Born in England’s north, he was apprenticed as a seaman.
Archer made several voyages, including one to Finland in the middle of winter.
Possessing a strong sense of justice, he had rescued another seaman during his time at sea from a large Dutch bos’un.
The bos’un had been beating the weaker man. Archer thrashed the bully. Once he had come across two gypsies beating a young boy. Archer gave both gypsies a beating.
In 1884, he left the sea and enlisted in the British Marines. This was the time of Britain’s failed rescue of Gordon from Khartoum.
Archer fought bravely with the Marines in the Sudan. He was awarded a medal for bravery.
In 1890, Archer emigrated to Australia and worked as a seaman aboard the Narcissus. In 1897, he jumped ship.
Employed as a cellarman at Melbourne’s Hotham Hotel, he lived with a "fallen" woman.
Both drank heavily with spirits stolen from his job. His thefts were detected. He was dismissed.
By 1898, Archer was broke and working in Strathmerton for a farmer, Mr Stidwell.
William Matthews asked Archer to go possum hunting with him. Archer could not contribute to the costs of the expedition, but Matthews offered him equal shares in any resulting money.
Matthews soon realised that possum hunting would not support the two of them. He suggested that they go their own ways.
Archer calculated he could realise $26 by selling Matthews’ horse, cart, harness and other belongings.
That night after Matthews fell asleep, Archer hit him on the head twice with a tomahawk. Archer then carted his body to Ulupna Creek near Cobram and tipped it in.
Matthews' body was soon found. Despite fleeing to Melbourne, Archer was arrested.
On Archer's arrival by train in Benalla, most of Benalla turned out to see him.
In October 1898, he stood trial in Benalla's Supreme Court.
Archer walked each day to Court, surrounded by 11 policemen. Crowds walked with him to stare.
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His case was hopeless. Forty-one witnesses gave evidence against him. The jury took just two hours for its decision.
Before sentencing him to death, Justice Hood asked Archer if he had anything to say. Archer begged for mercy.
In his cell, Archer fainted and then came to, gabbling in Spanish and German. The police feared that he would kill himself against the cell walls.
They took him outside. There he captivated the crowd with a series of fits in which he kicked and bit anything near him.
He entertained the town again while he awaited the Melbourne train at Benalla railway station. He attempted escape. Thwarted, he again fell into fits and gabbled.
Awaiting the rope, Archer said that he had only killed Matthews for money to save his woman.
The course of justice and a man's life is seldom straightforward. It was later revealed that Archer's trial had cost $194.
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