I'm Dead They've Killed Me!

By Rhonda Jones

TFHS Inc. Member No. 4923

My God I'm dead, they have just killed me, I am no more! I knew that if I was not vigilant they would get me in the end. But I must go back and tell you how and why it has come to this.

My name is, or should I say was, William Coventry, born in Donegal in Ireland about 1776. I had a hard life and was caught for stealing or so they say. Actually I was innocent. Never did it! The beak said I could have a new residence in Australia, so they gave me a free trip out here at their expense.

We arrived in the middle of winter. They told me what a nice place Australia was. All I saw was rain, rain and more rain along with freezing cold and strong winds just like home.

They liked me so much they sent me off to an island-thought I would like it there I suppose. It was called Norfolk Island, but my pals tell me it's nothing like Norfolk. I stayed here working for six years. They decided that we all needed to shift to Van Diemen' s Land so we were bundled back into ships and were sent off to our new homes. We were promised the world by the government of the day, but needless to say the wheels of government move slowly.

While on Norfolk Island I had met the lady of my dreams. We never got married-they said that I was too much of a trouble maker, so we just lived together. Don't know why they said that. We had a hard life here too - the wife nags at me and tells me I drink too much and spend what little money we have but of course I don't believe her, she makes things up.

My pal Thomas Kelly from the old country called in one night and asked if he could stay the night. I told him he was welcome to stay even though I was not supposed to have convicts in me house. I never did it! Or that was what I told the magistrate the next day when I was dragged off to goal kicking and screaming. I got fined forty shillings for that one and put on a good behaviour bond for a year. Seems they didn't believe me.

My next run in with the law was when my neighbour's cattle strayed onto my place. My pals and I were having a quiet drink or two when we noticed that these three bullocks were staring at us, so being a good neighbor I started to take them back when who should come along just at that moment but that old sticky beak constable. Off to court again to be charged with stealing the three bullocks, I told them I never did it. But they didn't believe me. This time I was sent along with me pals to a terrible place called Macquarie Harbour. There was only one way in we were told and that was by ship, but only when the wind wasn't blowing the wrong way. If it was, the captain would not go through the narrow channel or risk being tom apart on the sand bar and rocks.

I was starting to get on in years by now and was known as the 'old man' quite often I felt like it too. They sent us out to chop down those giant huon pine trees. These were then dragged down to the water and rolled in. They would then float down to the island where we lived before being shipped off to Hobart.

This particular day I was not looking forward to chopping trees. The day was icy cold and raining, the trees were so tall the sun could not penetrate down to where we were. The underbrush was so thick and constantly wet that we were always wet and cold. Never warm always cold, frozen to the bone, numb. There were noises all around you but you could never see anything. It was an eerie place!

There were five of us for this job -not enough but the overseer reckoned we were plenty. He was warm! He had food aplenty for himself but I suppose he wasn't a bad cove really-at least he didn't beat us like the other ones.

At lunch Edward Broughton and Mathew McAvoy said they were going to escape and make their way to China which we believed was over the mountains. Some had escaped and never returned so we presumed they had made it and were warm.

We decided to overpower our guard but not to kill him, just take everything he had. It would take him three days to get back to camp and raise the alarm. The others in the party were Richard Hutchinson or 'Up and down Dick' as he was known to all, Patrick Fagan a depraved young man of about 18 years, and myself the 'old man'.

We trudged through those mountains with no real idea of where we were going, just away. Edward was our leader, as he had escaped before but was recaptured-he got to carry the axe. The trees were still too tall to let in the light, and when it rained we couldn't light a fire as everything was so wet. By now our meagre supplies that we had stolen from our guard were just about out. We were getting very hungry-we couldn't catch anything even though we set out snares. Nothing could live in this cold desolate world-it would never survive, it would never be warm.

Edward suggested that we kill Hutchinson. We all agreed to this plan as he had become a moaning, whinging so and so. We were all pleased when the decision had been made as it was food for us all and it wasn't us. None of us dared to shut our eyes and sleep in case we were the first to go. We were all wary of each other now.

Broughton waited until Hutchinson could no longer stay awake and as soon as he was sure he was asleep, he drove the axe deep into his skull. We all cut the body up into pieces, making sure that they were not too big to carry. We left the feet, hands, head and intestines behind as we had agreed we did not want these parts, especially the head-we didn't want it to look at us.

I was doubly careful from then on, especially after three days of walking. Our rations were getting low and I feared that I would be next as the other three had become very pally. We made camp for the night and I was lighting the fire when young Patrick came towards me. He seemed hesitant at

first and hovered around. Just as I looked down at the flames that were greedily taking hold of the timber in our fire, I saw him come at me with the axe. I did not have time to react and he struck me an awful blow just above my eye. I pleaded for mercy but none was forthcoming as McAvoy came over and took the axe from him and finished me off.

They cut me up into small pieces and ate greedily of my upper arms and thighs. I hope they were tough. The roasting meat was lovely to smell. Then I remembered I was dead and that that was me that they were eating!

I stayed with them for a few more days as they headed for China-hope they don't make it. Why did they have to kill me! After all I never did it! I never did any of those things they said I did. I was innocent of them all!

Next to go was Patrick. He deserved it. He did try and kill me. Edward and Mathew were found by a shepherd who kept them prisoner until the police came and took them away to goal-hope they rot there! They were tried and sentenced to death, good thing too!

Just before they went to the gallows they confessed their sins to the sanctimonious old minister who had the hide to read out their confessions in church the Sunday following their deaths. Silly old bugger told his flock that 'The wages of sin is Death'-what would he know.

And after all I never did it!

This story was originally published in 2001 by the Tasmanian Family History Society Inc in My Most Interesting Ancestor.

The original introduction to this publication may be found here.