Thomas Langham 'a very guilty boy'

  

On the 29^th March, 1863 Thomas Langham and Thomas Charles Robson stole two horses (a gelding and a mare), plus two saddles and two bridles from James Brown of London Street, Dunedin. They rode these horses to the Dunstan and stayed with a Mrs McGuire. They said that their horses had run away and left the saddles and bridles with the McGuire’s. Robson later returned and picked up the more expensive saddle and bridle, saying that Langham’s horse had been found. The pair went to Moke Creek and sold the bridle and saddle and another (stolen?) horse to Robson’s father. Mr Robson paid some money to Langham as his son owed him money for a gold claim.

Thomas, who gave the name of Frederick Smith, was arrested on a steamer bound for Melbourne. He said he was returning home to his family.

The court case, for horse stealing, took place on 10^th June. Both ‘lads’ blamed the other and Langham’s lawyer said he could not be charged with horse stealing as the horse sold did not belong to Brown. Only when they were charged were the ages of the pair revealed, Robson was 16 and Langham 15. Along with being given a sentence of one month’s hard labour they were to be privately whipped. Robson was also sentenced to 5 months for several larcenies he had committed.

One of the concerns of judges sentencing young lads was that they would be corrupted while in prison. Although it was almost impossible to achieve, the Gaoler endeavored to keep the young men separated from the rest of the inmates.

Robson was released in December 1863. On the 10^th February 1864 the pair robbed Julius Heyne, near Oamaru. They assaulted him and stole several items including money and jewellery. They threatened him with pistols on the road, so the charge was highway robbery. Both pled guilty. The Otago Police Gazette called Julius a hawker and stated that he was leaving Schulter’s Accommodation House (Pukeuri) and was going towards the Waikato River (this should read Waitaki). Heyne had his hands tied with flax and one of his packs was tied to his legs so he could not escape.

The Judge spoke first to Robson saying he had been given a light sentence before due to his youth, but he was ‘a very bad boy’. Before he was ‘silly’ in his actions, but now he was ‘dangerous’. He could be transported [New Zealand was the last country to send criminals to Tasmania] or sentenced to penal servitude for life, but instead the judge passed a sentence of 6 years penal servitude.

Langham, who now was said to be 17, was assumed to have been led astray by Robson. The Judge thought him ‘a very guilty boy’ and ‘very foolish’. He was sentenced to 4 years penal servitude.

On the 24th August 1866 both ‘ruffians’ escaped. In the newspaper report detailing the escape their criminal career was recounted and said both had been unwell. Langham was said to be suffering from palpitations of the heart, so he was on light duties. Robson, who had been working for a blacksmith until he stole his watch, was being trained as a blacksmith and was working on Bell Hill as such. He too has been declared unwell and had been working in the carpenter’s shop within the prison and undertook small jobs there.

The newspaper stressed that they had been kept apart from the old prisoners as much as possible but that they associated with each other often. The report went on the say that since work on Bell Hill commenced (and most of prisoners were out) only one warden was on duty and he was stationed near the debtor’s wing. He was unarmed as no criminals should have been about.

Robson had been sent to the sergeant’s rooms to repair something, and Langham was also there cleaning. Robson asked Warden Birt to inspect the work he had done on the chimney and as he was looking, Robson hit him on the head with a heavy mallet. Robson continued hitting Birt until he dropped. Robson stole the keys and Langham found two pistols, fully loaded. Although they had the keys and could have unlocked the front gate, they decided to scale the buildings, threatening debtors and fellow prisoners alike. George Henry a West Indian, [sentenced to two years for bestiality], who was acting as cook, tried to subdue Robson, but he too was threatened. Some Debtors came out to see what the commotion was, while others hid.

The pair got to Cumberland Street and started running. The prisoners and wardens from Bell Hill were recalled and the chase was on. The pair made it to the Town Belt and managed to evade their hunters. Both Robson and Langham were wearing clothes marked with the Broad Arrow (it was assumed they would rob some lonely house to get new clothes). Langham was described as 5 foot 4 and stout, brown hair grey eyes and spoke with a noticeable impediment.

The following morning, they were spotted rowing a boat across the harbour and were found in a brick works in Andersons Bay. A warden was wounded in the fiery exchange and after a second volley Langham was found in a ditch dead – shot through the neck. Justifiable homicide was the verdict of the inquest.

Thomas Langham is buried in Southern Cemetery, and it was recorded he was a native of Hobart and had been in New Zealand for four years.

Robson received three years hard labour for shooting with intent. He became a storekeeper. t appears that he may have become a storekeeper. Apart from a charge of sly grogging in 1875, for which he received 2 months he did not appear before the Court again.

 

 

Julius Heyne

He was born in Friedrichstadt Germany in 1835. When he was 18, he went to America. Four years after he came to New Zealand. His 1911 obituary does not mention that he was a hawker, but instead says he started a draper’s business on the West Coast. Certainly, he was listed as being a storekeeper there in Hokitika in 1869. It was said that he had customers throughout the goldfield there and in Otago. When he retired, he moved to Amberley, North Canterbury. Electoral rolls list him as a miner., although he also called himself a dealer. He was involved in several groups in the area, including the Caledonian Society offering prizes for races, including in 1882 an opera glass for a race for unmarried women over 16. He is buried in Balcairn Cemetery. He was naturalised in 1881.