WHO WAS “SQUIZZY” TAYLOR AND HOW
DID HE INFLUENCE LIFE IN RICHMOND
WRITTEN BY CAMRON MERJAN
WHO WAS SQUIZZY TAYLOR?
Squizzy rose to power by leading a gang war againg rival criminal
gang run by Snowy Cutmore during 1919.He was a diminutive
man at only 156cm tall but what he lacked in height he made up
for with attitude. He had a fearsome reputation in melbourne
during the 1920’s. He was often referred to the Australian
equivalent of the American bootleggers. He died on the 27 of
October 1927 in typical gangster fashion he was killed during a
gun fight with Snowy Cutmore in which both gangsters were
killed.
WHO WERE HIS ASSOCIATES?
Buckley, Richard
Slater, Henry
Cutmore, John Daniel
Green, Daniel Cooper
WHAT SORT OF CRIMES DID HE COMMIT?
Squizzy committed crimes such as pickpocketing theft, assault,
inciting to resist arrest, vagrancy, offensive language, throwing
missiles, robbery, armed robbery and murder.
WHAT PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT DID HIS CRIMES
HAVE ON THE POPULATION?
Squizzy’s crimes would have had a great psychological effect on the
population as many people would become afraid of leaving their
homes at night in case they came face to face with either Squizzy
or his brutal goons. The threat of being robbed would of caused
great mental harm to the population in the area of Richmond and
Fitzroy as they would never know if the next road they went down
would be their last.
WHO WERE HIS ENEMIES?
Squizzy’s main enemy was John “Snowy” Cutmore though, his other
adversaries included the Razor Gang.
WHAT THRUST HIM INTO A LIFE OF CRIME?
Squizzy turned to crime four years after his father died. Without a
fatherly figure in his life Squizzy would have grown up having a
different life than most other children had because he did not
have a father. At the age of 16 he was arrested for insulting
behaviour he was discharged without conviction but this was to
be the first of many court appearances. His first criminal
conviction was in 1906 at the ripe age 17 when he was
sentenced to 21 days imprisonment for theft.
WHAT EFFECT DID THE “FITZROY VENDETTA” HAVE ON
THE POPULATION?
The “Fitzroy Vendetta” had a great effect on the population as
criminal activities such as drive- by shootings began to increase
in rate causing the public to even be afraid in the safety of their
own home.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WAS HE SUSPECTED OF
KILLING?
Suizzy Taylor is suspected of killing three people. These people are
Arthur Trotter, William Haines and Thomas Berriman.
WHAT LEGACY DID HE LEAVE BEHIND?
Some of Squizzy’s legacy is still evident. In Melbourne in the 1970s:
the legendary bullet marks in the central stairwell of the Trades
Hall, and one or two pubs that were still known as former
hangouts of Squizzy Taylor.
WHAT WAS THE FITZROY VENDETTA?
The ‘Fitzroy Vendetta’ begun when Fitzroy's members were taken to
court for stealing from a jeweller, it was suspected that Squizzy
Taylors men had given a hint to the police. This lead to an
aggressive verbal disputed, leading to punches being thrown to
Taylor and his co-leader, stokes. To add to the problem, Taylor's
wife, dolly, was drugged, abused and robbed of her £200
jewellery. Taylors men retaliated furiously to the men responsible
for his wife's mistreatment. Taylor invaded, his enemy, Edward
whiting's home. Whiting was shot several time, but survived
thanks to his ‘extremely thick skull’ this was only the beginning of
many retaliations. May of ‘19 was the peak of havoc in
Richmond. Within the span of a few days, a Richmond member
was shot, a Fitzroy meme was brutally bashed by the Fitzroy
gang, whiting house as once again invaded, but by late 1919 the
feud had died down.
WHY WAS THE VENDETTA WITH “SNOWY”
CUTMORE?
It is suspected that the Fitzroy Vendetta is as a result of a love
triangle. The two men were both in love with the one female (still
unknown) and this caused a feud now known as the Fitzroy
Vendetta.
WHY WAS HE CALLED “THE GENTLEMEN
GANGSTER”?
Squizzy was called this because although he was a thug and did
some awful things he was also quite the gentlemen. He would do
many things that would help others and would even put others
wellbeing before his own. He did many things for others that were
unrequired for and would even use his own men to help people
that were in serious need. This is why he was called the
gentlemen gangster.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Squizzy Taylor." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 09 July 2012. Web. 16 Sept.
2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squizzy_Taylor>.
"Squizzy Taylor." Ergo. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2012.
<http://ergo.slv.vic.gov.au/explore-history/rebels-outlaws/city-criminals/squizzytaylor>.
"Australian Dictionary of Biography." Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2012.
<http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/taylor-joseph-leslie-squizzy-8762>.
MCcALMAN, Janet. Struggle Town. N.p.: Hyland Hous, n.d. Print.