The Rhynie Tragedy: Part two

The Rhynie Tragedy Part two

Last week we looked into some of the circumstances that led to the tragic deaths of the Lee family, after Father and husband Alexander Lee killed his Wife and Children. This week we take another look at the case, delving into how he perpetrated his crime, and his eventual hanging in Adelaide Gaol.

  Thursday morning, July 15^th, 1920, convicted murderer, Alexander Newland Lee was taken from his cell on the eastern side of Adelaide Gaol. It was 6:30 in the morning, in less than two hours, Mr Lee, condemned for the murder of his wife and children, would be dead, hung from the gallows inside Adelaide Gaol.

  Weeks earlier, Lee had hurt his hand shearing sheep in a freak accident, and had been receiving treatment at Nuriootpa Hospital. Due to not being able to take on his usual employee, he accepted a job droving cattle. While employed on the cattle run, it is believed Lee purchased a quantity of strychnine & in compliance with regulations, signed his name in the Poison Book.

  Lee was said to have been seen skulking around the small town of Rhynie, the night of his families death. Having returned only a couple of days earlier from the cattle droving job he'd picked up.

 In his testimony to the Police, Lee stated that he had returned home from the cattle run to find his family writhing in agony on their beds. He jumped onto his bicycle and rode 300 meters to awaken the mounted constable and a doctor in the Rhynie Hotel. 

  Lee rode back to his home, and was just in time to see one his little boys drawing his last breath, He then witnessed the death of his daughter, writhing in total agony as the strychnine poison engulfed her body and stopped her heart.

On Easter Sunday, Detectives Nation and Goldsworthy of Adelaide, arrived in Rhynie to conduct a full investigation of the deaths of the Lee family. They concluded that Alexander was the culprit and arrested him on suspicion of murder. 

  Alexander Lee offered one of the weakest explanations for the death of his family, stating that he thought the family had died after drinking milk tainted with mouse poison. The mouse poison in his explanation, had fallen from a high shelf into the milk container, and the family, who were in the custom of having a glass of milk before sleep, all drank from the same bottle.

The inquest and trial did not take long and it was found that Alexander Newland Leewas guilty of the crime of murder.

  Lee, in his final hours, ate a hearty breakfast, and was comforted spiritually by Rev. W.H. Hanton, before being led to the gallows. Even in his final hours he would not make a confession to the crimes, and the details of what happened died with him at 8 am that morning, on the noose.

Murial and Alexander’s two surviving children, the twin girls were fostered by a local family in Rhynie, where they were raised lovingly. They took on their foster parents surnames and lived locally for many years.

Upon burial of Muriel and her children, Murial Lee's parents buried their daughter and grandchildren under her maiden name, in protest of their murder by Lee.

The Rhynie Tragedy: Part One

The Rhynie Tragedy Part One

On April 1st, 1920, tragedy struck the small country town of Rhynie, a little hamlet not far from Riverton in the States Mid-North. The bodies of Mrs Muriel Lee and three of her five children, aged three, five and six years old respectively, were found dead, lying in their beds in their country home, murdered by husband and father, Alexander Lee.

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.  1848 - 1957), Monday 5 April 1920, page 6

  Alexander had come home a couple of days prior, after being away for a lengthy time shearing sheep at homesteads around the State.
 He had returned home drunk one night and accused his wife of a number of petty things, but had wound himself up, and accused her of having a series of “fancy” men in the house in his absence.

  The night before the murder, Charles Glen, Mrs Lee's brother had visited the house. Alexander was laying on the sofa, smoking a pipe. Glen went to leave saying “I will get away now, as I want to get a pint of beer before 6”, after which Lee said, “A Pint would do me good.”
  Mrs Lee said to her brother “Don't talk to me about beer, I had enough of it last night. He came home drunk and accused me of all sorts of things, and he said I had men in the house when he was away."

  Lee then called his daughter, Amelia into the room and stated "I will keep you and little Alice, and I hope to God the rest of the ------- are dead by the morning." Lee then looked at his wife and said, “You must have riled me to say a thing like that!"

