9781405035743 - The Gatton Murders : a True Story of Lust, Vengeance and Vile Retribution by Bennett, Stephanie (3 results)

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Well Bound, clean, 287 pages. Some foxing to ffep, inner covers and outer page edge.

Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Covers & Spine: front and back showing light scuffing & signs of handling otherwise undamaged, only minor wear at edges and corners, spine is intact and solid. Binding: firm throughout. Pages & Markings: unstained, no markings, clean throughout. All items are protectively packaged, and a postal tracking number will be sent to all customers whose current email address is registered with AbeBooks.

Softcover. Condition: Near Fine. TRUE CRIME AUSTRALIA The Gatton Murders of 1898Information from the resources of the Queensland Police MuseumThe Crime: On the night of Boxing Day 1898, Michael Murphy, 29, and his sisters,Norah, 27, and Ellen, 18, were returning home in a sulky to their parents' farmoutside Gatton. They had been to a cancelled country dance in Gatton afterspending a day at the races at Mount Sylvia. About 3km outside Gatton the threewere murdered in what still one of the most is baffling unsolved murders inAustralian history. The next morning their brother-in-law William McNeill set outlooking for them, Two miles out of Gatton on Tent Hill Road, he followed the sulky'stracks, characterised by one wobbly wheel, as they veered through sliprails intoMoran's paddock. He found the bodies of Michael, Ellen and Norah. The girls'clothing was torn and they had been raped. Michael and Ellen's skulls were crushed.It was later found that Michael had been shot in the head. Nearby was the horse,also shot in the head. It was a horrible crime by any standard, but for it to havehappened in an Australian country town in 1898 was almost incomprehensible to ashocked public.The Investigation: Numerous setbacks - which would most likely never occurtoday - hindered the investigation. Due to communication breakdowns and relianceon telegrams to relay information, Brisbane police did not learn of the crime untiltwo days later. The crime scene was not immediately secured and many peoplepassed through, possibly obliterating valuable clues. At that time, there was onlyone police photographer who was responsible for covering crimes throughout thestate. Bodies were moved before photos could be taken. The press criticised thepolice for bungling the investigation while Inspector Urquhart criticised the press forits 'silly and unreliable' reporting. Over the course of the investigation, the policeinterviewed more than 1,000 people. Among the main suspects were RichardBurgess, a recently discharged prisoner and bush vagabond who had an alibi, andThomas Day, a stranger to Gatton who was working for AG Clarke, the localbutcher, at the time of the murders. Police found blood on his clothing but in 1898there was no way to test if the blood was from an animal, as Day claimed, or froma human. In any case, Clarke warned Day against washing a particular jumper afterthe murders but a day or two later Day proceeded to wash and boil the jumpertwice and scrub it with a scrubbing brush. No further action was taken against Dayand a few weeks later he left the district.Although there has been endless speculation over the years about this complicatedand compelling case, it has never been established who committed the crime orwhat the motive behind it was. xi, 287 p., [8] p. of plates : ill., maps, ports. ; 24 cm. #220423 FIRST EDITION.Bibliography: p. 283-285.Murphy, Michael, -1898. | Murphy, Norah, -1898. | Murphy, Ellen, -1898. | Murder -- Queensland -- Gatton. Elizabeth's Bookshops have been one of Australia's premier independent book dealers since 1973. Elizabeth's family-owned business operates four branches in Perth CBD, Fremantle (WA), and Newtown (NSW). All orders are dispatched within 24 hours from our Fremantle Warehouse. All items can be viewed at Elizabeth's Bookshop Warehouse, 23 Queen Victoria Street\, Fremantle WA.