logo
livingroom

decorative bar

biographies


corner Last update of this page: June 10th 2003 corner
Captain Moonlite
(1842 - 1880) Ireland - Australia

Captain Moonlite

Outlaw

separator

Born Andrew George Scott in County Down, Ireland, and educated there and later in London, he was the archetipal 19th century adventurer. His first travels took him, in 1860, to Italy, where he fought with garibaldi's redshirts against the Naples' Bourbon rulers. Then, migrating to New Zealand, he took part in the Maori Wars, receiving, however, a dishonourable discharge because of shady financial dealings.

Taking ship to the US, he joined the Union Army under Sherman, dealing in army goods and cotton, In 1865 he took his discharge, and moved to San Francisco, but reappeared in Sidney two years later, with probably forged letters of introduction, which permitted him to move in the best society.

Scott then became a lay reader in the Anglican Church, locating at Egerton, a small but affluent town in the Victorian gold fields. It was there that the masked figure of Captain Moonlite first appeared, robbing a local bank agent. Scott soon became a suspect, and was eventually tried for the crime. His striking appearance, his colorful past, and a successfull but brief escape from custody all added to his reputation, making him something of a public figure.

Captain MoonliteHe was, however, convicted and sentenced to ten years jail. Released in 1879, Scott had difficulty earning a living, his notoriety ensuring that he was constantly harassed by police. So, with a group of young companions, he decided to move overland to New South Wales, seeking work at various cattle stations.

Some months later, on the verge of starvation, they held up one of these, and the inevitable shot-out with police occurred. Several of Scott's gang were killed, including one James Nesbit, alias Lyons, Scott's closest companion, whom he had met while in jail. For his part in the hold-up (in which a policeman had been killed), Scott received the death sentence.

While in jail, awaiting his hanging, Scott wrote many letters to friends, in which he spelt out, in terms amazingly explicit for Victorian era, his love for Nesbit: "We were one in heart and soul, he died in my arms and I long to join him where there shall be no more parting". Scott (who wore a ring made of Nesbit's hair) also spelt out his desired burial arrangements: to share the same grave as Nesbit, with an inscription declaring their love on their joint tombstone.

separator

Source: excerpts from: Aldrich R. & Wotherspoon G., Who's Who in Gay and Lesbian History, from Antiquity to WWII, Routledge, London, 2001

Click on the letter M to go back to the list of names

corner © Matt & Andrej Koymasky, 1997 - 2008 corner