Crime in Richmond Squizzy Taylor

By Seamus Gibbs

What crimes were committed?

• Drug dealings • Illegal betting • Prostitution • Robbery • Gang wars (Fitzroy vendetta) • Murder • Blackmail

How was Richmond viewed by other Melbournians?

• If you needed something you would come to Richmond for it, only at night though. Everything at night in Richmond would be shut, that left people to open illegal stores like grog dealings and illegal betting’s, they would mostly be betting on horses and sport. People would want to bet on anything to earn some more money.

Were most crimes committed by men or women?

• A lot of crimes were committed by men because most of the gangs consisted of men, but a lot of women got into prostitution because they didn’t have any other way to make money. Prostitution led to things such as drug taking which caused women to eventually end up in jail.

What state were people in that were committing the crimes?

• If someone was committing crimes it would tend to be someone with not that much money and that needed money. If someone needed money they would go to crime because it was an easier way to get money quickly, even though crime would get them into trouble and was high risk.

• People that needed money wouldn’t usually go to big crimes like robbing banks or blackmail, a lot would just be pick pocketing but they still would get into a lot of trouble and face months in jail.

What type of crimes were committed by men?

• Most crimes in Richmond were committed by men, such as grog selling, illegal betting and robbery. Some of the bigger crimes like murder, shootings and gang wars always got Squizzy Taylor and John ‘snowy’ Cutmore in the papers. The Fitzroy Vendetta was a shooting between Squizzy’s gang and Snowy’s which left 7 men shot. Both the gang leaders, Squizzy and Snowy were left dead at the end.

• Henry stokes from the Richmond gang apparently told police about the robbery the Fitzroy gang committed. When two members of the Fitzroy gang faced court over the robbery they became suspicious that someone from the Richmond gang and told the police and when Henry Stokes gave evidence to get himself out of trouble they knew it was him. After these angry words were exchanged and both Stokes and Taylor were struck with punches. But there was more, members from the Fitzroy gang maltreated Taylors wife a robbed her, this is when Squizzy retaliated and went to find Snowy Cutmore.

How did the police stop these criminals for these offences?

• Squizzy Taylor would help police by telling them other criminals activities, but only to keep him out of trouble. So they did have help from the criminals themselves, but only for there sake.

• Police would offer deals to criminals to get information about certain crimes in the suburbs.

• Police would do frequent raids to known criminal houses and businesses.

Bibliography

• http://australiancrimes.com/crimes/squizzytaylor.html

• http://australiancrimes.com/gangsters.html • http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.

nsf/Lookup/4524A092E30E4486CA2569DE00256331

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squizzy_Taylor•