Old Gallows
Where we stand, at the rear of the library, marks the former location of the Ballarat gallows, where 13 men were executed for serious crimes. These gallows, originally situated on the first floor of the Ballarat Gaol, featured a trapdoor and a rope calculated for a swift death, though not always successfully.
There was a science to the length of rope and techniques used in hanging convicted criminals, if those details were incorrect, the business could become quite grisly, as was the case of the double execution of Joseph Ballan and George Searle in 1867 where the ropes for the two men, of quite different sizes, were mistakenly switched before the execution.
After the Gaol’s demolition in 1965, the gallows were recovered and travelled through a number of hands before being restored by the Woady Yalloak Historical Society. Today, they are on display behind the courthouse at Smythesdale.
Kerang Times and Swan Hill Gazette (Vic. : 1877 – 1889), Friday 23 January 1880, page 4
EXECUTION OF THE BUSHRANGERS.
Sydney, Tuesday.
Notwithstanding the many efforts made to obtain a reprieve, G. A. Scott (alias Captain Moonlite) and Rogan, the two Wantabadgery bushrangers, this morning bade farewell to earth forever. They having paid the full and last penalty of the law, within the precincts of the Darlinghurst gaol, Precisely at eight o’clock.
The execution was strictly private, as by order of the Government the press were not admitted. No speech, however, was made by Captain Moonlite, Father Ryan having induced Rogan to dissuade Scott from addressing even those few who were witnesses of the dread scene. Scott on appearing on the gallows merely said that today was his father’s birthday, and he felt his position more keenly on that account.
He totally denied having misled the youths Williams and Wernicke and asserted that he endeavored to induce them to return to the path of honesty. The fatal lever was then drawn, and Scott and Rogan were ushered into eternity. Both the culprits died easily. Subsequently the bodies were cut down, and the formal inquest held. Opinions are divided as to the propriety of the Government excluding the press.
It’s also worth noting that while Captain Moonlite, a notorious figure, is closely associated with Ballarat Gaol, he was not executed here. Instead, he was hanged at Darlinghurst Gaol in Sydney. This grim history highlights the severe consequences of crime in the 19th and early 20th centuries, reflecting the harsh realities of justice during that era.
Other Information
Take a right and then go down the alley, go left. The grey building is the back of the next stop. You will see the front later in the tour.
Tales from Rat City 