Howe, Michael (1787-1818), was an English-born Australian bushranger (outlaw). He was closely associated with the famous bushranger John Whitehead. Crimes attributed to Howe and his gang included robbery, rape, and murder.
Howe was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1787. He worked on a merchant ship before deserting and joining the navy. He later joined the army, which he also deserted. In 1811, he was convicted of highway robbery. Howe was sentenced to transportation to the British penal (prison) colony at Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania).
Howe arrived in Van Diemen’s Land, at that time part of the colony of New South Wales, in 1812. He escaped to the bush (remote back country) in 1813. He soon joined a large gang of bushrangers led by John Whitehead. The group was one of the most murderous bushranging gangs in Australian history. Howe took command of the gang in 1814, after Whitehead was killed by soldiers.
Using disciplinary methods he had learned in the British military, Howe turned the gang into a highly effective force. Howe was one of the earliest bushrangers to create a network of informants who passed along news on the movements of the authorities. For several years, the authorities could not catch the group.
In 1817, Howe and his pregnant Aboriginal girlfriend, known as Black Mary, left the gang. Soldiers pursued the couple. Mary’s advanced pregnancy prevented her from traveling quickly. During an exchange of fire with their pursuers, Howe shot Mary, probably by accident. He then abandoned her and made his own escape. After she recovered and had her baby, Mary offered to help the police track Howe, but they did not find him.
Howe sent word to the lieutenant governor of Van Diemen’s Land that he would inform on other bushrangers in return for a pardon. The lieutenant governor agreed to some of Howe’s terms. Howe went to Hobart Town (now Hobart) for negotiations, but he reconsidered and returned to the bush. The hunt for Howe resumed. Two trackers cornered and killed Howe on Oct. 21, 1818.
