In 1842, two Aboriginal men, said to be from Tasmania, were found guilty of killing two white whalers at Cape Patterson, Victoria. The two men, known as Bob and Jack, were not allowed to give evidence in their own defence or to call Aboriginal witnesses on their behalf. Consequently, they were found guilty by a jury of white settlers and sentenced to be hanged at Gallows Hill.
Gallows Hill stood outside the Old Melbourne Gaol. The gallows consisted of two large wooden poles buried in the ground, with a plank suspended between them and two hinged platforms for the prisoners to stand on. Beneath the unhinged ends of the platforms stood a pile of rubble. When the rubble was kicked away, the platforms would drop, hanging the prisoners.
On this occasion, however, the rubble did not fall far enough, and the two men were left hanging and choking until an onlooker realised the problem and kicked the remaining rubble out of the way, allowing them to die.
Bob and Jack were removed from the gallows, and their bodies were taken to the Melbourne Cemetery. They were not afforded proper Aboriginal burial rites. The two men were buried in the northernmost section of the cemetery.
Today, the Queen Victoria Market stands atop the old cemetery, where it is believed that hundreds, and possibly thousands, of people were buried. Bob and Jack (as ghosts) have reportedly been seen on occasion within the market and are also said to cause all kinds of mischief. No doubt, according to local legend, they are restless due to not receiving proper burial rites and because of the possibility that they were victims of a miscarriage of justice at the hands of a white jury.
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