James Mckenzie (outlaw) facts for kids
James Mckenzie (also known as Seumas MacCoinneach in his native Scottish Gaelic) was born around 1820 in Scotland. He became a famous outlaw and a real folk hero in New Zealand. People spell his name in different ways, like MacKenzie or McKenzie. He was sometimes called James, John, or Jock. He might have even used another name, John Douglass.
Who Was James Mckenzie?
James Mckenzie moved to Australia around 1849. He arrived in Melbourne and bought a team of bullocks. He used them to carry goods to places where people were looking for gold. He saved a lot of money, about £1,000, which was a large sum back then! After that, he moved to New Zealand, arriving in Nelson. He worked as a drover, moving animals around, in the Canterbury area. Later, he went to Otago and tried to get land in the Mataura district.
The Sheep Stealing Incident
In March 1855, Mckenzie was caught doing something illegal. He was accused of stealing 1,000 sheep from a place called Levels Station, near Timaru. He managed to get away from the people who caught him. He then walked a very long distance, about 160 kilometers (100 miles), all the way to Lyttelton.
However, the police caught him there. He was later found guilty by a jury in Lyttelton in April 1855. He was given a punishment of five years of hard work in prison.
Escapes and Freedom
James Mckenzie did not stay in prison easily! He escaped at least two times, once in May and again in June 1855. But these escapes did not last long, only about three days each time. After his escapes, he was put in chains and watched very closely.
In September 1855, a judge in Christchurch looked into Mckenzie's case again. The judge found that there were big mistakes in how the police investigated and how his trial was handled. Because of these problems, James Mckenzie was given a full pardon. This meant he was completely forgiven and set free. He was released on January 11, 1856, after spending only nine months in prison.
After gaining his freedom, Mckenzie left New Zealand. He sailed to Australia from Lyttelton in January 1856. No one knows for sure what happened to him after that.
His Legacy
Even though James Mckenzie was an outlaw, he became a famous figure in New Zealand history. A large area in New Zealand is named after him. It is called the Mackenzie Country.
His story has also inspired many books and songs:
- A novel called Chandler's Run by Denise Muir, published in 2008, is partly based on his life.
- New Zealand folk musician Mike Harding sang a ballad about him called 'McKenzie Song'. This song was first written by Kath Tait in 1973 as 'McKenzie's Ghost'.
- James McNeish's book The Mackenzie Affair was made into a TV show in 1977.
- James McKenzie is also a character in Sarah Lark's 2007 novel, In the Land of the Long White Cloud.
