The Point Pass Pillager - The Adventures of a Boy Bushranger
Eudunda, 1884, Matthias Weis, an almost 11-year-old boy, who
had been adopted from the Adelaide boys reformatory school by Mr and Mrs Madel
of Point Pass, became renown in the Eudunda region of South Australia as
possible the youngest bushranger in South Australia’s history!
Weis had not been a good boy before
being adopted to the Madel family. He had spent many of his formative years in
the reformatory for petty crimes, thievery and for threatening to kill his
mother with a knife. Weis was well known by police and the local courts, and
for his long list of previous crimes, had come to find himself in a reformatory.
Before the time of his notorious crime
rampage, it was thought that one day, if he didn’t change his ways, he would
end up inside the Adelaide Gaol, or even hang from its gallows, such was his
reputation!
In late July 1884, Weis had become bored with the home life of the Madels, and decided he needed some adventure in his life. He made his way into Point Pass township, and there stole one of Mr Woite’s best horses, saddled and bridled it, and then made off with the horse and a sheep dog.
Weis had been seen, and the local police were called. Constable Muegge set out on his horse forthwith, to try and chase the pre-teen down in the bush. Muegge, and several settlers from around Point Pass tried to chase the boy bushranger down.
Weis soon realised he was being chased, and rode the horse as hard as he could. He passed through the towns of Bundey and Scholmburg, only to be chased down by a local who had sensed something was wrong, but Weis had chosen an excellent horse, and soon out ran his pursuer.
That night, with no food or water, Weis set a small campfire and slept under the stars.
That night, with no food or water, Weis
set a small campfire and slept under the stars.
The next morning, he
awoke and started heading towards Bower, but Mr Woite, having heard Weis was in
the area, had set chase, getting within two hundred yards of Weis. Wies’ horse
was beginning to tire after being ridden so hard for two days, so to escape,
Weis jumped off suddenly and fled into the bush.
Woite tried to track him down, but the
boy was too fast and soon lost his pursuer. Woite took his horse back to Point
Pass and reported the incident to the local police. His horse that Weis had
stolen was not in good condition, having been ridden flat out for two days, and
with no food and water, the animal could barely walk back to its home.
Now on the run for a full two days and with no horse, Weis was forced to walk,
something he hadn’t planned on, as he had no boots to cover his feet. He found
his way to Robertstown, breaking into any houses he came across on the way and
relieving them of food and water.
In Robertstown, Weis,
in broad daylight, walked up to the local hotel, and stole Mr Gosden’s horse
and cart which was stationed outside. As he sped out of town, he threw the
contents of the cart, mainly groceries into the street.
Weis rode the horse and cart hard and fast into the bush,
but became unstuck when he crashed into a log, upending the cart, and smashing
his head on the ground. He eventually got up and freed the horse from the
remains of the smashed cart.
Weis then rode the horse bareback, but at some point, and for reasons unknown,
left the horse to wander the bush, where it was eventually found by a small
posse that had formed of locals, that were hunting Weis down.
By this time, now a full four days into his crime spree, the
weather had became miserably cold, and Weis was dressed, still without shoes or
boots, and in a very thin shirt, so the cold must’ve been playing a part in
dampening his dreams of becoming a notorious bushranger.
Hunger and thirst were also starting to
play their role. Weis had stolen food from a few homes, but it wasn’t enough.
He started making his way towards Robertstown again, where he broke into a
house and stole all the food he could carry.
By the end of his first week of being a bushranger, Weis had
become notorious in the area, and knowing that locals were on the look out for
him, he found it very hard to find food to steal, so he made his way back
towards Point Pass.
There he snuck into the home of the
Mabel’s, the family that had adopted him. He snuck into the kitchen and helped
himself to some food, only to be caught by Mrs Mabel, who swiftly overpowered the
boy and tied him in ropes – something none of the good town’s men of Point Pass
or Robertstown had been able to achieve!
Matthias Weis, the almost 11-year-old bushranger, faced
court in Eudunda in front of Judges Roberts and Applet. He was sentenced to 14
days gaol, and then sent to the reformatory, where he was to stay until he was
16.
..and thus ended the criminal career of possibly South Australia’s youngest
bushranger or did it?
The South Australian Police Gazette of January 18th, 1888
reports the following:
From H.M.C.S.
“Protector” at Glenelg, January 2nd, 1888, Mathew Weis, age 14, 4ft 10inches,
fair complexion, light brown hair, hazel eyes, scar from burn on leg (C.109)
Could “Matthew Weis”
and Matthias Weis be one and the
same?
Researched and written by Allen Tiller ©2018
South Australia
Police Gazette Indexes, 1862-1947.
Ridgehaven, South Australia: Gould Genealogy and History, 2009.
