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1870: James Cusack Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for Murder at Woods Point

James Cusack was tried before Justice Barry at the Victorian Criminal Sessions in August 1870 for the wilful murder of his wife, Ann Cusack, at Gooley’s Creek on the Upper Goulburn River.

A neighbour, Patrick Malone, testified to a history of brutal domestic abuse: over eighteen months he had repeatedly witnessed Cusack beating, kicking, and dragging Ann by the hair. On the night of 28 June 1870, Malone watched Cusack knock her down with his fist over a hidden bottle of gin. The violence that followed proved fatal.

Cusack was convicted and hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 30 August 1870, leaving behind four children, the eldest just six years old and the youngest twelve months.

Woods Point, Charles William Dale, State Library Victoria, H36372.

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Australia Domestic Violence Execution Goulburn River Melbourne Murder Trial VIC Woods Point

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1830: A Daring Escape and a Public Hanging in Colonial New South Wales

In February 1829, a man from the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales killed English sawyer John Rivett in the Kangaroo Valley, claiming self-defence after a dispute over a trade and a personal grievance. He and his accomplice evaded capture for months, using their knowledge of the densely forested hilly terrain to outrun colonial authorities.

Arrested in May 1829, the accused made a bold escape aboard a ship bound for Sydney, stealing the keys to his chains from a sleeping guard before jumping overboard with his companion. Recaptured and tried, he was found guilty of wilful murder and publicly executed by infamous hangman Alexander Green on 30 August 1830.

White bark gumtrees by Shoalhaven River under storm clouds

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Australia Colonial History Escape Execution Kangaroo Valley Murder NSW Shoalhaven Sydney

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1875: An Gaa Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for the Murder of a Mining Partner at Vaughan

In June 1875, a Chinese miner was found dead at a hut near the goldfields of Vaughan, central Victoria. An Gaa, who shared the hut with the deceased, was found calmly eating rice by candlelight when Constable King and a Chinese interpreter arrived to investigate.

The scene was disturbing: the body lay on its side, a used opium pipe in the hand, blood soaked through the straw bunk and into the wood beneath, and a wet towel stained with blood and water nearby. An Gaa claimed to know nothing of how his housemate had died.

Tried before Justice Sir Redmond Barry in July 1875, An Gaa was convicted of murder. He was hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 30 August 1875.

Workers washing mining tailings in the 1870s

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Australia Castlemaine Execution Melbourne Murder Trial Vaughan VIC

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1905: Pearl Trader Lured Aboard and Murdered in Broome for a Stolen Pearl

Mark Liebglid, a commercial traveller who bought and sold pearls in Perth-region waters for Freedman and Co. and Falk and Co., was lured aboard the abandoned schooner Mist in Broome harbour on 30 August 1905 under the pretence of viewing a stolen pearl. Known for flashing a large money clip, a gold signet ring, and a willingness to buy pearls of questionable provenance, Liebglid was beaten with a slingshot and oars by Charles Hagen, Pablo Marquez, and Simeon Espada, then drowned. His body was found floating near the vessel the following morning.

The stolen pearl at the centre of the plot was believed to have been hidden by a crew member in a coil of rope with its whereabouts never conclusively confirmed.

Schooner Mist showing where Mark Leibglid was thrown overboard

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Australia Broome Execution Murder Organised Crime WA

1870: James Cusack Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for Murder at Woods Point

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1830: A Daring Escape and a Public Hanging in Colonial New South Wales

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1875: An Gaa Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for the Murder of a Mining Partner at Vaughan

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1905: Pearl Trader Lured Aboard and Murdered in Broome for a Stolen Pearl

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