1858: The Rope Broke, So They Hanged Him Again: Samuel Gibbs Executed in Melbourne for the Murder of His Wife
Samuel Gibbs, a miner working the Upper Wet Lead near Ararat, was accused of throwing his wife Anne down a disused 60 foot mine shaft after a drunken quarrel one stormy night in January 1858. Read more →
1858: He Named Four Innocent Men as the Killers: Hanged in Melbourne for a Ballarat Murder
Hugh Anderson had money and a fortnight of riotous spending behind him when he was found dead in a Ballarat stable, dragged there in the dark with his boots and hat gone. Read more →
1894: A Jockey Hanged at Ballarat Asked One Last Question: Who Won the Melbourne Cup?
Elijah Cockroft was a young jockey besotted with his half-sister Fanny Mott, who was engaged to marry his own brother. Read more →
1929: She Asked for a Kiss, Then Bled to Death: Frederick Carr Hanged in Adelaide for Murdering His Wife
On the evening of 28 June 1929, Maude Carr walked into the police station near her home at Birkenhead, outside Adelaide, and asked if she could sleep in a cell. Read more →
1941: Six Cops Guarded Him, and He Still Went Out the Window: the Death of Mob Informant Kid Twist
Abe "Kid Twist" Reles had already done the unthinkable: he turned on Murder Inc., the Brooklyn killing squad for organised crime, and his testimony was sending its hitmen to the chair. Read more →
1963: The Royal Commission That Cleared Brisbane Police, Then Unravelled as a Cover-up
A Queensland judge was appointed on this day in 1963 to investigate claims that police, including the state's own police commissioner, frequented Brisbane's National Hotel and turned a blind eye to an illegal call girl racket run out of its rooms. Read more →
