Tag Archives: Murder

The Head of William Jarvey, Murderer

This plaster death mask of William Jarvey was taken after his execution at Dunedin Gaol, 1865   THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY MAY 8, 1899. OTAGO DAILY TIMES, ISSUE 11417, 8 MAY 1899 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT18990508.2.30?query=executed%20skull&sort_by=byDA&items_per_page=100&page=2&start_date=01-01-1862&end_date=31-12-1903&snippet=true&title=EP,ODT An account of Jarvey’s execution. Some … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, FolkLore | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cold Blooded Murder

A further story from John Wilson’s ‘Reminiscences of the Early Settlement of Dunedin and South Otago‘. The context suggests this story takes place in the 1860s. A report of a double murder at Switzers reached Blatch at Clutha. Two brothers, named Tibbetts. had a station at Switzers. … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Suicide Bombing at Murchison, 1905

Murchison suicide bombing a world first Forget Islamic extremists or anything to do with the Middle East, the world’s first strapped-on suicide bombing happened in Murchison. Joseph Sewell was a 57-year-old farmer from Longford when he strapped himself with sticks … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Some pieces relating to blackbirding from New Zealand papers

At first relatively small ships – cutters, and ketches, and schooners – from New Zealand’s more northerly ports made up the bulk of the Kiwi blackbirding fleet, but as time went on, and the profits to be made from the … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cause Célèbre

WALTER WEST DIES. Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 2576, 6 March 1915, Page 4   http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=FS19150306.2.33&srpos=6&e=——-10–1—-0%22walter+west%22– Story: Parkinson, Alice May Alice May Parkinson’s conviction and imprisonment for manslaughter became acause célèbre in New Zealand in the years before 1920. Born on … Continue reading

Posted in Crime | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Decapitation of a Witch

Untitled Southland Times , Issue 2366, 6 May 1876, Page 2 http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=ST18760506.2.11&srpos=11&e=——-10–11—-2the+goddess+minerva– With Thanks to the National Library of New Zealand

Posted in Magic | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Madness and Murder at Ormondville

Two accounts, one from those those who discovered the scene, and one from the murderer describing the experience DISTRESSING MURDER AT ORMONDVILLE. Otago Daily Times , Issue 6876, 29 February 1884, Page 2 http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=ODT18840229.2.54 THE ORMONDVILLE TRAGEDY. Oamaru Mail, Volume … Continue reading

Posted in Madness | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment