Forgotten Australia: Birdman of Adelaide

Podcaster and Murder Squad author Michael Adams loves delving into the tales of Forgotten Australia, where he recounts famous scandals, crimes and twisted tales from Australia’s past.

In his 3-part podcast about the Birdman of Adelaide, Adams recounts the mystical 1883 hanging in Adelaide Gaol of sailor William Burns, who reportedly tamed a wild sparrow in the harsh surrounds of the gaol while awaiting his death in the gallows.

“He has left behind him a touching remembrancer in the shape of a young sparrow which he has tamed during the time he has been awaiting his death,” The Adelaide Register reported at the time.

Burns reportedly stabbed a captain on the ship Douglas, which was carrying cargo from England to Adelaide.

Wild tales of violence and the transformation of William Burns

Retold through meticulous research into old newspaper clippings and valuable digital resources like the Trove archive, Michael Adams is a master storyteller.

Listen to Forgotten Australia on Apple, Spotify or wherever you choose to your podcasts.

After the jury handed down its verdict in the William Burns murder trial, Adelaide newspapers discovered the existence of his sparrow, which inspired a poet to write verses about what follows ... and two more Douglas crew members meet horrible deaths.

William Burns - who was said to “have had much good in his composition” and was liked by fellow prisoners for his “good character” - had murdered a sailor off the Cape Verde Islands.

In September 1882, on the British ship Douglas bound for Australia, English sailor William Burns stabbed and killed a superior officer. For this capital crime, he faced justice in Adelaide – and awaited his fate in the company of a baby sparrow.

"While waiting his doom, he formed an attachment to a young sparrow, which he tamed perfectly. He was greatly affected by the sight of the bird flitting about the scaffold while the preparations for his execution were in progress,” said the reports of the day.

At his December 1882 murder trial William Burns pleaded self-defence. His plight stirred a poet to write verses about what followed with the enchanting sparrow, who took to the shoulder of Burns’ gaolers once he had been hung.

You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out more about the poetry his deaths inspired and the 2 other Douglas crew members who met horrible deaths.

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