31 December 1859, conditional he stayed in the Carcoar District. At Carcoar, he worked for a butcher. Two months later, he absconded to new gold diggings at Kiandra and calling himself Frank Gardiner opened a butcher’s shop selling carcasses of stolen cattle. His true identity was soon realized and warrants issued. He was arrested in May 1861, but skipped bail at Lambing Flat (now Young). He teamed up with Canadian immigrant John Gilbert and reverted to full-time crime.