ANDREW GEORGE SCOTT (alias "Captain Moonlight")

Andrew George Scott was born in the North of Ireland in 1842. His father, Captain Scott, had formerly lived at Clanverraghan, near Castlewellan, where he had owned part of the town land as well as some rural property. He later moved to Rathfriland, and built a new house on Castle Hill, on the site of the courtyard of the ancient castle of the Magennisses.The house which still stands today, was the birthplace of this notorious bushranger.
Before Andrew came to Australia in 1868, he first went to New Zealand where he served a term in a local militia contingent. Shortly after his arrival to Victoria he was appointed lay Preacher for the Church of England and sent to Bacchus Marsh to assist the Rev H.W. Cooper. The following year he was transferred to the gold mining settlement of Mt Egerton.

While there Scott became close friends with the local schoolmaster, James Simpson and Julius Wilhelm Ludwig Bruun, who was the manager of the Mt Egerton branch of the London Chartered Bank.

At the end of the first week in May, Bruun was not able to transfer the gold to the larger branch at nearby Gordon, and as a consequence was holding over a thousand pounds in the safe. On the Saturday night when Bruun was returning from dinner to the bank, where he slept, a man wearing a disguise on his face, placed a revolver against his head and forced him inside. The assailant demanded money and Bruun immediately recognised the voice of Andrew Scott. The bushranger put the contents of the safe into two bags and then lead the blindfolded manager over to the church where he told Bruun that he was waiting for his mate. They waited 10-15 minutes and as no-one arrived, they then went on to the schoolhouse. After going inside Bruun was forced to face the wall while the bushranger wrote a short note, and signed it 'Captain Moonlight'.