  This was not the first time Alexander Lee had been harsh to his wife. The married couple also had twins babies which at the time of the murders were in a hospital in Adelaide, as they had been unwell with influenza.
 Emily Mellery, a young nurse looking after the young twins, who was later called upon as a witness, reported she had been staying with the Lee family. One evening, Mr Lee arrived home in a bad state of intoxication and began to call his wife all manner of names and curses.

  After a while Lee began to make accusations about the fatherhood of his twins, "I am not responsible for your condition." Lee said, to which his wife answered, "Don't say that to me, Alex You know I don't do that." 

 

Advocate (Burnie, Tas.  1890 - 1954),
 Wednesday 9 June 1920, page 3

  Lee, who had two bottles of brandy and a bottle of wine with him from which he was drinking heavily, then forced his wife to drink several glasses of brandy. After each drink she was sick.
  The following afternoon Mrs Lee was removed to the Riverton Maternity Hospital, and was away from home for about three weeks. On the day she reached home, the twins began to cry, and Lee remarked to his wife, "Chuck the little ----- outside they don't belong to me."   Mrs Lee replied, "Oh, Alex don't say that to me. God put them into the world for something, and we must look after them." Alex replied, "I Wasn't Home, I wasn't home when the twins arrived, I was away shearing. I think your memory has failed you considerably."

There was much speculation that Alexander Lee thought his brother, Leonard, may have been the father of the twin. This, he speculated because, on a day in March, Leonard had been standing at the front gate of the family home when Alexander had returned from work. Alexander said unto him “Hello you F$#@er!” and then had continued to berate his wife inside the home saying “why don't you keep your fancy man in here?”

  Alexander Lee obviously had trust issues and a drinking problem, but also had murder on his mind – next week on The Haunts of Adelaide, we take a closer look at the murders, trial and hanging of Alexander Lee


© 2014 Allen Tiller

The Haunting of the Fountain Inn Hotel

The Haunting of the Fountain Inn Hotel

  The Fountain Inn, at Yilki (Encounter Bay area), was built in 1847. One of the first Inn's in South Australia and it still stands today. Now known as “Yelki By The Sea”, a Bed and Breakfast near Encounter Bay.



  One of South Australia’s earliest hauntings (Alongside Graham's Castle in Prospect and Younghusband Mansion in Adelaide City), The Fountain Inn is thought to be one of South Australia's earliest built Hotels, being established in around 1847.

  The original building was constructed of weather-board and a thatched roof, and was the only pub for miles around in the area, which led to it being very popular, as there really was no other place to drink and socialise with other settlers, sailors and locals.

  Whalers in the southern ocean would drink inside its walls, and many wild brawls would occur out of liquor fuelled jealousy and anger. More than one man was dragged from the hotel in the early years, bleeding profusely from wounds sustained in the brawls.
  It wasn't long until other hotels began to spring up in the region. Newer buildings with more room and better facilities. The Fountain Inn Hotel fell to the wayside and became a summer residence let to tenants.
However, no tenants would stay in the house long.

  In the dead of the night, when all was quiet, except the sounds of the waves breaking upon the shore, the old Inn would stir and creak, and something unexplained would come to the fore. Inexplicable noises, like human feet dragging heavily across soft sand towards the lonely Inn. Yet, when one would go to investigate, nothing would be there, except the grassy reeds swaying in the wind.
  Rumours sprung up in nearby towns, about the weird goings-on in the Inn. It was to become local lore that a whaler, who had been beaten in a fight in the hotel, then dragged down to the beach where he died, was now coming back to the Inn on a nightly basis to seek his revenge.
  The haunting rumours spread like wildfire, and soon no-one in the region was brave enough to spend a night in the haunted Inn, except for a young farmer named Mr Smith, who was staying in the Inn with his wife, well aware of the evil reputation of the building.

