Today, we bring you the story of James Lalor, who was arrested at the Wagga Hotel on August 10, 1915, after he committed an act of "disloyalty".

Under the War Precautions Act, it was illegal to do or say anything that prejudiced the community’s confidence in its war leaders. 

That evening at the Wagga Hotel, Lalor got into a heated argument with Tumbarumba man Thomas Williams.

“This is a capitalists’ war – a rich man’s war. Half-a-dozen men started it; let them fight it out,” Lalor told him.

“The King of England should be shot and the Queen should have her throat cut.”

The tale goes that Williams then invited Lalor to go outside “where he would deal with him”, but Lalor ran away from the hotel before the argument could turn violent. 

James was made to answer for his crimes at the Wagga Police Court, where he explained that he had received injuries to his head some years before the incident, after which a doctor told him he should never drink spirits. 

However, Lalor had gone against his doctor’s advice over the previous 12 months, during which he took to drinking heavily.

Under the influence of whiskey, Lalor claimed he had no recollection of his argument with Williams, and had no clue what he might have said. 

Despite Lalor’s protestations, the Police Magistrate found him guilty of disloyalty, but did make some allowances for his head injury. 

Lalor’s sentence was a choice between a £100 fine or six months’ hard labour in Albury Gaol. 

After the press assumed a connection between him and Peter Lalor, who was made famous in the Eureka Stockade, the story of Lalor’s arrest was quickly picked up by newspaper right across the nation. 

Despite being charged with disloyalty, records show that Lalor still made a reasonable contribution to the war effort.

He presented himself for enlistment in the Australian Imperial Force on March 1, 1916, in Melbourne after he was released from prison. 

Lalor did go on to serve in France with the 58^th Battalion for most of 1917, and was discharged in February 1918, when he was deemed medically unfit to serve due to his rheumatism and age.

Lalor’s son also enlisted in the Army at the age of 18 under his mother’s maiden name, and actually served at Gallipoli and in France. 

If you would like to learn more about James Lalor and some of Wagga’s other notorious criminals, visit the Captured: Portraits of Crime exhibition a the CSU Regional Archives. 

While you’re with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each day at 6am from the Daily Advertiser. To make sure you’re up to date with all the Wagga news and sport sign up here.