I shall take a guess, Sheba

Is it Grace Bussell, she rescued people from a shipwreck, by riding her horse into the sea, near Margret River WA

G'day Sheba. ? Australian.

Cheers.

A jilted bride?

Hi sheba

female bushranger perhaps.

Jeff

Leo wrote:

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A jilted bride?

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Sorry Leo. No. 

Right you are Jeff.  Off you go.

Having trouble bringing up the Profile for Jessie guys.  Will add it when I can get it.  Sorry.

Sheba wrote:

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Leo wrote:

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A jilted bride?

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Sorry Leo. No. 

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 She looked like that lady who lived in a cave in the Blue Mountains and was supposed to have moved there after being being jilted.  Died on a banana lounge apparently.  Found a link,

http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-jilted-bride-who-retreated-to-a-cave-in-heartbreak-20090630-d3t5.html

A female bushranger?  Good one 

Sheba wrote:

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Right you are Jeff.  Off you go.

Having trouble bringing up the Profile for Jessie guys.  Will add it when I can get it.  Sorry.

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Gday...

Jessie Hickman's story intrigued me, Sheba, so I did a bit of research.

Bit long ... but a good read .........

Jessie Hickman - Lady Bushranger

Elizabeth Jessie Hunt was born on 6th September, 1890 in Burraga, New South Wales,her parents were James Hunt and Susan Ann McIntyre. At 8 years old her parents gave her to a travelling circus, we can not know what Jessie's life in the circus was like but given the times you would think she was used and abused.

Jessie was taught many skills while involved in circus life, one of the many skills Jessie learn't was rough riding and is said to have been the Australian Female Rough riding Champion in 1906,this would of been a competition between rival travelling circuses,because the national competition did not take place until 1945.

Jessie became the mistress of Martin Breheny, known as James Martini when she was 14-15 years old he was the owner of Martinis Buckjumping Show . Although it has been stated that she married James Martini there are no marriage records found ,Jessie became ring mistress of the show and she managed and promoted the circus with the help of the other circus performers the circus was sold in 1910 after Jessie was injured when she had a fall from a bucking horse ,the circus became Wild Australia . Jessie used the name of Mrs. Martini and there are references in Martinis obituary notices to his widow.James was accidentally killed in a wagon accident in 1907 he was buried in the family vault Waverley Cemetery Sydney , it was Martinis father who inherited the show not Jessie so another reason to think Jessie never married James Martini.

Jessie met Benjamin Walter Hickman and in 1913 they had a son. Their son was given to a friend of Jessies to raise as her own child and Jessie had very little to do with him from than on . Ben Hickman was WIA during World War I he was shot twice in the chest after he had enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces.

After the birth of her son, Jessie was living in Sydney and was using the name of Jessie McIntyre, she served two gaol terms in Long Bay Goal, one 1913-1914 and the other 1915-1916, she was charged with stealing a number of items ranging from cattle to clothing. In 1918 Jessie was charged with cattle stealing once again but she was acquitted.

Benjamin Hickman returned to Australia after the war ,he and Jessie were married in 1920 . Theirs was not a happy marriage and they separated in 1924,Jessie's brother lived in the Kandos/Rylstone area of New South Wales and after the break up of her marriage she moved there, this is where she really started her career as a Bushranger stealing cattle and horses.

Jessie had excellent bush skills and was a outstanding horsewoman she escaped from the police on many occasions.

There is a story that Jessie became house keeper to John Fitzgerald who was a alcoholic and he treated Jessie very badly ,he forced Jessie to marry him and after a few years of domestic violence she killed him in self defence with a wooden chair leg, to avoid goal Jessie escaped to the remote Nullo Mountain area where she lived alone in a cave in a mountain hide way ,Jessie survived by cattle duffing as she knew every inch of Nullo Mountain she had no trouble escaping from the police,it was south of Nullo Mountain with the police chasing her ,that she jumped off a 10 m cliff into the water and swam away it was one of many escapes Jessie made from the police.

The Police finally caught up with Jessie in 1928 and at the Rylstone Court House she was charged with cattle stealing, the case hinged on one cow that was easy to identify just before the trial the cow disappeared ,the cow was found dead and burned in the bush ,it is thought some of Jessie's cattle duffing mates killed the cow, she was found not guilty. It was at this time Ben Hickman divorced her despite his war wounds, he lived to the age of 89 and died at The Entrance, New South Wales, in 1971.

After Jessie was acquitted for cattle theft she settled down in Widden Valley , although she did continue to steal horses and cattle . Jessie was in poor health and she was becoming more and more erratic, in 1936 she died aged 46 years after a horse-riding accident where she spent a night unprotected from the weather and got pneumonia ,she also had a brain tumour thought to be from when she fell off the bucking horse in the circus ,her body was not claimed and Jessie was buried in an unmarked paupers grave at Sandgate Cemetery, Newcastle New South Wales.

Jessie Hickman was a remarkable woman who turned to a life of crime through her circumstances , from a very early age she was used and abused she was given away at age 8 to the circus by her parents,she was married to men that abused her ,it would be a matter of learning to survive maybe Jessie thought she had no other choice than a life of crime ,you have to wonder what her life would of been like if none of these things took place, she will go down in Australian history as one of only three female Bushrangers.

Cheers - John

WOW - thanks for that RL - what a great story - there is so much history in this country, that is being forgotten - this woman was about the same as age as my mum - amazig.

G'day John. Good on you for posting. Havn't a clue who he is but will start looking. We are having a 7 day break from the road and will have coverage.

Cheers.

Henry Kingsley

Not an easy one to track down JL, but the clues helped !!

Now who is this distinguished gentleman ?

 

Was he a politician?

Young Colonol Saunders of KFC?