Patsy(Patrick) Daley was born at Black Range between Young and Boorowa, on 6th July 1844.His father was John Daley and his mother Ellen Downey, both free settlers.
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John Daley and his brother-in-law, Patrick O’Meally, were partners in the Arramagong Run between Young and Grenfell and this is where young Patsy was raised. Under the influence of his cousin, John O’Meally, and Ben Hall Patsy became involved in bushranging.
On the 2nd February 1863 a group of five bushrangers, including Daley, robbed the Commercial Stores at Burrangong belonging to George Dickenson. Daley stood outside guarding Dickenson and two others; this soon grew to eight or nine as others passing by were detained and robbed.
On the 21st February Daley and four others robbed Myer Solomon’s store at Wombat.
Mrs .Solomon saw the bushrangers approaching and warned Solomon who immediately armed himself.Two of the bushrangers rode up and pointed their weapons through the door and yelled at him not to fire.Solomon fired one barrel, the shot grazing the neck of a bushranger, but was disarmed before he could fire the other barrel.Solomon ran from the store across the creek but was soon recaptured and brought back.
George Johnson, the store assistant, at an opportune moment jumped the counter and grabbed a pistol but was forced to drop it when they threatened to blow Mrs Solomon’s brains out.
Another major incident was the attack on the Pinnacle Police station between Grenfell and Forbes in February 1863, robbing it of arms and ammunition, in the company of Hall and O’Meally.
By the 1st of March Sub-Inspector Norton, with Billy Dargin, the black tracker, had been on the trail of Ben Hall, O’Meally and Daley for some days.
Norton had arranged to meet 10 of his men at the foot of Wheogo Mountain, but due to a misunderstanding, they did not arrive.Whilst proceeding through Ben Hall’s Wheogo property they noticed they were being watched by some men.When they approached the men, they moved into the bush and there followed a cat and mouse game which resulted in a wild chase and many shots being fired.Norton was eventually captured by the bushrangers, Dargin escaped after having his horse shot from under him, he then shed his shoes and most of his clothes and escaped on foot.After being held for about three hours, Norton was allowed to leave.
After his capture and conviction, Daley received a fifteen-year sentence, of which he served ten years. Around 1882 he married Mary Kelly at Hay.They moved to Cobar where he owned the Wrightsville Family Hotel in 1891, and In 1896 he had the Booroomugga Government Tank.The tanks usually came with 600 acres, a cottage and sometimes an Inn.He purchased the Terminus Hotel in Cobar in 1911; it is described as the best beer house in Cobar.
On 29th April 1914, Patrick Bernard Daley died quietly in his sleep, a wealthy man.No doubt lucky that Sir Fredrick Pottinger had cut short his career as a bushranger.
Historian Brian James contributes his column to the Young Witness on behalf of the Young Historical Society.
