Captured: Portraits of Crime 1870-1930 - Flipbook - Page 39
of the robbery and garrotting of stonemason Brown. He was sentenced to seven
years penal servitude, which he served in Parramatta, Berrima and Goulburn gaols.
During his time in Parramatta Gaol, Riley was punished for making a ‘frivolous
and groundless’ complaint about bread rations, inciting fellow prisoners, and
insubordinate conduct. He was placed in ‘separate treatment’—or solitary
confinement—and sent to the notorious Berrima Gaol in 1893. Riley was transferred
to Goulburn Gaol in 1894 and released there by special remission in 1896. His
conduct at Goulburn was described as ‘good’ but ‘very bad’ at Parramatta. Perhaps
this reflected the situation at Goulburn Gaol, which at the time was prioritising
the rehabilitation, rather than punishment, of prisoners. It offered education and
skills as a way of giving convicts a better chance of re-integrating into society
after serving their sentence. In the case of Riley, however, his time in Goulburn
seems to have also been distinguished by his involvement in the art of tattooing. His
gaol description record at the time of his admission into Goulburn Gaol makes scant
mention of tattoos. But records at his release describe his body as being covered in
them. Did Riley pass his time in Goulburn Gaol by allowing his body to be used as a
canvas for artists? Notes made at the time paint a mosaic of symbols and themes:
... [Australian] Coat of Arms, fern and flowers on either side, rays of sun on
Top, Emu and Kangaroo either side ADVANCE 1867 AUSTRALIA in scroll under ...
Large Ring, ship in centre Lion and Unicorn, shield, crown on top, with large
flags on either side, Cross swords underneath, 2 field guns, a pile of shot,
in centre 3 cross rifles [left] side, 3 cross rifles right side
From 1897 to 1913 Riley was incarcerated again for offences against persons,
property and good order. Photographic portraits taken of him during this time
show him slipping into middle age. Whether Riley struggled to re-integrate into
society, or chose not to, is unknown. The case of Arthur Riley—also known as
Arthur Fitzgerald, Arthur Fooley, William Kelly and William Anderson—is unique
in the NSW Gaol Photographic Description Books, 1870-1930, for the detail and
length of the notes taken by authorities to document his tattoos.
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