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1892: The Axe Murders That Made Lizzie Borden Infamous

On the morning of 4 August 1892, Andrew Borden and his wife Abby were found hacked to death in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts. Andrew, a self-made millionaire with an estate valued at $300,000, had built his fortune through furniture, property, and banking, yet kept a famously frugal household. Suspicion fell almost immediately on his younger daughter, Lizzie, a churchgoing Sunday school teacher and temperance advocate.

Lizzie Borden was tried for the axe murders of her father and stepmother and acquitted, with no one else ever charged. She spent the rest of her life in Fall River, dying of pneumonia in 1927 at age 66. The case never left the public imagination, inspiring films, plays, literary works, and one of the most enduring folk rhymes in American criminal history.

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Cold Case Murder Trial Unsolved USA

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1869: James Ritson Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for the Murder of a Prison Chaplain

James Ritson, a prisoner at Pentridge Stockade already serving time for shooting a market inspector, killed the Reverend William Hill inside his solitary confinement cell in July 1869. Hill, the Wesleyan chaplain and superintendent of the second Wesleyan Circuit, had entered the cell alone to offer religious instruction. Ritson attacked him with a bed hinge he had wrenched free, battering in the chaplain’s skull. A warder heard Hill cry out “Mercy, man” but mistook it for prayer; by the time he forced the barricaded door open, Hill was dying on the floor in a pool of blood.

Hill had served the colony for fourteen years, was acting editor of the Wesleyan Chronicle, and left four young children orphaned, their mother having died only months earlier. He was buried at Melbourne Cemetery on 15 July 1869. Ritson, described at the time as a homicidal maniac, was hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 3 August 1869.

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Australia Execution Melbourne Murder Prison VIC

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1864: Christopher Harrison Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for Shooting His Business Partner

Christopher Harrison and James Marsh held a government contract to clear Section No. 4 of the Jordan track near Melbourne. Marsh had failed to deposit funds to honour the workers’ cheques, leaving Harrison besieged by unpaid men. When the two met to settle the dispute, with contractor John Stewart present as arbitrator, Marsh refused to sign papers. Harrison drew a pistol, remarking: “Do you think such a wretch is fit to live? I don’t.” Marsh fell while trying to use a bystander as a shield, and Harrison shot him where he lay.

An inquest before Dr. Youl at the Sir Charles Hotham Hotel on Flinders Street returned a verdict of wilful murder. Harrison was described as composed, even nonchalant, as the evidence against him was heard. He was convicted and hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 3 August 1864.

Christopher Harrison Hanged at <a href='https://darkstories.com.au/melbournes-true-crime-tour/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>Melbourne</a> Gaol for Shooting His Business Partner

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Australia Execution Melbourne Murder Trial VIC

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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.

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

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Australia Execution Fitzroy Melbourne Murder Organised Crime Robbery VIC

1892: The Axe Murders That Made Lizzie Borden Infamous

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1869: James Ritson Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for the Murder of a Prison Chaplain

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1864: Christopher Harrison Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for Shooting His Business Partner

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

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