Bandit Reburied Next to Two Dear Friends
Captain Moonlite, one of Australia’s most infamous criminals, had his last wish granted Friday, 115 years after his execution.
About 300 people came to see the remains of Moonlite--real name Andrew Scott--reburied beside two cohorts in a graveyard at Gundagai, 180 miles southwest of Sydney.
“We’ve set history right,” said Sam Asimus, who helped organize the ceremony, which began with the casket being taken to the grave site by a 120-year-old horse-drawn hearse.
Moonlite was a bushranger, the Australian term for the bandits who terrorized the Outback in the last century. He was hanged in 1880 in Sydney for the murder of a policeman who was shot when his gang held up a Gundagai ranch.
Just before the noose was placed around his neck, he pleaded eloquently to be buried next to his friends who were killed in the shootout.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
