:28,760 Wantabadgery Station has changed hands, 204 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:31,590 and the new manager has a different attitude 205 00:11:31,590 --> 00:11:33,080 to penniless drifters. 206 00:11:33,082 --> 00:11:34,562 (door creaks) 207 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:37,540 Moonlite and his men are not welcome. 208 00:11:37,540 --> 00:11:42,540 (thunder rumbles) (rain patters) 209 00:11:43,590 --> 00:11:48,410 Moonlite is humiliated, and the decisions he makes here 210 00:11:48,410 --> 00:11:50,100 will end in disaster. 211 00:11:52,075 --> 00:11:54,385 (thunder rumbles) 212 00:11:54,389 --> 00:11:56,969 (somber music) 213 00:11:58,650 --> 00:12:00,650 I've come to Sydney to meet two people 214 00:12:00,650 --> 00:12:03,010 who have their own special connections 215 00:12:03,006 --> 00:12:04,866 to the Moonlite story. 216 00:12:07,430 --> 00:12:08,730 Narelle. - Hello Mike. 217 00:12:08,730 --> 00:12:09,790 - I'm Mike Munro, how are you? - Nice to meet you. 218 00:12:09,786 --> 00:12:10,806 - Nice to meet you. 219 00:12:10,807 --> 00:12:14,277 Narelle Muldoon is the great great niece 220 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:16,080 of Constable Edward Webb-Bowen. 221 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:17,420 - Sit down. - Thank you. 222 00:12:17,417 --> 00:12:20,807 And New South Wales police inspector Stephen Radford 223 00:12:20,810 --> 00:12:25,420 has led a police project to honor Webb-Bowen's memory. 224 00:12:25,420 --> 00:12:26,700 Narelle, your great great aunt Marion 225 00:12:26,700 --> 00:12:28,600 was Constable Webb-Bowen's widow. 226 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:30,430 What are your impressions of him? 227 00:12:30,431 --> 00:12:32,021 - That he was a very good man, 228 00:12:32,020 --> 00:12:36,110 and a very upstanding man and a good man in the community 229 00:12:36,110 --> 00:12:38,240 and a good husband, and she adored him 230 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,140 and it was just a tragic event that he died. 231 00:12:41,140 --> 00:12:43,670 It led her life down a different path 232 00:12:43,670 --> 00:12:45,010 that wouldn't have occurred before. 233 00:12:45,010 --> 00:12:46,660 - [Mike] It was a tragic life she had afterwards. 234 00:12:46,660 --> 00:12:48,370 - That's right, very tragic. 235 00:12:48,370 --> 00:12:49,370 - I mean she was left penniless, 236 00:12:49,370 --> 00:12:52,640 mother of a three year old, single mum. 237 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:53,910 Turned to alcoholism, didn't she? 238 00:12:53,910 --> 00:12:56,140 - That's right, yes. 239 00:12:56,140 --> 00:12:58,640 - Stephen, what is your personal take on him? 240 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:00,690 - In our local area, every pub you go into 241 00:13:00,690 --> 00:13:02,450 there's pictures of the bushrangers, 242 00:13:02,450 --> 00:13:04,290 whereas the police like Bowen that were killed, 243 00:13:04,290 --> 00:13:05,620 there's very little to remember them 244 00:13:05,620 --> 00:13:07,370 other than an unknown sort of grave site 245 00:13:07,368 --> 00:13:09,718 known only to local historians. 246 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:12,610 So that was the thing that popular culture 247 00:13:12,610 --> 00:13:15,770 of seeing the bushrangers as chivalrous, caring, 248 00:13:15,770 --> 00:13:17,450 robbing from the rich, giving to the poor. 249 00:13:17,447 --> 00:13:19,547 The reality is they were cop killers, 250 00:13:19,550 --> 00:13:22,530 and they were then and they should be seen as that now. 251 00:13:22,530 --> 00:13:25,130 - I think for me it was important to remember 252 00:13:25,130 --> 00:13:27,670 that there's not just victims of the police officers, 253 00:13:27,672 --> 00:13:29,462 but the families that are left behind 254 00:13:29,460 --> 00:13:31,670 when these tragedies occur. 255 00:13:31,672 --> 00:13:34,262 (somber music) 256 00:13:40,780 --> 00:13:42,330 - [Mike] Finding out exactly how 257 00:13:42,330 --> 00:13:44,520 Constable Webb-Bowen was killed 258 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,560 is the challenge facing the Lawless team. 259 00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:49,510 Adam begins the first ever 260 00:13:49,512 --> 00:13:53,792 full scientific investigation of the shootout site 261 00:13:53,790 --> 00:13:56,610 using a terrestrial laser scanner. 262 00:13:57,930 --> 00:13:58,890 - The reason we're using 263 00:13:58,890 --> 00:14:00,670 this cutting edge scanning technology 264 00:14:00,670 --> 00:14:03,940 is that it'll show us the location of the buildings, 265 00:14:03,940 --> 00:14:07,300 and will help us to identify the movements 266 00:14:07,300 --> 00:14:09,250 of the people during the gun battle, 267 00:14:09,251 --> 00:14:12,701 and hopefully we'll be able to determine who was able, 268 00:14:12,700 --> 00:14:15,960 or who wasn't able, to shoot Edward Webb-Bowen. 269 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:19,330 So that unit on top of the tripod there 270 00:14:19,331 --> 00:14:23,961 does a rotation of 360 degrees in about 10 or 15 minutes. 271 00:14:25,830 --> 00:14:28,550 And during that time, it scans millions of points 272 00:14:28,550 --> 00:14:30,470 across the surface of the ground. 273 00:14:30,470 --> 00:14:32,750 And Jeremy will take that data later, 274 00:14:32,750 --> 00:14:35,840 and create a very accurate 3D model of our site. 275 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:40,800 - Can we use cutting edge science 276 00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:45,750 to recreate the shootout, and determine once and for all 277 00:14:45,750 --> 00:14:47,730 if Captain Moonlite is guilty 278 00:14:47,730 --> 00:14:50,550 of the murder that sent him to the gallows? 279 00:14:51,811 --> 00:14:54,391 (gentle music) 280 00:15:00,110 --> 00:15:03,930 This unmarked corner of country New South Wales 281 00:15:03,930 --> 00:15:06,710 is where bushranger Captain Moonlite and his gang 282 00:15:06,710 --> 00:15:10,980 made their last stand against a squad of policemen. 283 00:15:10,980 --> 00:15:13,320 And Constable Edward Webb-Bowen 284 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,990 was fatally shot right here, 285 00:15:15,992 --> 00:15:18,692 and Moonlite went to the gallows for it 286 00:15:18,690 --> 00:15:20,430 and right up to his death, 287 00:15:20,430 --> 00:15:23,710 Moonlite always maintained his innocence. 288 00:15:23,710 --> 00:15:26,910 And now, almost 140 years later, 289 00:15:26,910 --> 00:15:29,190 can the Lawless team, first of all 290 00:15:29,190 --> 00:15:31,780 reconstruct the crime scene, 291 00:15:31,780 --> 00:15:35,470 and then discover what really happened here? 292 00:15:35,470 --> 00:15:40,470 (somber music) (guns firing) 293 00:15:44,390 --> 00:15:45,860 Hey Adam, how's it going? 294 00:15:45,860 --> 00:15:47,010 - [Adam] Yeah it's going really well. 295 00:15:47,010 --> 00:15:48,090 This is always a great bit 296 00:15:48,090 --> 00:15:50,400 when we're first starting off again. 297 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:53,030 - [Mike] Adam's physical inspection of the shootout site 298 00:15:53,028 --> 00:15:56,458 has led him to target areas where his team 299 00:15:56,460 --> 00:15:57,820 can begin digging. 300 00:15:57,820 --> 00:15:59,040 - [Adam] Just looking at these. 301 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:02,300 - [Mike] And this dramatic newspaper sketch of the event 302 00:16:02,300 --> 00:16:04,380 is proving important. 303 00:16:04,380 --> 00:16:06,200 - We've got these hills in the background, 304 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:07,600 which are really really good 305 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,420 because they match the hills behind us here. 306 00:16:11,420 --> 00:16:14,680 So I think we're in the right part of the landscape. 307 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:17,810 But it also shows these crucial features 308 00:16:17,810 --> 00:16:18,890 which are the two buildings 309 00:16:18,890 --> 00:16:21,750 that are always referred to in the testimony. 