Fred Lowry
Thomas Frederick "Fred" Lowry (1836 – 30 August 1863) was an Australian bushranger and member of the Frank Gardiner–Ben Hall gang. Born near Fish River in New South Wales, he was a stockman before taking to bushranging, mainly in and around the Blue Mountains. Throughout 1862 and 1863, Lowry was involved in shootings, an escape from prison, and robberies, including the bail up of the Mudgee Mail which earned him and his companions £6,000, the largest haul in bushranging history since the Lachlan Gold Escort robbery the previous year. In August 1863, Lowry was cornered by police inside a hotel outside Goulburn and engaged them in a gun battle, during which he was fatally shot in the throat. Before losing consciousness, he told the policemen, "Tell 'em I died game!" It is for these iconic last words that Lowry is chiefly remembered.
Fred Lowry | |
|---|---|
 Drawing of Lowry by Samuel Calvert, 1863 | |
| Born | 1836 Fish River, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 30 August 1863 Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia |
| Cause of death | Shot by police |
Biography
Fredrick Lowry was born in Sydney and moved to Young, New South Wales in his youth. There he formed a gang which stole horses. The gang joined with Ben Hall's gang for a while and also travelled with the Cummins Gang.
He was wanted for the attempted murder of two men at a race meeting outside Oberon.[1] On 13 July 1863 the gang robbed the Mudgee Mail Coach
Lowry and a companion John Foley robbed the Goulburn Mail coach just outside Goulburn, New South Wales.[2]
On 29 August 1863, at Vardy’s Limerick Races Inn at Cooksvale Creek, north of Crookwell, Lowry and Larry Cummins were taken into custody following a shootout in which Lowry was shot in the throat. He died the next day at Woodhouselee, New South Wales north of Goulburn.
See also
References
- Philippa Gemmell-Smith, Thematic History of Oberon Shire page 52.
- Monica Croke, Shootout in the Inn:Cooksvale Creek, Crookwell Gazette 3 Oct 1917.