John Kerney


John Kerney was a South Australian criminal who adopted the sobriquet "Captain Thunderbolt", in imitation of the notorious bushranger Frederick Ward of New South Wales.

The gang

John Kerney was a son of Helen and John Kerney, cabinetmaker of Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, and lay preacher of the Christian Israelite Church. They arrived in Adelaide when John was 10 months old.
John, his brother David, and Thomas Field from Gawler Town, a member of the same church who was staying with the Kerneys, determined on a life of crime. John stole a double-barrelled gun from the carpenter Edward Warhurst, once Thomas's employer, of Sturt Street.
Thomas Creamer, John Martin and Robert Allen were occasional accomplices.

The crimes

  • John and David, separately and together, committed a large number of armed holdups of individuals. For some of these, innocent men were convicted. During one of these, a man called Langford was shot. It was while perpetrating these crimes that John began calling himself "Thunderbolt".
  • On the evening of 19 May 1866, wearing black masks and carrying pistols and the shotgun, the three broke down the door of widow Ann Taylor at Payneham. Both barrels of the shotgun were fired, perhaps by Field, without causing any injury, Ann was thrown to the ground and threatened with a pistol; her gold watch and some other jewellery was taken.
  • On 7 September 1866 John, claiming to be Thunderbolt, robbed Isaac and Joseph Harrington at Prospect at gunpoint. John Brookman of the Post Office, lashed out at him with a whip; Kerney fired a number of shots without causing any harm.
  • Later in September 1866 David Kerney reported having been held up at gunpoint by two men, one calling himself "Thunderbolt". This would appear to have been a ruse.

    Capture and trial

In October 1866 John and David were caught as a result of information laid. Police constable Doyle arrested John at his father's shop and on 5 November searched his house in Hanson Street, Adelaide, finding four pistols, a shotgun and stolen jewellery. Thomas Field was apprehended at Strathalbyn by Paul Foelsche, later a noted police officer and photographer in the Northern Territory.
Thomas Field pleaded guilty to the robbery of Mrs Taylor and turned Queen's evidence. Public feeling was running high and the trial of John and David was postponed as it was feared the jury might be unduly prejudiced. In March 1867 the jury found both guilty, recommending mercy for David on account of his age. The Chief Justice sentenced both to death. This was later commuted to life imprisonment with hard labour, to be served at Dry Creek.
The editor of the Register wrote:

Later lives

David Kerney was released for good behaviour after 14 years' prison. He married in 1881. He later changed his name to John Currie and found employment in Melbourne as a French polisher. He attempted suicide in September 1895, in a state of drunkenness, by cutting his throat.
John Kerney and Thomas Field were released a few months after David.
There is no record of any of the three committing another serious crime.