310 00:16:21,750 --> 00:16:25,040 So you've got the kitchen and McGelede's homestead. 311 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:26,500 - Because the kitchen's important, isn't it? 312 00:16:26,500 --> 00:16:28,630 - It is, it's kind of crucial to the whole thing actually. 313 00:16:28,630 --> 00:16:31,600 We know that Moonlite was moving in and out of the kitchen, 314 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:34,930 and also three other members of his group were there. 315 00:16:34,930 --> 00:16:36,800 Then we've got Bennet, Williams, 316 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:38,650 and Nesbitt who were in there. 317 00:16:38,650 --> 00:16:41,930 Pinpoint that location, we can then infer from this evidence 318 00:16:41,928 --> 00:16:44,028 the location of the homestead. 319 00:16:44,030 --> 00:16:46,370 Find the homestead, we've got Rogan under the bed 320 00:16:46,371 --> 00:16:49,261 and then we can also make measurements out 321 00:16:49,260 --> 00:16:52,210 to where Webb-Bowen was fatally shot. 322 00:16:52,210 --> 00:16:53,180 - The policeman. 323 00:16:53,180 --> 00:16:55,970 - So this chimney here, the kitchen, 324 00:16:55,970 --> 00:16:59,410 I'm hoping is what the guys are digging now. 325 00:16:59,410 --> 00:17:00,890 So I think we're on the money there, 326 00:17:00,888 --> 00:17:02,748 and we've got Bob and John over there. 327 00:17:02,750 --> 00:17:04,470 They're working on the metal detector, 328 00:17:04,470 --> 00:17:05,860 because it's a battle site 329 00:17:05,860 --> 00:17:08,540 and 150 odd rounds were fired. 330 00:17:08,540 --> 00:17:10,590 So we're gonna be looking for projectiles 331 00:17:10,590 --> 00:17:12,100 and for the cartridges, 332 00:17:12,100 --> 00:17:15,020 so we've got the best chance that anyone has ever had 333 00:17:15,020 --> 00:17:18,030 of solving this mystery and mapping the site. 334 00:17:18,030 --> 00:17:19,630 - So far so good. - Yeah. 335 00:17:27,340 --> 00:17:30,140 - [Mike] The court documents from Moonlite's trial 336 00:17:30,140 --> 00:17:32,950 reveal insights into the actual guns 337 00:17:32,950 --> 00:17:35,140 fired during the shootout. 338 00:17:35,140 --> 00:17:39,460 Police witnesses swear he was firing a Snider rifle. 339 00:17:39,460 --> 00:17:42,740 - At the inquest, Dr. McKillop said that 340 00:17:42,740 --> 00:17:45,690 the bullet that he got out of Constable Webb-Bowen's neck 341 00:17:45,690 --> 00:17:47,120 was actually from a Snider. 342 00:17:48,060 --> 00:17:50,720 - So that would support what the police had said. 343 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:52,420 - That's right, and Moonlite was known 344 00:17:52,420 --> 00:17:54,300 to be pointing his rifle after Webb-Bowen, 345 00:17:54,300 --> 00:17:55,630 so it fitted perfectly, 346 00:17:55,630 --> 00:17:58,690 but two weeks later, Dr. McKillop then said 347 00:17:58,690 --> 00:18:01,100 actually I've had a chance to look at the slug 348 00:18:01,103 --> 00:18:04,673 and it's not a Snider, it's a Colt. 349 00:18:04,671 --> 00:18:05,561 - Really, okay. 350 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:07,820 - And he thought it was a small Colt. 351 00:18:07,820 --> 00:18:11,590 And also there was an opinion from a gunmaker, Peter Burns, 352 00:18:11,590 --> 00:18:13,690 who said that basically he thought 353 00:18:13,690 --> 00:18:16,310 that it came from a small Colt. 354 00:18:16,310 --> 00:18:18,900 - Is there any other supporting witness account 355 00:18:18,900 --> 00:18:21,930 or other bit of evidence to support this gun? 356 00:18:21,930 --> 00:18:23,400 - Well, there's one witness 357 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:26,510 who was actually shown to be quite reliable in this respect. 358 00:18:26,510 --> 00:18:28,590 It was Moonlite himself. 359 00:18:28,591 --> 00:18:30,171 - Oh. 360 00:18:30,170 --> 00:18:34,410 - Moonlite always maintained he saw who did the shot, 361 00:18:34,410 --> 00:18:36,370 and he said that it came from a small Colt, 362 00:18:36,370 --> 00:18:40,070 and he said that before the doctor 363 00:18:40,070 --> 00:18:41,650 had actually examined the projectile 364 00:18:41,650 --> 00:18:43,560 and said actually it is a small Colt. 365 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:45,770 - So he knew who fired the shot. 366 00:18:45,770 --> 00:18:46,600 - Indeed. 367 00:18:47,570 --> 00:18:48,870 - Why didn't he say, why did he 368 00:18:48,866 --> 00:18:51,726 go to the gallows without letting on? 369 00:18:51,730 --> 00:18:53,470 - I'm not an informer. 370 00:18:53,470 --> 00:18:55,920 He was being loyal to his men. 371 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:58,370 - This is really interesting. - It is, isn't it? 372 00:18:59,290 --> 00:19:02,840 (suspenseful music) 373 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:05,840 - [Mike] So did Moonlite really see who fired the shot 374 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:07,490 that killed the policeman? 375 00:19:07,490 --> 00:19:11,850 And can the team find any evidence to support his story? 376 00:19:13,344 --> 00:19:14,764 - What have you got there? 377 00:19:14,764 --> 00:19:16,344 - It's pretty soft, soft ground isn't it? 378 00:19:16,340 --> 00:19:18,760 Ooh, ah what's that? 379 00:19:20,301 --> 00:19:23,051 Mmm. - Look at that. 380 00:19:23,050 --> 00:19:24,080 - Hey Adam! 381 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:25,480 Come and have a look at this, mate. 382 00:19:27,386 --> 00:19:28,236 - What do we got? 383 00:19:29,190 --> 00:19:30,280 Oh, hello. 384 00:19:31,340 --> 00:19:32,490 - [Man] That's good eh? 385 00:19:33,781 --> 00:19:34,801 - That is fantastic, guys. 386 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:36,130 'Cause you know what that is? - No. 387 00:19:36,130 --> 00:19:38,000 - That is a Martini-Henry cartridge. 388 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:38,830 - [Man] You're joking. 389 00:19:38,833 --> 00:19:41,503 - [Adam] See the foil how it's all folded over there? 390 00:19:41,503 --> 00:19:43,543 That's perfect for the period of this crime. 391 00:19:43,540 --> 00:19:44,820 - [Man] And it's in the right spot. 392 00:19:44,820 --> 00:19:45,650 - [Adam] Mike? 393 00:19:46,559 --> 00:19:48,809 - [Mike] What have you got? 394 00:19:50,623 --> 00:19:51,463 - That. 395 00:19:52,318 --> 00:19:53,148 - It's a shotty. 396 00:19:53,151 --> 00:19:54,321 - No, it's not a shotty. 397 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:55,570 - Isn't it, what is it? 398 00:19:55,570 --> 00:19:58,080 - It's a Martini-Henry cartridge. 399 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:01,960 Martini-Henry rifles were the government rifles of the day, 400 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:04,360 and I'm almost definitely sure 401 00:20:04,360 --> 00:20:07,530 that that came from one of the police rifles. 402 00:20:07,530 --> 00:20:09,940 That's unequivocal, I reckon, 403 00:20:09,940 --> 00:20:12,160 evidence we're on the right spot. 404 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:13,360 - It's a wonderful find. 405 00:20:14,591 --> 00:20:19,591 (guns firing) (somber music) 406 00:20:19,620 --> 00:20:23,010 As pieces begin to fall into place at the site, 407 00:20:23,010 --> 00:20:26,760 Roger's analysis of Constable Webb-Bowen's autopsy 408 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:30,040 has brought him closer to identifying the killer. 409 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:33,000 - We know that he was shot in the left side of the neck, 410 00:20:33,001 --> 00:20:34,751 so it came through the soft tissues, 411 00:20:34,750 --> 00:20:37,120 it hit the vertebrae there, 412 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:40,089 but then it kept going and it finished up in the muscles 413 00:20:40,090 --> 00:20:41,190 on the right side of his neck. 414 00:20:41,190 --> 00:20:43,300 So it only went quite a short distance. 415 00:20:43,300 --> 00:20:44,740 - So not a very large bullet. 416 00:20:44,740 --> 00:20:47,140 - It's not a large bullet, it's not a high powered weapon, 417 00:20:47,140 --> 00:20:48,730 and he didn't die immediately. 418 00:20:48,730 --> 00:20:50,730 He took six days to die, probably of infection. 