Captured: Portraits of Crime 1870-1930 - Flipbook - Page 54
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A L B U RY
GAO L
T WO T R AC K E R S
W i l l i e Ke n a m b u r y
and Jac ky Bullyell
MURDER
Willie Kenambury, a 24 year old tracker, was photographed at
Albury Gaol on 10 January 1894 while on remand for murder. His
co-accused, Jacky Bullyell, 25 years old, was also a tracker.
Both men were from Fraser Island, Queensland.
Willie and Jacky had been extradited to Albury from
Queensland following a lengthy man-hunt by Victorian, NSW and
Queensland police. They were accused of having speared and
robbed Polish man Severyn Mursckewicz on his property at Dora
Dora, near Albury, on 2 May 1891. Prior to then, they had been
working as trackers for the Victorian Police at Benalla, having
been brought there from Brisbane in 1890. The Victorian Police,
which favoured the superior skills of Queensland trackers in
hunting down wanted and missing people, recruited Willie and
Jacky on the condition that they would be able to return home
after twelve months. The Police, however, did not honour this
arrangement.
On 7 March 1891, an elderly widow, Mrs Smith, had been
assaulted in her Benalla home. Dying, she described her
attacker as a ‘black man’, a ‘foreigner of some description’
who she had seen around. Suspicion fell on Willie and Jacky.
But before they could be questioned by police, they absconded
and crossed the border into NSW.
On 2 May 1891, Severyn Mursckewicz was gathering firewood
on his property when he was speared in the back and confronted
by a ‘blackfellow’ who demanded money. Threatened with
further injury, Mursckewicz handed over £15 in bank notes.
An accomplice appeared and the two divvied up the money.
Mursckewicz pleaded that some of the money be returned, and
the duo gave back £3. Mursckewicz was able to walk to a
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