EXPLAIN HOW CRIME INFLUENCED
RICHMOND BETWEEN THE TIME
PERIOD OF 1900’S TO 1930’S
WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE?
The working conditions of the poorer people in Richmond were horrible as
they were not making a lot of money and as they needed more money,
the gang leaders would usually give them jobs such as being there
messengers and pickpocketing other civilians and the gang leaders
would give them some cash for doing this. This would mean that
innocent civilians would be doing illegal activity just to make some
extra money.
WHY DID FAMILY'S GO TO GANG LEADERS FOR
HELP?
The poor family's went to the gang leaders for help as they would give them
opportunities as these families would do illegal activities ,like being a
messenger and pick pocketing civilians, so these gang leaders would
give them money to do this.
HOW DID CRIME AFFECT PEOPLE?
Crime affected people in both good and bad ways. Some family's were very
poor and needed extra cash so the gang leaders gave them
opportunities to make money. In a bad way, family’s had been robbed
and some innocent people had died.
WHO WAS SQUIZZY TAYLOR?
Squizzy Taylor was a man who started off as a jockey at the age of 16. At the
age of 17 he started doing smaller crimes such as pickpocketing and
shop breaking. He was then caught for pickpocketing and then was
sentenced to 21 days in prison and that was the start of his major
crimes. Squizzy was the leader of a gang and his gang fought with
another gang which was then called the “Fitzroy Vendetta”. He would
also get children and family’s to do illegal jobs for him. This would mean
the family's would get money as they were going through tough times
and this money would help them afford things.
WHY DID PEOPLE GET INVOLVED IN CRIME?
Because people were poor and usually were unable to feed themselves so
they have had to steal and even kill others to gain money and to gain
food. The gang leaders would give opportunities for family’s to make
some extra cash by doing illegal activity's for these gang leaders.
WHO WERE THE LEADERS OF THE MAJOR
GANGS?
Joseph “Squizzy” Taylor was the leader of a main gang in the “Fitzroy
Vendetta”. He was a jockey in his early years but then started to resort
to violence and started to pickpocket people and started shop breaking.
During his later years he started to commit assaults and to commit
murders and armed robbery. The other was based in Fitzroy and the
leaders of that gang was Edward Whiting, Henry Slater and Frederick
Thorpe. These gang leaders gave opportunities for younger people to
gain a bit of money by doing there jobs by getting these people to
pickpocket others and other jobs like that.
WHAT CRIMES WAS SQUIZZY INVOLVED IN?
Squizzy Taylor crimes ranged from pickpocketing, assault and shop breaking
to armed robbery and murder. He was also involved in the “Fitzroy
Vendetta” which lead to many deaths. Squizzy Taylor was arrested for
loitering at the Flemington racecourse with intent to commit a felony in
July 1914. Squizzy affected other civilians as they would be scared every
single time they would see him as they would think he would steal from
them.
HOW DID SQUIZZY AFFECT RICHMOND?
Due to his criminal acts and how he killed numerous people which effected
the people of Richmond to being scared and he also affected store
owners as he was involved in armed robbery's and shop breaking. He
also affected the people of Richmond as he pickpocketed people. He
also affected some people in a good way as he provided some extra
cash for family's in need for some money.
WHAT WAS THE “FITZROY VENDETTA”
The Fitzroy Vendetta was a violent feud between rival criminal gangs that
lasted for several months in 1919. One gang, from Richmond, was
headed by Squizzy Taylor and Henry Stokes, while the other gang was
based in Fitzroy and included Edward Whiting, Henry Slater and
Frederick Thorpe.
WHY DID SQUIZZY TAYLOR BECOME A
CRIMINAL?
With the death of his father in 1901, Taylor began working in the stables of
a horse trainer and then as a jockey on Melbourne's inner-city pony
circuit. He then started to get in to trouble with the police and at the age
of 16 was arrested for insulting behaviour. He was discharged but it was
not his only conviction. At the age of 17 he was sentenced to 21 days
imprisonment. Squizzy Taylor needed some money to support himself so
he started to become a gangster and then started to recruit younger
people so they would make money for their family's.