419 00:20:50,730 --> 00:20:52,280 So he had this suppurating wound, 420 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:54,790 so it wasn't a very nice way to die. 421 00:20:54,790 --> 00:20:56,200 We don't actually have the bullet, 422 00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:59,270 but we do have a very good description by Dr. McKillop 423 00:20:59,270 --> 00:21:01,470 who said that it was a conical shaped bullet, 424 00:21:01,470 --> 00:21:03,380 and it weighed about 74 grains. 425 00:21:03,380 --> 00:21:08,190 So effectively it's about that size. 426 00:21:08,190 --> 00:21:09,380 - That's tiny, isn't it? 427 00:21:09,381 --> 00:21:11,731 - [Roger] Yeah, yeah it's not a big bullet. 428 00:21:11,730 --> 00:21:13,890 - [Mike] So what's the next step, Roger? 429 00:21:13,890 --> 00:21:15,610 - Well Mike, if we can find the gun that fired that, 430 00:21:15,613 --> 00:21:18,003 we'll be able to find the murder weapon. 431 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:19,520 - [Mike] And who shot it. 432 00:21:19,524 --> 00:21:23,014 (dramatic music) 433 00:21:23,010 --> 00:21:25,350 We're only two days into the dig, 434 00:21:25,350 --> 00:21:28,360 and the archeology team has already uncovered 435 00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:30,480 an extraordinary treasure trove 436 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:32,580 of new evidence from the gunfight. 437 00:21:32,580 --> 00:21:34,490 - Well look at what we've found, Mike. 438 00:21:34,490 --> 00:21:35,560 This is the battle. 439 00:21:35,561 --> 00:21:37,621 What we're looking for. 440 00:21:37,620 --> 00:21:38,450 - These are all bullets. 441 00:21:38,453 --> 00:21:39,373 - Bullets and cartridges. 442 00:21:39,370 --> 00:21:41,700 So up here are four fragments 443 00:21:41,700 --> 00:21:43,970 of Martini-Henry rifle cartridges. 444 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,350 And they're perfect, because they all date to that era. 445 00:21:47,350 --> 00:21:49,800 - So the police would have been shooting these. 446 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:50,630 - That's right. 447 00:21:50,633 --> 00:21:51,863 Now we've got a mixture of other 448 00:21:51,860 --> 00:21:54,960 deformed pieces of lead, or squashed lead. 449 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:56,280 Some of them are heavier than others, 450 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,090 so some of them like this 451 00:21:58,090 --> 00:22:03,090 could have come from say a .36 Colt revolver. 452 00:22:03,570 --> 00:22:05,680 So the police had .36 Colts, 453 00:22:05,678 --> 00:22:08,418 and then the smaller pieces again. 454 00:22:08,420 --> 00:22:12,400 And these could have come from a .31 Colt, 455 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:15,240 which we know that the bushrangers also had. 456 00:22:15,241 --> 00:22:17,661 So we have the evidence of the battle. 457 00:22:17,660 --> 00:22:18,610 That's fantastic. 458 00:22:18,610 --> 00:22:20,090 That's so important. 459 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:25,500 - [Mike] But Adam needs to find the all important buildings 460 00:22:25,500 --> 00:22:27,160 that were on the site. 461 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:31,600 The missing pieces to the whole reconstruction of the event. 462 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:33,390 - What we need to do is we need to establish 463 00:22:33,390 --> 00:22:34,450 whether it was the kitchen, 464 00:22:34,454 --> 00:22:37,884 and kind of what size it is, or what orientation it was. 465 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:40,150 So what we have is a fireplace, 466 00:22:40,150 --> 00:22:41,570 but it's not just an ordinary one. 467 00:22:41,570 --> 00:22:43,780 This is where people were cooking. 468 00:22:43,780 --> 00:22:46,660 You've got this iron that would have been 469 00:22:46,660 --> 00:22:48,260 suspended over the hearth. 470 00:22:48,260 --> 00:22:49,090 - For the cooking pot. 471 00:22:49,093 --> 00:22:50,193 - For the cooking pot. 472 00:22:50,190 --> 00:22:51,080 This is the front wall. 473 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:52,040 This is the wall that would have been 474 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:53,680 facing the police as they approached, 475 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,210 so this is definitely 476 00:22:56,220 --> 00:22:57,130 the kitchen. 477 00:22:59,410 --> 00:23:01,260 Mike, come and have a look at this. 478 00:23:01,260 --> 00:23:04,870 Now this doesn't really look very inspiring, this trench. 479 00:23:04,870 --> 00:23:06,950 Not as much as that one over there, 480 00:23:06,953 --> 00:23:08,823 but it is really important. 481 00:23:08,820 --> 00:23:11,590 If you look at this feature that runs along here, 482 00:23:11,593 --> 00:23:12,753 there's a discoloration in the soil 483 00:23:12,750 --> 00:23:15,500 and there's nails and there's bits of burnt charcoal. 484 00:23:15,496 --> 00:23:20,096 Well these are the foundation remains of the floor joists 485 00:23:20,100 --> 00:23:22,620 that would have held the floorboards of the homesteads. 486 00:23:22,620 --> 00:23:25,450 So if you follow me through the back of the building, 487 00:23:25,454 --> 00:23:29,074 into the breezeway that runs between the two structures, 488 00:23:29,074 --> 00:23:31,964 we can look at their relationship to each other. 489 00:23:33,260 --> 00:23:37,750 So we have the archeological remains of the kitchen, 490 00:23:37,750 --> 00:23:39,090 and here in front of us we have 491 00:23:39,090 --> 00:23:40,700 the archeological remains of the homestead, 492 00:23:40,697 --> 00:23:43,277 and we've kind of taped it out as best we can. 493 00:23:43,280 --> 00:23:45,380 So that means we've got the ground plan now 494 00:23:45,380 --> 00:23:48,250 that we can map the whole battle site. 495 00:23:48,254 --> 00:23:49,904 - Which will allow us to work out 496 00:23:49,897 --> 00:23:52,257 who was standing where, 497 00:23:52,260 --> 00:23:54,530 and more importantly, who shot who. 498 00:23:54,530 --> 00:23:56,040 - Well those are the pivotal questions, 499 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:58,130 and we could answer those now. 500 00:23:58,130 --> 00:24:00,730 (birds squawking) 501 00:24:00,730 --> 00:24:03,770 - [Mike] But there's still a missing piece of the puzzle. 502 00:24:03,770 --> 00:24:06,490 The gun, which was the murder weapon. 503 00:24:06,490 --> 00:24:09,420 With some help from the Victoria police forensic team, 504 00:24:09,420 --> 00:24:12,640 Roger is closing in on linking the bullet, 505 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:14,610 which killed Constable Webb-Bowen, 506 00:24:14,610 --> 00:24:16,300 to a gun at the scene. 507 00:24:16,300 --> 00:24:18,940 - We have two revolvers here, both Colts. 508 00:24:18,940 --> 00:24:23,410 And the one above is the .36 caliber. 509 00:24:23,410 --> 00:24:27,390 And it fires a bullet weighing 141 grains, 510 00:24:27,391 --> 00:24:31,251 and it's of the type issued to the New South Wales Police. 511 00:24:31,250 --> 00:24:33,670 - Okay, so that's double what we're looking for. 512 00:24:33,670 --> 00:24:36,080 - The bullet taken from Webb-Bowen's body 513 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:38,670 weighed only 74 grains. 514 00:24:38,671 --> 00:24:39,501 And this one? 515 00:24:39,504 --> 00:24:42,204 - And this one is a .31 caliber, 516 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:46,220 and that fires a smaller 79 grain bullet. 517 00:24:46,220 --> 00:24:47,640 - [Mike] And used by who? 518 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:50,040 - That would have been used by the bushrangers. 519 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:51,140 - Now this is more like it. 520 00:24:51,140 --> 00:24:52,270 I mean it's 79 grains. 521 00:24:52,270 --> 00:24:54,400 We're looking at 74, but you gotta remember 522 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:55,890 that the bullet that the doctor 523 00:24:55,890 --> 00:24:58,620 took out of Webb-Bowen's neck had gone through bone. 524 00:24:58,620 --> 00:25:00,790 So it's gonna be a smaller size. 525 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:03,230 That's it. 526 00:25:03,233 --> 00:25:04,943 - So all we've got to do now is work out 527 00:25:04,940 --> 00:25:06,670 just who fired it and killed him. 528 00:25:06,670 --> 00:25:07,780 - [Roger] That's correct. 