Page 9 - eMuse Vol.9 No.05_Classical

The coach drew in as she rode Catherine had a son, John ing season seeking to make hard-living men starved of fe-
in sight; James Glennon, to an unnamed ends meet. male company. Men would
We passed the time of day; partner in 1883. She married The host of tragedies in Han- have been attracted to her like
Then shuffled out the mail she John Carey in 1885, and had a nah’s life began early. Her fa- moths to a flame, and in time
sought son and daughter who died in ther John died on 2 May 1874, she erected defences (includ-
And watched her ride away. infancy. She died probably in so Hannah hardly knew him. ing the stockwhip!) that quickly
Perhaps Catherine had a
And oh! her hair was living fire, 1935. Bridget died in 1870 aged secret admirer, or perhaps she informed them their advances
were unwelcome.
But her eyes were cold as stone: eight. was simply determined to avoid In those early days, however,
Red Jack and Mephistopheles Hannah was taught her horse the hardships that awaited the she met a rough bush worker,
Went all their ways alone. riding and breaking skills by her
only brother, Bill, fifteen years family without the main bread- a boundary rider and native of
I had known about this lady her senior and her idol and role winner, but on 24 May 1874 she Victoria by the name of Thomas
for many years, but my interest model, who had worked on var- married a Daniel Ryan. Doyle near Charleville at the
in her was revived after reading ious western stations. Hannah’s stepfather Daniel end of the Warrego. He pledged
the half chapter devoted to her He taught her well and she was the mainstay of the fam- undying love for her, and Han-
by Evan McHugh in his excellent attracted attention early, as evi- ily, but he died on 12 February nah fell for him.
book ‘The Drovers.’ I therefore denced by an article written in 1885, and sister Ellen died in They were married at Char-
went in pursuit of this fascinat- the North Queensland Register the same year. leville on 7 October 1889, not
ing and elusive woman to see by William Beit in 1946: The property could not be long after she turned seven-
if I could expand on the scant “One day in the home yard, I managed by the surviving chil- teen. She would have required
facts known about her. saw her ride in breeches, boots dren, so it was sold, Hannah her mother’s consent.
Hannah Glennon was born and spurs. The horse was a low- living for a time with her stepfa- Hannah’s marriage was
on 18 July 1872 at Toowoomba set, short-backed, strong-boned ther’s parents, and her mother made in hell, but was also mer-
to John Glennon and Catherine animal, said to have been sent moving south. cifully brief. Pregnant, Hannah
Pickham, Irish immigrants, who from the Lockyer district just to Early in 1889 Hannah struck left Thomas about three weeks
had a small farm at Westbrook, try Hannah out. out on her own, heading west later due to marital discord, and
today virtually a satellite town He had already thrown the along today’s Warrego Highway went to her sister in Cunnamul-
south-west of Toowoomba. best riders on the Lockyer, and to find work on stations. la, but returned to him around
John had previously worked Black Peter Rouse from the Logan. She worked as a stockman at February 1890. She gave birth
as a bullock driver. She was the She saddled him in the ring Wallumbilla station in the Mara- to a daughter Daisy on 1 July
youngest of eight children, two yard. Getting the reins righted, noa district and as a horse tailer 1890, who died four days later.
of whom had died in infancy. Hannah took a lug hold on him and probably cook on droving Pregnant again, she left
Only the births of the youngest and landed on his back like a fly trips. She no doubt visited her Doyle in January 1891 and went
two children were registered, and rammed the spurs into him. sister Mary Ann at Cunnamulla. to board at the Blackwater Ho-
indicating that the rest had The outlaw held his wind, From records we basi- tel in Adavale.
been born on the farm. giving seven or eight vicious cally know where her travels Doyle followed her but she
The children who survived bucks, and pulling to get his took her in terms of today’s refused to return to him. On
beyond infancy were, in order, wind, he made two more des- road names. They include the the evening of 26 January Doyle
Mary Ann, William, Ellen, Cath- perate attempts to unseat his Warrego Highway west from borrowed a single-barrel shot-
erine, Bridget and Hannah. rider. Toowoomba to Charleville; the gun from the hotel licensee,
Mary Ann married Charles It was a picture to see Han- Matilda Highway north from one Alexander Shepherd, say-
Hackney Goulding in 1873; he nah sitting calmly and uncon- Cunnamulla to Cloncurry via ing, “I will get you a turkey in
died in 1885. She had a daugh- cerned, like a ‘Swell’ in his Rolls Blackall, Barcaldine, Longreach the morning.”
ter, Mary Jane Glennon, to an Royce.” and Winton; the Flinders or About 1 pm the following
unnamed partner in 1886. Her It has been claimed that Bill, Overlander’s Highway east day a gunshot was heard, and
next partner was James Brown, who never married, was killed from Cloncurry through Hugh- Doyle was found near the hotel
although no marriage record on a western Queensland sta- enden and Charters Towers, stables with a stomach wound
has been found. They had two tion in 1888. However, a search then north to Chillagoe, prob- and his shirt on fire. He admit-
children, James and John, in of official records reveals that ably via the Gregory highway. ted he knew the gun was load-
1890 and 1892. Mary Ann and no William Glennon was re- Today female workers in the ed, and when asked by saddler
James are found on Australian corded as dying of any cause in pastoral industry are an accept- Val Ganly why he shot himself,
electoral rolls between 1903 Queensland in the 1800’s. ed fact, but were a rarity then. said, ”It’s all through her, Val.”
and 1919 at Eulo and Cunnam- The answer lies, I believe, in Somewhere along the way an He was carried into the hotel
ulla, his occupation being given New South Wales records. On admiring male bestowed the dining room and was attended
as labourer and hers as domes- 21 October 1889, according to respectful sobriquet Red Jack by a doctor, but died at 3:45 am
tic duties. the death certificate, a William upon Hannah, and the name the following day.
A James Richard Brown, car- Glennon, shearer, was killed by stuck.
rier, is listed on the same rolls at a falling tree at Goonoo Goonoo We can be sure Hannah was The story of
both locations, so perhaps the near Tamworth. Nothing was suitably impressed with her el- Red Jack continues
two were related and one worked known of him apart from his evation to the status of honor-
for the other. Mary Ann Brown name, so he wasn’t a local. ary man! next Month . . .
died in 1919 at Cunnamulla. Tamworth is about four hun- One can guess at the prob-
William died probably in dred miles from Toowoomba as lems a girl of sixteen, alone
1889. Ellen married Herman the crow flies; not a great dis- and lacking the support of
Muhling in 1882; she died in tance for, say, a man on a small family and friends, would face
1885 and Herman in 1937. selection to travel in the shear- in a world of hard-drinking,
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