  Mr Smith was called into town one night and did not want to leave his wife home alone, but she insisted she would be fine and for her husband to go.
  After her husband left, the young wife retired to her room to sew by the light of her flicker oil lamp. The lamp threw strange shadows upon the walls, and outside the wind moaned. She tried to put the thought of ghosts out of her mind and waited for her husbands return.
 At about 2am, the wind had died down, and she listened as the waves broke upon the shore. Suddenly, from outside her window came the sound of a soft dragging rustle, as if a heavy body was being dragged through the sand. It grew louder, closer – soon she could take it no more, and with her lamp, she flung open the outside door and glanced around in the lamp and moonlight only to find the beach deserted.
  She could still hear the dragging noises, only a few meters from where she stood, but whatever was making them was not visible to the eye. In a state of panic, she returned to the Inn, double bolted the door, returned to her room, and waited for her husband with the lamp turned fully on.

  The next day Mr Smith returned, and he found his wife barricaded in the bedroom. After she told him of her frightening encounter with the spirit, they packed up and sought accommodation elsewhere, but not before telling the local newspapers what had happened!!!


© Allen Tiller 2014

(Note: could the dragging sound be a seal? )

The Execution of William Henry Feast

The Execution of William Henry Feast

In 1955, the battered, beaten and bloodied body of Unice Flora Gwynne, aged 78, a widow, was found partially hidden in a mangrove swamp near Port Adelaide. Half of her clothing had been removed and she had been “criminally assaulted”

Police started to investigate the matter, and it did not take them long to become suspicious of one William Henry Feast, a 42-year-old Wharf Labourer, but William had skipped town and headed to Victoria.

Mr Feast was eventually hunted down, the brutality of his crime to an old woman earned him no reprieve from the criminal element of the State of Victoria, and Police eventually caught up with, and arrested him.

On January 2^nd, South Australian Police sent over Detective Sergeant E. Canney, a Police Escort to accompany Mr Feast back to Adelaide to face his murder charge in courts. There was a slight hitch in the plan, which made national news at the time, Two major Australian airlines, TAA and ANA, would not allow Mr Feast nor his Police Escort to board their flights on the ground that their paying passengers would be safe, and be somewhat endangered by having this man on their flight. Feast was eventually brought back to Adelaide via the train service.

Feast was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to hang in Adelaide Gaol, his execution by hanging took place on March 23^rd 1956

© 2007 - 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

www.allentiller.com.au

“Goodbye, and Meet Me in Heaven” - The Murder of Norma Plush.

“Goodbye, and Meet Me in Heaven” - The Murder of Norma Plush.

"The end is now drawing near, and I wish to make my last statement. When I purchased the revolver it was for the purpose of shooting Otto if I saw him misbehaving with the girl Norma, as I looked upon her as a sister. I carried the revolver loaded for a fortnight, and once drew it to cover Otto with. This plan failed, and I was ordered to leave the place and then I shot the child to protect her from evil. After this, I tried to shoot myself, but the revolver would not go off. I then gave myself up to the police. I am sorry for what I have done. Good-bye."

Above is the last written and signed statement of Carlos Bonello before he was taken to the Gallows at Adelaide Gaol and hung at 8am on May 5^th 1910

Bonello, a Portuguese immigrant was sentenced to death on April 7^th after the shooting murder of 13-year-old girl, Emma Norma Plush (known as Norma) in the Barossa Valley town of Nuriootpa.
Bonello had been working as the Gardener around Emma's home, in March he reported to Mrs Plush that he witnessed a young man named Otto be “unduly familiar” with Norma.

Norma's parents dismissed the notion entirely.
On March the 5^th, Bonello walked into the kitchen of the Plush home and said to Mrs Plush, “you don't believe my word!” He then pulled out a gun and fired at Norma, narrowly missing her.
 Mrs Plush and Bonello struggled as she tried to disarm the enraged man. Another shot rang out, this time fatally wounding Norma. Norma had been in the kitchen too, and upon Bonello's entry, had moved out of harm's way, but not far enough.
Bonello fled the scene back to his sleeping quarters, which were also on the property, before giving himself in to the police later the same day.