529 00:25:10,390 --> 00:25:12,460 - The evidence is building. 530 00:25:12,462 --> 00:25:13,302 (gun fires) 531 00:25:13,295 --> 00:25:16,805 Perhaps Moonlite really was telling the truth, 532 00:25:16,810 --> 00:25:20,180 and covering up for one of his young gang members. 533 00:25:20,184 --> 00:25:25,184 If so, which one of them could have fired the fatal shot? 534 00:25:25,763 --> 00:25:28,353 (somber music) 535 00:25:36,874 --> 00:25:39,314 This is what locals call Moonlite Hill. 536 00:25:39,310 --> 00:25:43,350 It was 140 years ago when Captain Moonlite and his men 537 00:25:43,354 --> 00:25:45,444 huddled together here 538 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:48,840 for another miserable night in the rain. 539 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:51,410 And it's believed that it was on this hill 540 00:25:51,410 --> 00:25:53,730 that Moonlite made his fateful decision. 541 00:25:53,730 --> 00:25:57,040 A decision which led to a desperate shootout, 542 00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:00,930 the killing of a policeman, and his eventual hanging. 543 00:26:00,930 --> 00:26:03,920 Our Lawless team has established not only 544 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:06,580 the location of the shootout site, 545 00:26:06,580 --> 00:26:08,590 but scientifically discovered evidence 546 00:26:08,591 --> 00:26:11,821 that suggests it was not Moonlite 547 00:26:11,820 --> 00:26:14,580 who killed the policeman after all. 548 00:26:14,580 --> 00:26:17,370 So if it wasn't Moonlite, who was it? 549 00:26:18,610 --> 00:26:21,130 To find out, we have to start at the beginning. 550 00:26:25,508 --> 00:26:27,388 Wantabadgery Homestead today 551 00:26:27,390 --> 00:26:30,800 is still a working sheep and cattle station, 552 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,660 just as it was when Captain Moonlite arrived that night 553 00:26:34,660 --> 00:26:36,510 looking for work and shelter. 554 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:39,180 - It would have represented 555 00:26:39,180 --> 00:26:41,860 to Moonlite his respectable past. 556 00:26:42,900 --> 00:26:44,270 It's exactly the sort of place 557 00:26:44,270 --> 00:26:45,700 that he would have been welcomed into 558 00:26:45,700 --> 00:26:48,630 when he was a young lay preacher. 559 00:26:48,628 --> 00:26:51,378 (birds chirping) 560 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,300 Now there he is, he's been knocked back 561 00:26:55,300 --> 00:26:56,780 by the station manager. 562 00:26:56,780 --> 00:26:59,500 He's had to take his motley crew of followers 563 00:26:59,504 --> 00:27:01,704 who have believed in him, 564 00:27:01,700 --> 00:27:03,610 and they've been insulted by this bloke 565 00:27:03,608 --> 00:27:07,558 who's sent them packing with nothing. 566 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:12,030 And in that wild moment, everything changed. 567 00:27:12,031 --> 00:27:17,031 (thunder rumbles) (rain patters) 568 00:27:28,073 --> 00:27:28,913 - He snapped, didn't he? 569 00:27:28,906 --> 00:27:30,086 - I think so, yeah. 570 00:27:30,093 --> 00:27:30,933 - He'd had enough. 571 00:27:30,926 --> 00:27:32,646 - I think that's exactly what happened. 572 00:27:32,650 --> 00:27:36,250 It's this sort of juxtaposition between the hunger, 573 00:27:36,250 --> 00:27:40,620 the cold, the desperation of life as Captain Moonlite, 574 00:27:40,620 --> 00:27:42,610 and then this, the refinements 575 00:27:42,610 --> 00:27:47,250 that as Andrew George Scott he felt absolutely entitled to. 576 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:51,730 - [Mike] The day after being turned away, 577 00:27:51,732 --> 00:27:55,162 Moonlite returned to Wantabadgery Station 578 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:56,860 and held the place up. 579 00:27:56,860 --> 00:27:59,570 He took everyone inside hostage, 580 00:27:59,570 --> 00:28:02,850 and threatened to kill the station manager. 581 00:28:02,850 --> 00:28:05,740 - A man turned up with a beautiful thoroughbred, 582 00:28:05,740 --> 00:28:09,900 and Moonlite liked the look of this beautiful horse, 583 00:28:09,900 --> 00:28:11,360 and he grabbed it by the halter 584 00:28:11,360 --> 00:28:13,300 and the horse was young and skittish, 585 00:28:13,300 --> 00:28:14,960 so it was twisting and turning 586 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,800 and Moonlite shot it, bang, in the head. 587 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,400 There's just so many dimensions to this man, you know? 588 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:21,560 You think you've got him nailed, 589 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:23,070 and something else turns up 590 00:28:23,070 --> 00:28:25,440 and he's so mercurial. 591 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:28,350 One morning he went out and shot two turkeys, 592 00:28:28,350 --> 00:28:31,110 and decides that he's going to have a fine turkey dinner 593 00:28:31,110 --> 00:28:33,540 here in this room. 594 00:28:33,540 --> 00:28:36,500 And he's sitting in here, perhaps in the very seat 595 00:28:36,500 --> 00:28:38,200 that you're in right now, 596 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:41,100 eating a turkey dinner with the station owner, 597 00:28:41,100 --> 00:28:44,930 regaling him with his wisdoms and intelligence. 598 00:28:44,932 --> 00:28:46,932 Now what happens next? 599 00:28:46,930 --> 00:28:48,750 You feel like Moonlite's lost the plot. 600 00:28:48,750 --> 00:28:50,810 He went down to the Australian Arms Hotel 601 00:28:50,812 --> 00:28:52,722 and took hostages there, 602 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:55,560 including the two children of the publicans, 603 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:57,480 and brought them back. 604 00:28:58,860 --> 00:29:02,640 - [Mike] This farcical siege lasted two full days 605 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:04,180 until news of the missing children 606 00:29:04,175 --> 00:29:06,945 reached police in Wagga Wagga. 607 00:29:06,950 --> 00:29:09,710 Four constables were then sent to investigate. 608 00:29:09,710 --> 00:29:12,690 - And what happens next is a little bit unknown. 609 00:29:12,690 --> 00:29:14,500 There were two different accounts of course. 610 00:29:14,500 --> 00:29:16,710 There's Moonlite's account, which seems to say 611 00:29:16,710 --> 00:29:18,770 just a few shots were fired, 612 00:29:18,769 --> 00:29:22,629 but the police, they tell quite a different story. 613 00:29:22,630 --> 00:29:25,730 Suddenly, Moonlite's using military strategy 614 00:29:25,728 --> 00:29:28,008 to surround all the policemen 615 00:29:28,010 --> 00:29:29,650 with all of the bushrangers 616 00:29:29,650 --> 00:29:32,610 and firing so madly that the policemen 617 00:29:32,610 --> 00:29:36,360 have no choice but to run off, leaving their horses there. 618 00:29:36,356 --> 00:29:37,186 - They were embarrassed. 619 00:29:37,189 --> 00:29:38,369 They made it up, didn't they? 620 00:29:38,370 --> 00:29:41,710 - Well, I think you know, 621 00:29:41,710 --> 00:29:43,610 the only way to stop them looking like fools 622 00:29:43,608 --> 00:29:46,478 was to make Moonlite and his men 623 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:48,610 look like bloodthirsty bushrangers. 624 00:29:48,610 --> 00:29:50,210 - Which they weren't, I mean they were kids. 625 00:29:50,210 --> 00:29:51,590 - City boys who didn't know 626 00:29:51,590 --> 00:29:53,620 which end of a horse to get onto. 627 00:29:53,620 --> 00:29:54,790 - Even the hostages were laughing, weren't they? 628 00:29:54,794 --> 00:29:55,634 - Right. 629 00:29:55,627 --> 00:29:57,547 - And once they did manage to get on their horses, 630 00:29:57,550 --> 00:29:59,800 and leave here, leave Wantabadgery Station, 631 00:29:59,796 --> 00:30:01,516 it was only a matter of time 632 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:04,160 before it really did turn serious. 