1864: William Carver Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for Armed Bank Robbery at Fitzroy
On 14 July 1864, four men, Samuel Woods, William Carver, Jeremiah Phillips, and James Anderson, stormed the Fitzroy branch of the English, Scottish, and Australian Chartered Bank. Woods entered first, confronting the manager John Dowling at the counter, threatening to shoot him and producing a pistol during the struggle that followed. The gang was arrested and committed for trial, the Crown prosecutor arguing that even those who stood watch outside the building shared equal guilt with those who entered.
Carver was convicted of shooting with intent and hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 3 August 1864.
