Meet the Australian bushranger couple, Captain Moonlite (aka Andrew George Scott), born in Ireland on July 5, 1842, and James Nesbitt, born in Australia on August 27, 1858. Recently, the New South Wales (NSW) government put the couple on the State Heritage Register.
Captain Moonlite was a criminal and a well-known bushranger; however, he came from a wealthier background compared to Nesbitt, who was from a poor family. Moonlite chose to become a bushranger while Nesbitt had to make ends meet. Moonlite’s first major crime was robbing a bank in Victoria in 1869, for which he was jailed. There, he met James Nesbitt, who was in prison for petty crimes.
Soon after being released from prison, Nesbitt lived with the Captain while he was a public speaker advocating for prison reform. Shortly after this chapter of their lives, the pair went back to being bushrangers, along with four others. They held up the Wantabadgery Station near Gundagai during a shootout with the police on November 17, 1879.
James died on this night from a gunshot to the head, and reportedly, Moonlite carried Nesbitt in his arms, sobbed and kissed him. Moonlite was caught and jailed, but he wrote multiple letters to Nesbitt’s mother, which were not sent to her. One such letter said, “Nesbitt and I were united by every tie which could bind human friendship. We were one in hopes, one in heart and soul, and this unity lasted until he died in my arms.”
Captain Moonlite knew that he was to be executed and wanted his resting place to be with James, but that was not granted to him. On January 20, 1880, Moonlite was hanged wearing a ring made of Nesbitt’s hair, and instead of being buried in Gundagai, he was buried in Rockwood Cemetery in Sydney.
Over 100 years later, two Gundagai women found the Captain’s letters and campaigned for him to be buried with James. Thankfully, in January 1995, 115 years later, Moonlite’s remains were exhumed and buried again next to Nesbitt under an eucalyptus tree. His wishes were finally respected.
Queer Oz Folk, an Australian publishing project to tell the stories of LGBTQ+ history, published a book about the life and love story of Captain Moonlite titled A Darker Shade of Moonlite by Craig Cormick. This book takes a creative route in depicting his life.
Many pieces of art have also been made inspired by the couple’s love. One exhibit was created by Drew Pettifer in 2022. Pettifer designed two rings inspired by the ring that Captain Moonlite made from his lover’s hair. The pieces are made of gold and bronze to reflect the wealth and status of the pair and the love that they shared.
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