633 00:30:05,730 --> 00:30:07,960 Moonlite's gang took several hours 634 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:11,000 to ride the three miles to McGlede's farm, 635 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:13,410 where they stopped for food and water. 636 00:30:13,410 --> 00:30:17,220 It was here that a reinforced party of 10 police 637 00:30:17,215 --> 00:30:21,555 from nearby Wagga Wagga and Gundagai surrounded them. 638 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:22,390 - When the news came to Gundagai 639 00:30:22,393 --> 00:30:24,943 that the bushrangers were coming, 640 00:30:24,940 --> 00:30:27,070 they left citizens in charge of the town, 641 00:30:27,070 --> 00:30:28,300 they called for volunteers, 642 00:30:28,300 --> 00:30:31,450 they deputized constables there and then on the spot. 643 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:35,010 Rode there at breakneck speed 644 00:30:35,010 --> 00:30:37,210 knowing they were facing possibly the Kelly Gang 645 00:30:37,210 --> 00:30:38,880 and six armed bushrangers. 646 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:42,020 And they rode I think 24 miles on their horses 647 00:30:42,020 --> 00:30:43,570 to get to the scene, so you can imagine 648 00:30:43,570 --> 00:30:45,350 riding that in a couple of hours. 649 00:30:45,350 --> 00:30:46,780 Your heart rate would be up, 650 00:30:46,780 --> 00:30:49,540 you'd be tired, your horses would be tired. 651 00:30:49,540 --> 00:30:51,710 And then they came upon these suspected bushrangers 652 00:30:51,710 --> 00:30:54,460 outside McGlede's hut, who started firing at them. 653 00:30:54,458 --> 00:30:59,458 (guns firing) (ominous music) 654 00:31:03,670 --> 00:31:05,280 - [Mike] Now for the first time, 655 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:08,650 we can recreate what happened amongst the chaos, 656 00:31:08,650 --> 00:31:13,570 and perhaps discover who might have fired that fatal shot. 657 00:31:13,570 --> 00:31:15,630 Adam and Roger are here to see the results 658 00:31:15,630 --> 00:31:19,800 of the laser scanning and archeological investigation. 659 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:24,180 A first ever full digital reconstruction of the shootout. 660 00:31:24,180 --> 00:31:26,500 - Welcome to CAVE2, the visualization laboratory 661 00:31:26,500 --> 00:31:30,330 here at Monash, and welcome back to the Wantabadgery site. 662 00:31:30,330 --> 00:31:31,660 - I mean this is incredible. 663 00:31:31,660 --> 00:31:33,670 It's like being back at Wantabadgery. 664 00:31:33,670 --> 00:31:34,980 - It's as close as you're gonna get. 665 00:31:34,980 --> 00:31:37,470 It's extremely accurate, and it represents 666 00:31:37,470 --> 00:31:39,520 a three dimensional rendering that these guys 667 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:42,250 have spent hours doing of the millions of points 668 00:31:42,250 --> 00:31:44,510 that we collected in that TLS survey. 669 00:31:45,420 --> 00:31:48,210 We've got that lovely old elm tree, that huge elm tree 670 00:31:48,210 --> 00:31:50,010 that dominates the site over there. 671 00:31:50,006 --> 00:31:53,576 And in front of us is our tent down in the creek. 672 00:31:54,510 --> 00:31:57,210 And if we can come round this way a little bit Owen, 673 00:31:57,210 --> 00:31:58,400 and maybe out a little? 674 00:32:00,545 --> 00:32:01,865 - I can't believe this. 675 00:32:01,870 --> 00:32:03,730 - Our first point, 676 00:32:03,730 --> 00:32:06,050 which was this pile of brick. 677 00:32:06,050 --> 00:32:07,810 - So that's the one that you thought was a chimney, 678 00:32:07,810 --> 00:32:08,720 but you weren't sure. 679 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:10,790 - That's right, and that gave us a great lead 680 00:32:10,790 --> 00:32:13,710 to try and find the location of the homestead, 681 00:32:13,710 --> 00:32:15,320 which we thought was in this kind of 682 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:17,490 flattish area around here, 683 00:32:17,490 --> 00:32:20,350 but to show you properly I want to remove 684 00:32:20,350 --> 00:32:23,560 all this vegetation and all this extraneous data. 685 00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:24,470 - [Roger] Yeah. 686 00:32:24,470 --> 00:32:26,760 - We get this very clear landscape like this. 687 00:32:26,763 --> 00:32:27,603 - [Roger] Good grief. 688 00:32:27,596 --> 00:32:30,456 - So this again is the mound of bricks. 689 00:32:30,460 --> 00:32:31,880 Looking at the archeological data, 690 00:32:31,881 --> 00:32:35,381 we can now draw an outline on this landscape 691 00:32:35,377 --> 00:32:38,357 of the two buildings, which is really important 692 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:41,120 because it ties everything else together. 693 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:43,180 All the testimonies of the police, 694 00:32:43,180 --> 00:32:44,970 and the court case evidence. 695 00:32:44,970 --> 00:32:46,770 So can we do that as well Owen, now? 696 00:32:48,930 --> 00:32:50,240 So this is the kitchen, 697 00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:53,380 and this is the outline of the homestead in front of it 698 00:32:53,380 --> 00:32:55,960 and there's about a five meter breezeway between the two. 699 00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:58,600 So now we can add the people 700 00:32:58,603 --> 00:33:02,173 where they're described by the police or where they were. 701 00:33:02,170 --> 00:33:03,760 Could we do that please, Owen? 702 00:33:04,978 --> 00:33:07,358 - Ha, I mean this is incredible. 703 00:33:07,361 --> 00:33:09,361 I mean we know exactly where they were. 704 00:33:09,361 --> 00:33:10,961 - So down here at the bottom, 705 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:13,540 one of the important characters is Webb-Bowen. 706 00:33:13,540 --> 00:33:15,810 He's lying in this location. 707 00:33:15,810 --> 00:33:16,940 This is where he was shot, 708 00:33:16,937 --> 00:33:19,377 and mortally wounded. 709 00:33:19,380 --> 00:33:23,670 And we've got the rest of the Moonlite Gang here. 710 00:33:23,670 --> 00:33:25,420 So these are our main suspects. 711 00:33:25,420 --> 00:33:28,050 So Owen, could we put the lines of sight in please? 712 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:33,930 - That is brilliant. 713 00:33:33,930 --> 00:33:35,380 - So what can we do now? 714 00:33:35,382 --> 00:33:36,372 So we've got to whittle that down. 715 00:33:36,370 --> 00:33:38,540 We've got too many suspects really for us. 716 00:33:38,540 --> 00:33:40,340 Well I think we can discount Rogan. 717 00:33:40,340 --> 00:33:42,400 He hid under the bed and stayed under there 718 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:43,550 for what, day and a half? 719 00:33:43,550 --> 00:33:44,580 - [Roger] Yes. 720 00:33:44,582 --> 00:33:46,702 - So I think we can remove him, Owen? 721 00:33:46,700 --> 00:33:48,580 Now we've got these three guys in the kitchen. 722 00:33:48,580 --> 00:33:51,470 We've got Williams, Nesbitt, and Bennet, 723 00:33:51,470 --> 00:33:52,970 and I think we can remove them 724 00:33:52,970 --> 00:33:56,400 because if we start adding in elevation of the structures, 725 00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:57,500 we've got the kitchen. 726 00:33:58,683 --> 00:33:59,523 - Right. 727 00:33:59,516 --> 00:34:00,906 - And then we've got the homestead. 728 00:34:00,910 --> 00:34:02,250 - Ah. 729 00:34:02,250 --> 00:34:04,150 - These guys can't have seen Webb-Bowen. 730 00:34:04,150 --> 00:34:06,520 They could not have a clear line of shot, 731 00:34:06,523 --> 00:34:09,713 so we can remove those three lines as well. 732 00:34:09,710 --> 00:34:12,230 So if we bring the landscape down 733 00:34:12,230 --> 00:34:15,780 towards eye level, thanks Owen. 734 00:34:15,780 --> 00:34:17,570 So I've left you with two prime suspects. 735 00:34:17,566 --> 00:34:22,296 We've got Moonlite here, he's firing a small Snider rifle. 