Execution - Dark Stories True Crime Tours

1870: Patrick Smith Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for the Murder of His Wife

Patrick Smith, a fisherman working the Yarra and Saltwater rivers, had subjected his wife Mary to years of brutal abuse at their home in Errol Street, Hotham (North Melbourne). Neighbours had witnessed repeated beatings and shocking cruelties; Mary herself had told those around her that she believed her husband would one day murder her. On 9 July 1870, after a day of drinking and quarrelling, a neighbour heard heavy blows, then silence, then Smith calling out ‘Mary, Mary, do get up.’ She was never seen alive again.

Smith was tried for the murder of his wife and convicted. He was hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 4 August 1870.

Maribyrnong River at Brimbank Park in Victoria, Australia

⬅ See all events from 4 August

Australia Domestic Homicide Execution Melbourne Murder North Melbourne VIC

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

1546: Scholar and Printer Etienne Dolet Hanged and Burned for Heresy in Paris

Etienne Dolet, born in Orleans in 1509, was a French scholar, translator and printer whose humanist convictions put him on a collision course with the French Inquisition. Educated at Padua and Toulouse, he built a reputation as a gifted orator and a defiant critic of religious orthodoxy. His publications in Lyon drew the close attention of inquisitorial authorities, and after several periods of imprisonment, the combined forces of the parlement of Paris, the Inquisition, and the Sorbonne secured his conviction for heresy, blasphemy and sedition.

On 3 August 1546, his 37th birthday, Dolet was hanged and burned alongside his books on the Place Maubert in Paris. He is remembered today as a martyr for freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

16th century engraving portrait of Etienne Dolet

⬅ See all events from 3 August

Europe Execution France Paris Political Crime Religion Trial

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

1864: William Carver Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for Armed Bank Robbery at Fitzroy

On 14 July 1864, four men, Samuel Woods, William Carver, Jeremiah Phillips, and James Anderson, stormed the Fitzroy branch of the English, Scottish, and Australian Chartered Bank. Woods entered first, confronting the manager John Dowling at the counter, threatening to shoot him and producing a pistol during the struggle that followed. The gang was arrested and committed for trial, the Crown prosecutor arguing that even those who stood watch outside the building shared equal guilt with those who entered.

Carver was convicted of shooting with intent and hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 3 August 1864.

Waltz in a backroom 1864 Fitzroy bank robbery with pistols and knife

⬅ See all events from 3 August

Australia Execution Fitzroy Melbourne Murder Organised Crime Robbery Trial VIC

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

1864: Samuel Woods Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for Armed Robbery and Shooting at Fitzroy Bank

On the morning of 14 July 1864, four men, Samuel Woods, William Carver, Jeremiah Phillips, and James Anderson, stormed the Fitzroy branch of the English, Scottish, and Australian Chartered Bank. Woods entered alone, advanced toward the manager’s private room, and when confronted by manager John Dowling, threatened to shoot him. In the struggle that followed, Dowling fought to redirect the pistol as Woods fired. Anderson, who had not entered the building, stood watch outside and fled after the robbery, making him equally liable under the law.

All four were brought before the City Court, represented by Crown Solicitor R. F. Gurner, and committed for trial. Woods was convicted and hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 3 August 1864 for shooting with intent.

⬅ See all events from 3 August

Australia Execution Fitzroy Melbourne Murder Organised Crime Robbery VIC

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Subscribe to Dark Stories