| Squizzy Taylor | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Joseph Leslie Theodore Taylor 29 June 1888 Brighton, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 27 October 1927 (aged 39) Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia |
| Cause | Gunshot wound |
| Alias(es) | Squizzy Taylor |
Joseph Leslie Theodore "Squizzy" Taylor (29 June 1888 – 27 October 1927) was a Melbourne-based gangster. He earned the nickname 'Squizzy' due to an ulcerated, droopy left eyelid and the fact that he ran in a 'squizzy' motion.
Born in Brighton, Victoria, Taylor began his working life as a jockey on John Wren's pony circuit and at the age of 18 received his first conviction for assault. He went from petty crimes such as pickpocketing to standover activities such as murder and armed robbery.
Together with John Jackson, he was suspected of being involved in the 1915 Melbourne Trades Hall burglary in which a Constable David McGrath was shot and killed.[1] In 1916 he was acquitted of the murder of taxi driver William Haines, and in 1919 he was a key figure in the 'Fitzroy Vendetta' gang warfare.
A spiv, Taylor enjoyed a fearsome reputation during the 1920s and derived his income from prostitution, sly grog, armed robbery, cocaine dealing and protection rackets. Taylor was able to get away with most of his crimes due both to his role as a protected police informer and his employee, Paddy Boardman, who rigged juries.
After release from prison, Taylor continued criminal activities, but concentrated his efforts on race-tracks. Involved in selling cocaine, he came into conflict with several Sydney gangsters. He was wounded in a gunfight with one of them, John Daniel "Snowy" Cutmore, at a house in Barkly Street, in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton, and died at St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, on 27 October 1927. Cutmore, a standover man associated with the razor gangs, was also fatally wounded.[2]
Survived by his wife and a daughter from his first marriage, Taylor was buried with Anglican rites in Brighton cemetery.
Some believe that Squizzy Taylor was an associate of John Wren, but there is no evidence of this. In Frank Hardy’s 1950 novel ‘Power Without Glory’, Squizzy Taylor is portrayed as the character Snoopy Tanner. In 1976 Frank Howson and Barry Ferrier wrote an opera based on Taylor's life entitled Squizzy, which was broadcast by ABC Radio and 3CR and garnered much media attention. The title role was performed by Men At Work's Colin Hay. A major stage production was in the early stages of being mounted, to be directed by Nigel Triffitt of Tap Dogs fame, when a film version by a rival producer was announced causing the stage production to fall over. The film, titled Squizzy Taylor and loosely based on Taylor's life, was released in 1982 but flopped with critics and public alike.
Squizzy Taylor was also featured in Robert Newton's Runner an excellent book about Squizzy's alcohol runner (Penguin Books, 2005) which is set in the streets of Richmond in 1919-1920.
References
- ^ http://www.upholdtheright.com/odmp1.htm Uphold the right.com Accessed 2007/11/29
- ^ "Snowy". http://cutmore.co.uk/html/snowy.html.
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