736 00:34:22,300 --> 00:34:24,770 The bullet from that rifle doesn't match the description 737 00:34:24,766 --> 00:34:26,476 that the doctor gives of the round 738 00:34:26,484 --> 00:34:28,794 that came out of Webb-Bowen's neck. 739 00:34:28,790 --> 00:34:29,620 - [Roger] Yep. 740 00:34:29,623 --> 00:34:31,583 - So that leaves us with poor Gus here. 741 00:34:31,580 --> 00:34:34,110 15 years old, he's been shot in the side, 742 00:34:34,105 --> 00:34:37,145 paralyzed perhaps from the waist down, 743 00:34:37,150 --> 00:34:38,580 grievously injured. 744 00:34:38,580 --> 00:34:42,040 My question to you is, in that condition 745 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:45,280 was he able to fire off a round at Webb-Bowen? 746 00:34:45,284 --> 00:34:47,674 - Ah, I mean it's an excellent question, 747 00:34:47,670 --> 00:34:49,680 and I think what I have to do now, 748 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:51,610 you've given me this wonderful scenario. 749 00:34:51,610 --> 00:34:52,560 I've gotta go and I've got to look at 750 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:54,640 the autopsy reports from both of them, 751 00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:56,010 I've got to do some ballistic testing, 752 00:34:56,010 --> 00:34:58,180 and I've got to put all that together 753 00:34:58,180 --> 00:35:00,550 and I would hope that we can answer that question. 754 00:35:03,110 --> 00:35:06,070 - [Mike] But after nearly 140 years, 755 00:35:06,070 --> 00:35:08,280 can Roger determine the final moments 756 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:10,670 of Gus Wreneckie's short life? 757 00:35:10,670 --> 00:35:13,330 - If you look at Dr. McKillop's autopsy report, 758 00:35:13,330 --> 00:35:15,240 he talks about this terrible gunshot wound 759 00:35:15,240 --> 00:35:16,550 to the right side. 760 00:35:16,550 --> 00:35:19,140 It's big enough for him to put his finger into. 761 00:35:19,140 --> 00:35:21,840 So what it's done is it's shattered 762 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:23,850 the ninth rib on this side. 763 00:35:23,850 --> 00:35:26,060 It's pulverized the liver in here, 764 00:35:26,060 --> 00:35:29,050 and then it's gone down into the lumbar vertebrae 765 00:35:29,051 --> 00:35:31,131 and it's shattered those as well, 766 00:35:31,130 --> 00:35:32,630 as well as damaging the spinal cord. 767 00:35:32,630 --> 00:35:34,440 So it's actually paralyzed him. 768 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:35,500 - From the waist down? 769 00:35:35,500 --> 00:35:37,330 - From the waist down, that's exactly right. 770 00:35:37,330 --> 00:35:40,120 He's lying there, he's bleeding to death, he's paralyzed, 771 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:42,240 he can't use his legs, but he can use his hands. 772 00:35:42,240 --> 00:35:44,900 And there's no reason he couldn't lift a gun and fire it. 773 00:35:44,900 --> 00:35:47,780 If you look at the positions of Wreneckie 774 00:35:47,780 --> 00:35:51,170 on the left of Constable Webb-Bowen, 775 00:35:51,170 --> 00:35:53,930 Constable Webb-Bowen is shot in the left side of the neck. 776 00:35:53,930 --> 00:35:55,830 Moonlite's over there on the right side, 777 00:35:55,830 --> 00:35:58,120 and the only way that Moonlite could have shot Webb-Bowen 778 00:35:58,117 --> 00:35:59,957 in the left side of the neck 779 00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:02,210 is if Webb-Bowen was actually standing 780 00:36:02,210 --> 00:36:03,680 with his back to the action, 781 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:05,310 which he wouldn't have been doing. 782 00:36:05,310 --> 00:36:07,860 So I think that leaves us with poor old Gus. 783 00:36:07,860 --> 00:36:10,160 - It looks as if the 15 year old, 784 00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:12,330 perhaps the most inexperienced boy 785 00:36:12,331 --> 00:36:14,891 of the whole group could have been 786 00:36:14,890 --> 00:36:16,420 the killer of Constable Webb-Bowen. 787 00:36:16,420 --> 00:36:18,820 - I think the evidence points to that, yes. 788 00:36:18,820 --> 00:36:21,290 - What a revelation. - Yes. 789 00:36:21,289 --> 00:36:23,869 (somber music) 790 00:36:28,912 --> 00:36:31,252 (gun fires) 791 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:37,450 - [Mike] If Wreneckie is guilty, Captain Moonlite 792 00:36:37,450 --> 00:36:41,710 may have been wrongly accused of Webb-Bowen's murder. 793 00:36:41,710 --> 00:36:45,060 So was Captain Moonlite innocent as he always claimed? 794 00:36:47,340 --> 00:36:50,940 And did he get a fair trial? 795 00:36:50,940 --> 00:36:53,350 Kiera is meeting with legal historian 796 00:36:53,347 --> 00:36:56,217 Judge Greg Woods to find out. 797 00:36:57,430 --> 00:37:00,510 - So here we are in Darlinghurst Court, 798 00:37:00,510 --> 00:37:04,140 the very place where Moonlite faced justice. 799 00:37:04,140 --> 00:37:06,260 - He was an extraordinary character. 800 00:37:06,260 --> 00:37:08,010 - And an extraordinary trial. 801 00:37:08,010 --> 00:37:08,840 - It was. 802 00:37:09,790 --> 00:37:12,860 - [Mike] The presiding judge was Sir William Windeyer, 803 00:37:12,860 --> 00:37:16,110 a leading light in the New South Wales judiciary, 804 00:37:16,110 --> 00:37:19,820 and a real stickler for legal procedure. 805 00:37:19,820 --> 00:37:22,120 Moonlite's decision to represent himself 806 00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:26,040 at the trial was not well received. 807 00:37:26,040 --> 00:37:28,230 - Once they start their trial, 808 00:37:28,230 --> 00:37:31,910 Windeyer insists on running late into the night 809 00:37:31,910 --> 00:37:33,190 to the point that Scott 810 00:37:33,190 --> 00:37:35,670 eventually collapses from exhaustion. 811 00:37:35,670 --> 00:37:38,670 So how was he able to defend himself? 812 00:37:38,670 --> 00:37:40,460 - Well, he wasn't. 813 00:37:40,460 --> 00:37:44,810 It was unfair, and the judge 814 00:37:44,810 --> 00:37:48,620 was excessively enthusiastic to finish the case. 815 00:37:48,620 --> 00:37:49,940 He was notorious for it. 816 00:37:49,940 --> 00:37:52,310 You shouldn't force an accused person 817 00:37:52,309 --> 00:37:55,349 to be in court defending himself 818 00:37:55,350 --> 00:37:57,920 for 15 hours of a day, it's ridiculous. 819 00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:01,380 - Scott goes further and calls it indecent haste. 820 00:38:01,380 --> 00:38:02,490 What do you think? 821 00:38:02,490 --> 00:38:05,670 - Well, Scott was a very provocative accused. 822 00:38:05,670 --> 00:38:08,990 He used terminology like indecent haste, but he was right 823 00:38:08,992 --> 00:38:12,782 because this was a death penalty case, 824 00:38:12,780 --> 00:38:15,270 and it's really ridiculous 825 00:38:15,270 --> 00:38:17,470 that they should have been forced on 826 00:38:17,470 --> 00:38:20,120 without the opportunity of 827 00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:22,550 having proper time to prepare their case. 828 00:38:22,550 --> 00:38:24,920 - Judge Woods, during the trial, 829 00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:26,650 Scott spent quite a lot of time 830 00:38:26,651 --> 00:38:31,541 trying to identify who shot the fatal shot. 831 00:38:31,540 --> 00:38:36,540 Our evidence points to the person being 832 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,450 one of the bushrangers, the youngest member Wreneckie. 833 00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:45,290 Had we been able to bring that evidence to the 1879 trial, 834 00:38:45,290 --> 00:38:47,120 would it have changed anything? 835 00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:49,170 - No, Scott was the leader. 836 00:38:49,166 --> 00:38:52,296 They were all his men. 837 00:38:52,300 --> 00:38:54,290 He was responsible for what they did. 838 00:38:54,290 --> 00:38:56,220 - [Kiera] He was morally and legally responsible? 839 00:38:56,219 --> 00:38:57,049 - Both. 840 00:38:58,910 --> 00:39:01,980 - On December 11, 1879, 841 00:39:01,980 --> 00:39:05,500 Moonlite and the four surviving members of his gang 842 00:39:05,500 --> 00:39:09,010 were found guilty of murdering Constable Webb-Bowen 843 00:39:09,010 --> 00:39:11,290 and condemned to death. 