28 Facts About Fred Lowry

Fred Lowry's purported last words after being shot by police during apprehension, "Tell 'em I died game", cemented his place as the archetypal Australian bushranger.

Thomas Frederick Lowry was born c in Windsor, New South Wales, to former convicts, James Lowry and Ellen Jackson.

Fred Lowry, using aliases such as Frederick McGregor and Samuel Barber, was described as the gang's "travelling agent or man of business", who had established an overland trade in horses between the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee districts.

Fred Lowry had an accomplice in the Murrumbidgee district who disposed of stolen horses from the Lachlan district and, in a mutual exchange arrangement, furnished Fred Lowry with Murrumbidgee horses.

Fred Lowry was involved in stealing horses in the Murrumbidgee district; on 25 June 1858 Thomas Fred Lowry, described as a horse-breaker by profession, was suspected of stealing two horses from John Lupton, near Wagga Wagga.

Fred Lowry was captured in company with Sarah McGregor, described as "a lady of questionable repute, well known for her equestrian feats in the Weddin country" with whom Fred Lowry "has been cohabiting with him for some time past".

Fred Lowry was incarcerated in the prison established on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour.

Fred Lowry served his time and was probably released from prison in 1862.

Fred Lowry joined with John Foley, a skilled horseman from the Oberon district, and the two began committing robberies.

Towards evening after the races were concluded and the prize-money had been paid out, Fred Lowry "attempted to bail up the persons present".

At this a man named Patrick Foran came out of the house and rushed at Fred Lowry, who fired again, hitting Foran in the chest.

Fred Lowry was initially taken before Foran, lying wounded in a precarious state at McDonald's public-house, where depositions were taken, after which he was removed to the Court House before the bench of magistrates where other witnesses were examined.

Mid-morning on Tuesday, 24 February 1863, Fred Lowry "forcibly entered" the public-house of Cornelius Hewett, a publican at Grabben Gullen armed with a butcher's knife.

Fred Lowry stole a rifle, a pistol, a flask of powder, a bottle of gin and twelve shillings in cash.

Fred Lowry stole a horse from a man who was passing the public-house at the time.

Gilbert and Fred Lowry returned fire and separated so they were each side of McBride.

Fred Lowry's companion was almost certainly John Foley; the two of them were later proven to have held up the Mudgee mail, just ten days after the Goulburn mail robbery.

Fred Lowry continued to struggle, so Sanderson assisted in dragging the bushranger into the yard where he was handcuffed and subdued.

Dr Waugh arrived at three in the morning and, establishing that Fred Lowry's wound was fatal, told the bushranger "he had best prepare to meet his Maker".

Fred Lowry's body was conveyed to Goulburn later that morning.

Foley's share of the money stolen from the Mudgee mail was recovered after his arrest in August 1863, but Fred Lowry's share was not found, and over time a number of the bank-notes began to be circulated.

Fred Lowry took the bundle of notes, and some others passed by Slattery at the hotel, to the Police Magistrate in Bathurst who ascertained the bank-notes had come from the Mudgee mail robbery.

Fred Lowry's purported last words, "Tell 'em I died game", have entered bushranging lore to represent the archetypal dying words of the Australian outlaw of the nineteenth century.

At the inquest into the death of Frederick Lowry, Detective William Camphin gave evidence that, as the bushranger lay dying at Woodhouselee, Lowry told him that "he had a brother-in-law named Elliott in the employ of a person named Cummins living on the Lachlan, and he wished me to let him know that he had died game".

Fred Lowry reportedly added that "he had always said that he would not be taken alive but would fight for it; he said that the reason why he fought so was that he knew he should be hung if taken, that he didn't like to die a coward".

Australian folklorist, John Meredith, collected and published a ballad called The Death of Fred Lowry, which came about as a result of a collecting trip in early 1983 in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range south of Bathurst.

At length brave Fred Lowry he stepped out, a pistol in each hand, saying, come on you cowardly troopers, I'll fight you man for man.

The dying man tried hard to speak, his mouth was full of gore; He closed his eyes and gave a sigh, Fred Lowry was no more.