James Alpin McPherson

James Alpin McPherson
James Alpin McPherson in 1866
Born	1842
Died	23 August 1895 Burketown, Queensland, Australia
Occupation	Bushranger
Criminal penalty	St Helena Island
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Annie Hausfeldt
Children	6
Parent(s)	John and Elspeth McPherson
Conviction(s)	Assault, theft, armed robbery

James Alpin McPherson (1842–23 August 1895) otherwise known as The Wild Scotchman, was a Scottish-Australian bushranger active in Queensland in the 19th century. He was operational throughout the greater Wide Bay area and was eventually apprehended by members of the public outside of the town of Gin Gin, Queensland.

The eldest of eight children, McPherson was born in Inverness-shire, Scotland, in 1842, to John, a farmer, and Elspeth, his wife. When McPherson was twelve, his family migrated to Australia aboard the William Miles. After arriving at Moreton Bay on 19 January 1855, John McPherson found work as a farm labourer, while James began school at Ipswich, where he displayed a skill for languages, becoming fluent in French and German.

After finishing his schooling, McPherson first started work at a stoneyard on the corner of Wharf and Queen streets in Ipswich, owned by a Mr. Petrie, before finding work on a cattle station. On the station he began 'tailing' cattle (keeping them near the head station at mustering time) and bought a revolver to practice shooting with in his spare time.

On 4 March 1864, McPherson was part of a group of three who 'stuck up' the public house of Richard Willis at Houghton River, wounding Willis, and stealing 'three cabbage tree hats, two pairs of riding pants, one pair of boots, one gun, one crimean shirt, one bottle of whisky, and fourteen pounds of flour'.

Following the robbery, the government offered a £50 reward for the culprit's apprehension, and McPherson left Queensland for New South Wales, with the aim of joining up with a bushranging gang, that included Ben Hall, Frank Gardiner, John Gilbert and John Dunn. McPherson is said to have committed highway robberies on his way to find the gang, and to have combined his father's given and mother's maiden name to create the alias John Bruce. Other aliases included Mar, Kerr, Scotia and Scotchie.