844 00:39:11,290 --> 00:39:15,130 Because of their youth, 19 year old Thomas Williams 845 00:39:15,130 --> 00:39:18,580 and 20 year old Graham Bennet had their sentences 846 00:39:18,580 --> 00:39:21,340 commuted to life imprisonment. 847 00:39:21,340 --> 00:39:25,360 But as an adult, 22 year old Thomas Rogan, 848 00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:28,370 who'd hidden under the bed during the shootout, 849 00:39:28,370 --> 00:39:29,600 was not so lucky. 850 00:39:32,340 --> 00:39:35,980 On January 20, 1880, he and Moonlite 851 00:39:35,980 --> 00:39:37,630 were hanged at Darlinghurst Jail. 852 00:39:39,620 --> 00:39:44,290 But in his last moments, Moonlite revealed a secret. 853 00:39:44,290 --> 00:39:46,060 A secret that would take 854 00:39:46,060 --> 00:39:47,980 more than a century to come to light. 855 00:39:50,154 --> 00:39:52,744 (gentle music) 856 00:39:54,484 --> 00:39:57,564 (sheep bleating) 857 00:39:57,560 --> 00:40:00,630 Andrew George Scott, Captain Moonlite, 858 00:40:00,630 --> 00:40:04,390 started life with privilege and promise. 859 00:40:04,390 --> 00:40:09,170 But it all went terribly wrong down there at McGlede's farm 860 00:40:09,170 --> 00:40:12,770 after he was accused of fatally shooting a policeman. 861 00:40:12,770 --> 00:40:16,940 What really happened down there 140 years ago? 862 00:40:16,940 --> 00:40:21,940 And what was the secret Captain Moonlite left behind? 863 00:40:23,113 --> 00:40:25,863 (dramatic music) 864 00:40:30,030 --> 00:40:31,530 Moonlite was brought here, 865 00:40:31,530 --> 00:40:34,180 to Gundagai Gaol after the shootout. 866 00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:39,940 Kiera has learned that in the weeks before his death, 867 00:40:39,940 --> 00:40:41,750 Moonlite wrote many letters 868 00:40:41,752 --> 00:40:44,632 explaining his side of the story. 869 00:40:44,630 --> 00:40:49,010 But for some reason, only a few of them were ever delivered. 870 00:40:49,010 --> 00:40:50,810 - There was a conspiracy it seemed 871 00:40:50,810 --> 00:40:53,720 from the prison warden all the way up 872 00:40:53,720 --> 00:40:56,900 to the then premier of New South Wales, Henry Parkes, 873 00:40:56,900 --> 00:40:58,980 to suppress these letters. - Really? 874 00:40:58,980 --> 00:41:02,400 - They thought that they were morally offensive, 875 00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:04,230 and politically dangerous, 876 00:41:04,230 --> 00:41:08,330 and so the letters were kept by Parkes in his own files, 877 00:41:08,330 --> 00:41:10,800 where they remained for over 100 years 878 00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:13,460 until a researcher just stumbled on them. 879 00:41:14,300 --> 00:41:15,650 - [Mike] These letters reveal 880 00:41:15,650 --> 00:41:18,790 a final twist in Moonlite's story. 881 00:41:18,790 --> 00:41:22,090 A surprising insight into his private life. 882 00:41:22,090 --> 00:41:23,790 - And here are the letters. 883 00:41:23,790 --> 00:41:24,620 - Ah yeah. 884 00:41:28,770 --> 00:41:30,050 Had a beautiful hand, hasn't he? 885 00:41:30,050 --> 00:41:31,470 - He really does. 886 00:41:31,470 --> 00:41:34,120 But what I think is amazing about these letters 887 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:38,560 is that they reveal to us a man who is passionately, 888 00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:40,630 and intensely in love. 889 00:41:40,630 --> 00:41:44,020 And in fact, the person that he was in love with 890 00:41:44,020 --> 00:41:46,410 was one of the members of his gang, 891 00:41:46,410 --> 00:41:48,080 one of the bushrangers who was shot dead 892 00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:50,820 at McGlede's farm, James Nesbitt. 893 00:41:50,820 --> 00:41:53,730 - So are you saying he was gay? 894 00:41:53,730 --> 00:41:54,560 - Well that wouldn't have been 895 00:41:54,563 --> 00:41:56,573 the sort of language that was used then. 896 00:41:56,573 --> 00:41:57,413 - No. 897 00:41:57,406 --> 00:41:58,846 - And I think what's really important actually 898 00:41:58,850 --> 00:42:01,930 is that it reveals Moonlite's capacity 899 00:42:01,930 --> 00:42:05,900 for a deep, enduring, and very loyal love. 900 00:42:05,900 --> 00:42:08,060 And when he found that Nesbitt had been 901 00:42:08,060 --> 00:42:10,520 shot dead at McGlede's farm, 902 00:42:10,520 --> 00:42:13,760 Moonlite lifted him into his arms, cradling him there, 903 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:16,490 and weeping and kissing his face. 904 00:42:16,493 --> 00:42:19,083 (somber music) 905 00:42:30,730 --> 00:42:34,130 He says at one stage, "Nesbitt and I were united 906 00:42:34,127 --> 00:42:37,717 "by every tie which could bind human friendship. 907 00:42:37,717 --> 00:42:41,137 "We were one in hopes, in heart, and soul, 908 00:42:41,137 --> 00:42:46,137 "and this unity lasted until he died in my arms." 909 00:42:46,220 --> 00:42:47,610 As he walked to the gallows, 910 00:42:47,610 --> 00:42:50,790 he was wearing a lock of Nesbitt's hair 911 00:42:50,790 --> 00:42:52,590 that had been fashioned into a ring. 912 00:42:53,730 --> 00:42:57,740 And his very dying wish, the last letter that he wrote, 913 00:42:57,740 --> 00:43:01,020 Mike, that he wrote an hour before he died, 914 00:43:01,020 --> 00:43:03,090 was to one of Nesbitt's relatives, 915 00:43:03,090 --> 00:43:05,190 and this is what he said. 916 00:43:05,187 --> 00:43:09,357 "My dear Willie, I want to rest in the grave of my friend. 917 00:43:09,357 --> 00:43:12,787 "Gratify this, my last wish." 918 00:43:12,788 --> 00:43:13,888 - "If you can afford." 919 00:43:14,750 --> 00:43:17,120 But these letters never made it to who they were going to? 920 00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:18,030 - [Kiera] No they didn't. 921 00:43:18,030 --> 00:43:20,520 - So his last dying wish was never granted. 922 00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:21,820 - It was denied. 923 00:43:21,824 --> 00:43:24,414 (somber music) 924 00:43:34,610 --> 00:43:37,080 - For the first time, representatives 925 00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:40,490 of both sides of the story are coming together. 926 00:43:40,490 --> 00:43:42,920 They're meeting at the site of the shootout 927 00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:45,720 to learn what the Lawless team has uncovered. 928 00:43:46,980 --> 00:43:48,200 Hey Stephen. 929 00:43:48,200 --> 00:43:49,030 - Hi, how are you? 930 00:43:49,033 --> 00:43:50,443 - [Mike] I'm well mate, I'm well, how are you? 931 00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:51,560 - Good, good to see you again. 932 00:43:51,560 --> 00:43:53,450 - Yeah, you too, you too. 933 00:43:53,450 --> 00:43:55,490 Oh geez, what have you done to yourself? 934 00:43:55,490 --> 00:43:56,840 - I've had my knee fixed. 935 00:43:56,840 --> 00:43:59,180 - So you're on the mend? - On the mend. 936 00:43:59,183 --> 00:44:00,283 - [Mike] Here's Biddy now. 937 00:44:05,140 --> 00:44:06,580 Hey Biddy. 938 00:44:06,575 --> 00:44:08,205 - Hello Mike. - How are you? 939 00:44:08,210 --> 00:44:10,100 - Good, thank you. - Take my arm. 940 00:44:10,103 --> 00:44:12,393 Nice to see you, welcome. 941 00:44:12,390 --> 00:44:14,300 - Nice to see you too. - Yeah. 942 00:44:18,430 --> 00:44:20,640 Come and meet Stephen Radford and speak to Stephen Radford. 943 00:44:20,640 --> 00:44:21,710 Biddy Orr. - Hello. 944 00:44:21,707 --> 00:44:22,977 - Biddy, Stephen. 945 00:44:22,980 --> 00:44:25,220 - Hi Biddy, how are you? - Hello Stephen. 946 00:44:25,220 --> 00:44:27,350 - You've got Mike and I've got some crutches. 947 00:44:28,250 --> 00:44:29,680 - We've got a couple chairs over here for you. 948 00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:31,030 Come on, come and sit down. 949 00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:36,410 The team's mission was to unearth new evidence. 950 00:44:36,410 --> 00:44:39,020 It's time to reveal their findings. 951 00:44:39,020 --> 00:44:40,660 G'day everyone. - Hi guys, how are ya? 952 00:44:40,660 --> 00:44:42,650 - This is Biddy Orr, 953 00:44:42,650 --> 00:44:44,070 and this is Stephen Radford. 954 00:44:44,070 --> 00:44:45,070 - How are you guys? - Hello. 