FREDERICK LOWRY
Frederick was born near Fish River (NSW), about 30 miles from Bathurst in 1836, and was well known in the district as a stockman and fine horseman. Unfortunately, he got involved with a crowd of bushranger Gardiner's admirers and followers, and turned to horse-stealing, and from there it was just a small step to bushranging. He operated around Goulburn, mainly in the Abercrombie Ranges, where he was involved in several robberies under arms.
On the New Years day of 1863, he attended a race meeting with his friend John Foley, and the two tried to bail up the onlookers at the races. A shooting took place, in which Lowry wounded a man named Foran. The two attackers were then overpowered by the locals and apprehended by the police near Fish River Creek. Lowry was sent to the Bathurst Gaol, but in February he managed to escape with some other prisoners. All fugitives were eventually caught except two - Woodheart and Lowry, for whose recapturing a sum of fifty pounds was offered.
Lowry was next heard of in July, when he held up the Mudgee mail coach with the help of his two friends, John Foley and an eighteen year old lad named Larry Cummins. The coach had only two passengers, Mrs Smith, the wife of an inn-keeper at Ben Bullen, and Mr Henry Kater, who was the manager of the Mudgee branch of the Joint Stock Bank, and who was carrying £5700 in notes. The money was quickly secured by Lowry, while Mrs Smith was not interfered with; she was only asked to stand aside and wait. "We don't rob women, Ma-am", Lowry assured her.
After this incident the police began an intensive search for the offenders, and the Joint Stock Bank offered 500 pounds for the recovery of the stolen banknotes. In August, John Foley was arrested at his parents home in Bathurst, where some banknotes from the Mudgee mail money were found. He was sentenced to fifteen years hard labour for robbing Mrs Webb's store at Mutton Falls and for aiding and abetting other bushrangers. His brother Francis was also tried for having raided the Chinese camp at Campbell's River, for which he received ten years imprisonment. It looked like almost the whole Foley family had a reunion at Bathurst Gaol, because another brother, Timothy, and his mother, Mrs Foley, were both serving terms there for contempt of Court. Lowry and Cummins were arrested a couple of weeks later, when they were traced by the police to Thomas Vardy's Limerick Races Hotel at Cook's Vale Creek. During an exchange of shots with senior Sergeant James Stevenson, Lowry was fatally wounded, but still yelled: "I'll fight you bastards, all of you! Come-on, I'll fight you fair!", before he collapsed on the ground. "I am done for! Where is the priest?" he then smiled. The police sent for Dr Waugh, who reached the place that night, but could only state that Lowry was beyond any help.
Cummings also fired at the police, but then surrendered. On the way to Binda police station someone hiding in the bush shot him dead from behind. A horse's galloping was heard afterwards - the bullet obviously having been intended for the trooper who rode with Cummings.
Lowry was left in the hotel laying in agony, while Detective Camphin read prayers to him from Mrs Vardy's Catholic prayer-book. After an hour Fred Lowry died. His last words were: "Tell em I died game".