In Adelaide Gaol, Major Williams of the Salvation Army began to visit the murderer on a daily basis, he reported to the courts that he thought the man was eccentric, but his heart in many ways bound to doing good, and that this murder was a mistake.



Bonello became very remorseful and tried to make his peace with God, confessing his sins to his creator, and, reportedly, feeling somewhat better for it.
Before his death, Bonello repeated the parable of the ten virgins and then said “My Lamp is trimmed and burning brightly. I have the oil of grace in my soul". He then sang “Nearer My God To Thee”.

His last words as he stepped upon the scaffold were “Goodbye, and meet me in heaven” (spoken in Italian)

© 2007 - 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.net

www.allentiller.com.au

AN ADELAIDE GHOST STORY.

AN ADELAIDE GHOST STORY.

  In 1868, Mr Cleary, a sailor on the “Persian Empire” sailing ship, which was about to leave Port Adelaide for London, suffered terrible dreams about his death at sea.
  He dreamed of the upcoming Christmas Day, being out at sea and nearing Cape Horn. Cleary and the rest of his watch were ordered to secure a boat hanging in the davits during a heavy gale. He and another sailor got into the boat when a fearful sea broke over the ship, washing them both out of the boat into the sea, where they were both drowned.

  On Christmas Eve, the Persian Empire neared Cape Horn and Cleary's dream that night was identical to the first time he had it. Clearly an omen about his impending death, the poor man became distraught with worry. He screamed in horror at the thought of it, and was heard muttering “I know it will come true!”

  On Christmas Day, Cleary's dream, particulars became reality, precisely as he had foreseen. Cleary and his watch were ordered to secure a boat hanging in the davits. Clearly flatly refused.
He was summoned to the lower decks and the Captain's Quarters, where he stated that he had refused as he knew he would drown if he went down into that boat.
 His refusal to discharge his duty was noted in the ship's log. The Chief Duty Officer, Mr Douglas, went to sign the paperwork, and Clearly exclaimed: “I will go do my duty, for now, I know the other man in my dream!”.
The two men walked back up on deck and Clearly explained his dream to Douglas, who listened intently, never uttering a word.

  They got into the boat, and when they were all making fast, a heavy sea struck the vessel with such force that the watch crew would have been washed overboard had they not clung to the mast. The boat was turned over, and Douglas and Cleary were flung into the sea. They swam for as long as they could but were soon overcome, drowning at sea.

It was just three months after Cleary had dreamt of his death before leaving Adelaide.  

© 2007 - 2014 Allen Tiller

www.allentiller.com.au

The Demolition of the Julia Farr Building

The Demolition of the Julia Farr Building

Instead of a writing blog, today I am sharing a group of photos I took whilst visiting the Julia Farr Centre while it was being pulled down.
Adelaide paranormal enthusiasts would know the extensive problems the owners of the old hospital building had with the vandals, urban explorers, thrill-seekers and other members of the public who would break into the derelict and condemned building in search of cheap thrills, and in some cases, in search of ghosts.

 I do unfortunately know a couple of stories of local paranormal investigators who trespassed in the building in the search of evidence, I DO NOT condone this type of behaviour, nor partake in it - if you DO NOT have permission, please don't take it upon yourself to enter anywhere, places like this one were extremely unsafe, and I am still surprised no "explorers" lost their lives.

Rumours abound about the hauntings in this building, but before it was emptied and become condemned, there were next to no stories in the public forum about ghosts residing here. Rumour and urban legends soon changed that, with the most common stories being the usual Nurse and Doctor stories, phantom medical staff walking the hallways, mostly unfounded, and never investigated by any paranormal teams. Unfortunately now, with the building torn down, there is nothing much left to investigate, and the Julia Farr Centre ghost stories become urban legends from an iconic location lost to progress...

 Anyhoo, here are some photos from the day they pulled a wing down - enjoy.

All photos by Allen Tiller

© 2007 - 2014 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

www.allentiller.com.au