955 00:44:45,067 --> 00:44:46,457 - How wonderful to have you here. 956 00:44:46,460 --> 00:44:48,540 - [Biddy] Really interesting to be here. 957 00:44:48,540 --> 00:44:51,860 - So for Biddy and Steve, what happened Adam? 958 00:44:51,860 --> 00:44:53,170 Let's start with you. 959 00:44:53,168 --> 00:44:55,488 Have you worked out what happened for that chaotic hour? 960 00:44:55,490 --> 00:44:59,250 - The biggest challenge for me was to find 961 00:44:59,250 --> 00:45:01,060 the actual location of these buildings 962 00:45:01,060 --> 00:45:03,120 to map the crime scene. 963 00:45:04,090 --> 00:45:05,400 'Cause if we could do that, 964 00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:08,960 we could repopulate the battle scene. 965 00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:12,750 We could isolate the person who shot Webb-Bowen. 966 00:45:12,750 --> 00:45:14,500 The shooter. 967 00:45:14,504 --> 00:45:17,174 (ominous music) 968 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:22,620 - [Mike] Adam's discovery of the farm buildings 969 00:45:22,621 --> 00:45:25,881 and digital reconstruction of the shootout 970 00:45:25,880 --> 00:45:29,730 reveal that only two men had clear lines of sight 971 00:45:29,725 --> 00:45:31,505 to Constable Webb-Bowen. 972 00:45:32,700 --> 00:45:35,520 Captain Moonlite and young Gus Wreneckie. 973 00:45:37,181 --> 00:45:38,401 Our investigation revealed 974 00:45:38,402 --> 00:45:41,462 that a bullet from Moonlite's rifle 975 00:45:41,460 --> 00:45:44,560 would not match the bullet which killed Webb-Bowen. 976 00:45:46,710 --> 00:45:48,050 But we discovered the one 977 00:45:48,050 --> 00:45:50,960 from Gus Wreneckie's revolver would. 978 00:45:50,962 --> 00:45:54,022 (somber music) 979 00:45:54,020 --> 00:45:58,340 So how likely is it that 15 year old Gus 980 00:45:58,340 --> 00:46:00,580 was Webb-Bowen's actual killer? 981 00:46:04,430 --> 00:46:06,980 - Gus was out there, he was in the right position. 982 00:46:06,980 --> 00:46:08,870 He was the closest. 983 00:46:08,870 --> 00:46:11,300 He had no experience with handguns, 984 00:46:11,300 --> 00:46:13,430 so what are the odds? 985 00:46:13,430 --> 00:46:14,260 It's a flukey shot. 986 00:46:14,263 --> 00:46:15,623 - Yeah exactly. 987 00:46:15,621 --> 00:46:16,821 - But he was in the right position 988 00:46:16,817 --> 00:46:18,047 and he was close. 989 00:46:18,050 --> 00:46:20,470 - He must have been like a million to one shot, really, 990 00:46:20,470 --> 00:46:22,520 that he hit his mark. 991 00:46:22,522 --> 00:46:24,662 - Well that's a revelation. 992 00:46:24,661 --> 00:46:27,961 Never suspected poor old Gus. 993 00:46:27,960 --> 00:46:30,500 - Well it does seem to me that in this story, 994 00:46:30,500 --> 00:46:33,860 you know the most tragic figures 995 00:46:33,860 --> 00:46:35,620 are the peripheral characters, 996 00:46:35,620 --> 00:46:38,340 and both Tom Rogan and Gus Wreneckie 997 00:46:38,340 --> 00:46:40,120 were buried in unnamed graves. 998 00:46:40,122 --> 00:46:40,962 - Yeah exactly. 999 00:46:40,955 --> 00:46:43,015 - So what you hear today, you believe now 1000 00:46:43,020 --> 00:46:45,570 that Captain Moonlite did not shoot Constable Webb-Bowen? 1001 00:46:45,573 --> 00:46:46,553 - Yes, yes. 1002 00:46:46,550 --> 00:46:51,550 I feel that he was responsible for the tragedy, 1003 00:46:52,050 --> 00:46:55,560 but yeah there was a sense of relief that he didn't. 1004 00:46:55,560 --> 00:46:59,980 He said he didn't, and with what you found out, 1005 00:47:01,070 --> 00:47:03,110 you know he was correct. 1006 00:47:03,110 --> 00:47:04,710 - I think Captain Moonlite was you know, 1007 00:47:04,710 --> 00:47:06,000 a convicted fraudster. 1008 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:08,300 I don't think I'd trust anything he said then. 1009 00:47:09,360 --> 00:47:12,230 He said he knew who killed Bowen. 1010 00:47:12,230 --> 00:47:14,760 Whether he did or he didn't, we'll never know. 1011 00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:17,360 One thing's for sure, Moonlite and his men 1012 00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:18,690 chose to be here. 1013 00:47:18,690 --> 00:47:20,610 They chose the circumstances of their death 1014 00:47:20,610 --> 00:47:22,060 through their decisions. 1015 00:47:22,060 --> 00:47:24,740 The police that came here on the day had no choice. 1016 00:47:24,740 --> 00:47:27,420 It was their duty to protect the community. 1017 00:47:27,420 --> 00:47:28,990 Bowen was killed as a result. 1018 00:47:29,940 --> 00:47:32,420 Was he killed by Moonlite or was he killed by Wreneckie 1019 00:47:32,420 --> 00:47:35,930 as our new crime scene analysis suggests, 1020 00:47:35,925 --> 00:47:39,085 I'm not gonna say for sure who shot Webb-Bowen. 1021 00:47:40,101 --> 00:47:42,771 But they're jointly responsible for his death, 1022 00:47:42,770 --> 00:47:44,190 and that's what I stand by. 1023 00:47:45,546 --> 00:47:48,126 (somber music) 1024 00:47:52,860 --> 00:47:54,360 - [Mike] Well, you've heard it all. 1025 00:47:54,360 --> 00:47:55,960 What are your final reflections? 1026 00:47:56,900 --> 00:48:01,900 - Sitting here, it really is a mind stopping moment. 1027 00:48:04,362 --> 00:48:09,362 And I organize roses to be put on Moonlite's grave 1028 00:48:11,610 --> 00:48:13,650 every year on his anniversary, 1029 00:48:14,500 --> 00:48:19,500 but now I will also add flowers for Constable Webb-Bowen. 1030 00:48:21,130 --> 00:48:22,570 - Thanks for that. - Yep. 1031 00:48:22,570 --> 00:48:25,370 I've told the florist in Gundagai. 1032 00:48:25,370 --> 00:48:28,540 I will be ringing her, and it'll be two bouquets 1033 00:48:28,540 --> 00:48:32,330 to take up to the cemetery at Gundagai. 1034 00:48:32,330 --> 00:48:33,730 - That's wonderful. - Okay? 1035 00:48:34,990 --> 00:48:37,220 - I'm glad that Bowen can be remembered, 1036 00:48:37,220 --> 00:48:38,530 and I think it's really great 1037 00:48:38,530 --> 00:48:39,710 that we're remembering him together. 1038 00:48:39,710 --> 00:48:40,540 - Yes. 1039 00:48:41,870 --> 00:48:43,920 - And to be a part of that's a privilege. 1040 00:48:45,082 --> 00:48:47,582 (eerie music) 1041 00:48:54,900 --> 00:48:58,080 - 115 years after Moonlite's hanging, 1042 00:48:58,080 --> 00:49:01,180 his dying wish to be buried alongside 1043 00:49:01,180 --> 00:49:05,060 his companion James Nesbitt here at Gundagai Cemetery 1044 00:49:05,060 --> 00:49:06,740 was finally granted. 1045 00:49:06,740 --> 00:49:09,690 His heartfelt letters convinced some locals 1046 00:49:09,690 --> 00:49:11,750 that he deserved a fair go. 1047 00:49:11,750 --> 00:49:14,820 So they arranged for his remains to be exhumed 1048 00:49:14,821 --> 00:49:19,251 and transported here, close to the man he loved. 1049 00:49:21,890 --> 00:49:25,530 Ironically, the grave of Constable Edward Webb-Bowen, 1050 00:49:25,530 --> 00:49:29,550 the policeman killed in the shootout, is also close by 1051 00:49:29,550 --> 00:49:31,830 with an impressive monument in his honor. 1052 00:49:35,180 --> 00:49:38,510 You know, Captain Moonlite challenges our mythic image 1053 00:49:38,510 --> 00:49:41,440 of the tough Australian bushranger. 1054 00:49:41,440 --> 00:49:44,710 In many ways, the real man, Andrew George Scott, 1055 00:49:44,710 --> 00:49:47,000 was an accidental bushranger. 1056 00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:50,330 A wannabe gentleman, a charismatic lay preacher 1057 00:49:50,330 --> 00:49:52,840 fallen from grace, a conman 1058 00:49:52,840 --> 00:49:56,460 who may also be our first known gay bushranger. 1059 00:49:57,860 --> 00:49:59,170 When called to account, 1060 00:49:59,170 --> 00:50:02,250 he paid for his actions with his life. 1061 00:50:02,250 --> 00:50:06,150 He was a lawless man of so many contradictions 1062 00:50:06,150 --> 00:50:08,880 living in a time of tough justice. 1063 00:50:08,879 --> 00:50:11,459 (somber music) 1064 00:50:16,858 --> 00:50:19,218 ♪ You say I am a murderer ♪ 1065 00:50:19,218 --> 00:50:21,958 ♪ Yet kill me in my sleep ♪ 1066 00:50:21,957 --> 00:50:24,697 ♪ Hide behind that policeman's badge ♪ 1067 00:50:24,696 --> 00:50:28,206 ♪ And grip your judge's hand ♪ 1068 00:50:28,214 --> 00:50:30,824 ♪ I'll hunt you down and cut you up ♪ 1069 00:50:30,816 --> 00:50:34,976 ♪ We'll see whose judgment stands ♪