1867: Hanged at Perth Gaol, His Final Words a Shout for the Irish Republic
Bernard Wootton, a repeat escapee from Fremantle Prison, broke out in August 1867 in a scheme so audacious it fooled the guards: a fellow convict disguised as a warder simply marched the escape party out the gate. Read more →
1908: The Slowest Death: a Perth Stepmother’s Acid Poisoning Spree Claims a Third Child
Arthur Morris was the last of three children to die after his stepmother, Martha Rendell, began swabbing their throats with hydrochloric acid at the family home in East Perth, Perth. Read more →
1923: Squizzy Taylor Walked Free While a Man Who Never Fired a Shot Hanged for a Melbourne Bank Murder
Thomas Berriman, manager of the Hawthorn branch of the Commercial Bank, was shot outside Glenferrie Station in Melbourne on this date while carrying £1,851 in bank funds to the head office. Read more →
2004: From Family Holiday to Front-Page News: the Arrest of Schapelle Corby in Bali
Schapelle Corby was flying from Brisbane via Sydney to Bali for a family holiday when customs officers at Denpasar airport opened her unlocked bodyboard bag and found 4.2 kilograms of cannabis sealed inside a vacuum-packed bag. Read more →
