#OnThisDay 8 January 1889 Louisa Collins was the last woman hanged in Darlinghurst Gaol. She was also the last woman hanged in New South Wales. Dubbed the "Lucretia Borgia of Botany" by the newspapers, Louisa poisoned her two husbands and baby son over an eighteen month period with rat poison.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald. (1889, p. 7). The execution of Louisa Collins (note: this is a very detailed account of the hanging)
In this episode we show you the very popular Gaol Photo Description Books. The photos (or mugshots) of prisoners are from gaols right across NSW and date from 1870-1930.
The Gaol Photographs are an extraordinary collection of images and information of men women and children who were incarcerated in the NSW prison system. We have indexed and digitised our c.1870-c.1930 photographs. This webinar takes a look at the photographs and how to find them.
Explore the stories of men, women and children who were incarcerated in NSW gaols from 1870 to 1930. The exhibition engages with photographic portraits and descriptions of prisoners sourced from the State Archives Collection of Gaol Photographic Description Books.
A True Crime story about ferry captain George Dean who was found guilty of "administering poison with the intent to murder" his wife in April 1895. Despite a lack of evidence Dean was sentenced to death. A public outcry against the verdict was followed by a Royal Commission which resulted in Dean being granted a free pardon in June 1895. The story, however, was not over for George Dean and he was subsequently tried and sentenced to 9 years for "perjury with intent to procure acquittal".
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