Murray, James Patrick   (1839 - c.1885)

Born in Roscommon, Co. Connaught, Ireland, 1839; died in England?, c.1885.

After having been admitted as a Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, he emigrated to Melbourne in 1860.

For about a year, he worked as a surgeon at the Melbourne Hospital.

He then joined the expedition, headed by Alfred Howitt, to bring back the remains of Burke and Wills from Cooper Creek for burial in Melbourne.

On this expedition Murray's duty were to act in the dual capacity of surgeon and plant collector.

The party reached the Cooper Creek depot on 2nd March 1862, with Murray placed in charge of the camp where, with the exception of an excursion with Howitt to the Diamantina River between 4th July and the 2nd August, he remained until 10th October 1862 when the party departed for Adelaide.

During his time at the Cooper's Creek depot (in Qld) Murray made an extensive collection of plants in that vicinity, (J.H. Willis recording that 96 species were gathered).

On the Diamantina River trip, during which Howitt and Murray journeyed through Sturt's "Stony Desert", yielded additional species, with Willis noting that, altogether, Murray's collection during the expedition embraced about 130 species.

Willis also noted that "a valuable collection" of wood specimens was brought back to Melbourne by Murray.

In Melbourne, Ferdinand Mueller received Murray's plant collection in late January 1863 and in his annual report of that year (dated April 1863) listed 114 species received from him.

After the Howitt expedition, Murray spent two years in New Zealand before returning to Melbourne.

He then became involved in yet another expedition organised by Ferdinand Mueller and the Ladies' Leichhardt Search Committee (LLSC). This expedition water under the leadership of Duncan McIntyre, with Murray joining the expedition as second-in-command and "Surgeon and Assistant Astronomer".

When the party reached Cooper's Creek on 26 November 1865, McIntyre and another member of the party went ahead to search for water. Murray and others remained at the Cooper. In McIntyre's absence, Murray acted poorly, probably indulging in an alcoholic binge, and lost horses and equipment.

For this behaviour, he was sent back to Melbourne and was denounced for his "cowardly desertion" of McIntyre.

He married in 1866 and had three children.

Massacre

In early 1871 Murray decided to be involved in 'Blackbirding', a potentially lucrative business involving kidnapping Pacific Island native people for labour in the Queensland sugarcane and cotton plantations (akin to slavery).

In April 1871 Murray purchased the brig Carl and sailed off in pursuit of a fortune. However, in doing so, he was to head "the greatest massacre of South Sea Islanders in the annals of the South Sea slave trade".

On the night of 14 September 1871, Murray led the crew in a bloody massacre of 70 natives held below decks.

The detailed accounts of his murderous actions from the trial records of the subsequent court cases in Sydney are sickening.

Murray turned Queen's evidence (i.e. he alerted authorities to the criminal activity and testified against others), allowing him to remain a free man.

Murray was soon back practicing as as a surgeon in Melbourne, but was soon exposed and hounded by the Melbourne press as news from the Sydney court cases became known.

A few weeks later (in January 1873), Murray left for England leaving his wife and children behind.

His name is unfortnately attached to at least two plant species:
- Acacia murrayana F.Muell. ex Benth.
- Ptilotus murrayi F.Muell.

Source: Extracted from:
Short, Philip, 'James Patrick Murray, from "a very superior practitioner" and plant collector to a "murdering mawworm", ASBS Newsletter, No.200 Sept 20024 p.26-29
Pearn, J. (2001). 'A Doctor in the Garden: nomen medici in botanicis: Australian Flora and the World of Medicine'. Amphion Press, Brisbane.
https://bellsinequality.wordpress.com/tag/kidnapping/
Portrait Photo: The Australian Town and Country Journal, 8 March 1873.

Collecting localities for 'Murray, J.P.' from AVH (2024)

Data from 127 specimens