Thomas Law (c. 185021 September 1878), known by the alias Midnight, was an Australian

bushranger Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in The bush#Australia, the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 20th century. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia ...

active in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. He served as the inspiration for Captain Starlight, the main character in

Rolf Boldrewood Thomas Alexander Browne (born Brown, 6 August 1826 – 11 March 1915) was an Australian author who published many of his works under the pseudonym Rolf Boldrewood. He is best known for his 1882 bushranging novel '' Robbery Under Arms''. Biog ...

's 1882 bushranging novel ''

Robbery Under Arms ''Robbery Under Arms'' is a bushranger novel by Thomas Alexander Browne, published under his pen name Rolf Boldrewood. It was first published in serialised form by ''The Sydney Mail'' between July 1882 and August 1883, then in three volumes in ...

''.

Life

Little is known about Law's early life, and uncertainty remains as to whether Thomas Law was his real name. He was 20 years old when, in June 1870 in Bathurst,

, he was convicted of stealing cattle from the property of William Charles Wentworth and sentenced to five years imprisonment at

Parramatta Gaol The Parramatta Correctional Centre is a heritage-listed former prison, medium security prison for males on the corner of O'Connell and Dunlop Streets, North Parramatta, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was in operation between 1798 and 201 ...

. He escaped prison two years later. Over the next several years, he went by various aliases as he evaded the police and moved about rural and outback districts of New South Wales and

. Going by the sobriquet Midnight, Law became a leading member of a notorious horse and cattle-stealing syndicate known as the Merri Merri gang, that operated on the New South Wales-Queensland border, particularly near the

Macquarie River The Macquarie River or Wambuul is part of the Macquarie–Barwon River (New South Wales), Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is one of the main inland rivers in New South Wales, Australia. The river rises in the central highl ...

and Queensland's

South West Southwest is a compass point. Southwest, south-west, south west, southwestern or south-western or south western may also refer to: * Southwest (direction), an intercardinal direction Geography *South West Queensland, Australia *South West (Weste ...

. Known for their fast riding and haunts in the outback, they also relied on a network of sympathisers. Police received tips that Midnight was Parramatta escapee Law, and started to close in on the bushranger. On 18 September 1878, Law and an accomplice were captured and arrested near

Dubbo Dubbo (; ) is a city in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the ...

by Senior-constable Murphy, of

Brewarrina Brewarrina (pronounced ''bree-warren-ah''; locally known as "Bre") is a town in north-west New South Wales, Australia on the banks of the Barwon River in Brewarrina Shire. It is east of Bourke and west of Walgett on the Kamilaroi Highway, a ...

, but after savagely beating him with a stirrup iron, Law managed to escape. Two days later, Law was tracked down in the Warren district and cornered by the police at a hotel. In the ensuing gunfight, Law fatally shot Senior-sergeant Thomas Wallings and fled the scene. The manhunt intensified, and Law made his way to Enngonia, where he engaged in another gunfight with the police. He tried escaping on horseback, but was shot in the left side and apprehended. When asked his real name, he replied, "My right name I will never tell; I have lived like a dog, and like a dog I die.""Inquest on the Murderer of Sergeant Wallings"
(22 October 1878), ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. Retrieved 23 October 2024. Law was taken to Wapweelah Station, where he died the following morning. He was buried close to the homestead.

Legacy

When writing his 1882 bushranging novel ''

'',

drew inspiration from Law. Not long after Law's death, Boldrewood passed through Gulgong and made inquiries about the bushranger. He claimed in 1900 to know his real name, but said "no good purpose would be served by making it public". In 1904, he confirmed that the main character of ''Robbery Under Arms'', Captain Starlight, while "chiefly imaginary", was inspired by "an undeveloped bushranger—part horse-thief—known as 'Midnight', in the Gulgong and Dubbo districts". Boldrewood scholars have noted that, apart from Midnight and Starlight's similar names, they both shared "a similar mode of death, remaining anonymous to the last".

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Law, Thomas 1878 deaths Bushrangers People from New South Wales People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Australia