Was Ben Hall famous or infamous?

Answer 1

Ben Hall was a famous Australian bushranger. A bushranger is an Australian term for a highway robber. During the gold rush (1850-1870) in places like Ballarat, Bathurst and Kalgoorlie, many people became very rich as result of discovering large deposits of gold (golden nuggets). Although it was possible for the gold that people found to be traded for some other commodities, in general it was mostly exchanged at banks for cash. Many of the banks were owned by the government, so effectively the government paid people for their gold. But what to do with all the gold ? In many instances, the gold that was exchanged for cash was taken to a central location, melted down and reformed into gold bars (or ingots) and these were then stockpiled at a central secure location, often the State Treasury. To do this required transportation of the gold or gold ingots by stagecoach, since horses were the only non-human means of moving goods available. The gold rush not only produced large quantities of the gold, but also large quantities of money when people sold their gold at the banks. Many merchants and people who supplied services to the goldminers also profitted handsomely. Although many miners didn't find enough gold to pay their way, many did. Some men decided that the lure of all this money and gold was simply too irresistible and they devised clever schemes to hold up the mail coaches carrying the gold to the State Treasury or wealthy citizens. They would often pick isolated locations along the mail/travel routes and on horseback, with guns and other weapons in hand, conduct an ambush of the coach and its occupants. Not surprisingly the wealthy citizenry were apalled by such behaviour and very quickly legislated to provide for very stiff penalties for bushrangers. What made capturing the bushrangers difficult was the very fact that the hold-ups they conducted were done in remote locations on horseback, which permitted an easy get away. In time, security on the gold coaches were upgraded and it wasn't long before armed escorts travelled on the coaches to protect the gold supply. Similarly, not all bushrangers fared well. Many of them were indeed captured, with the common sentence being "life" meaning that they were killed, normally by hanging. The most famous bushranger was Ned Kelly, whose gang were active in northern and north-eastern Victoria particuarly around Mansfield, Beechworth and Benalla. Many bushrangers had nicknames. Though Kelly generally was known as Ned or Ned Kelly, Ben Hall commonly went by the name The Gentleman Bushranger, as he did not often resort to violence during the armed robberies he conducted. He operated mainly in central NSW. Strictly speaking Ben Hall wasn't really famous for anything, but rather he was an infamous Australian armed robber (bushranger, highway robber) that took advantage of people's fortunes created during the gold rush. The word "famous" usually refers to something positive or noteworthy.

"

Answer 2

Both.

If someone is "famous" it means he/she is well-known; a common topic of conversation; and thus may be in a good or bad sense.

If someone is "infamous", it tends to mean having a bad reputation, or associated with something detestable.

Ben Hall was a bushranger who was well known, but he was well-known for all the wrong reasons. Like many bushrangers, he was vicious and ruthless.

Answer 3

Ben Hall is famous because he commits robberies.