1829: Beaten Unconscious Within Sight of the Gaol Wall: Hanged in Sydney for a Brutal Robbery
A brutal ambush in the shadow of the gaol wall left young William Hickey beaten unconscious, his skull cut open and his jaw broken, in a robbery that netted his attackers little more than a hat, a pair of shoes and twenty shillings. The alarm was raised by a publican’s son who watched the assault from his doorway, and constables chased two fleeing men through the streets of Sydney, catching George Williams yards away still clutching a stone to hurl at his pursuer.
At trial Williams protested his innocence in a written defence, pointing out that Hickey could never identify his attacker’s face, only the stolen hat and shoes dropped mid flight. The jury convicted him regardless, and he was publicly hanged in Sydney on 22 October 1829, meeting his end, witnesses said, with calm and reverent composure.
