Death of Philip McClean

Photo by David Clode

On April 6, 1926, 16-year-old Phillip McClean and his brother Granville were looking for their horses on their property in Mossman, Queensland, Australia. Their dog would start to fight with a large cassowary. Granville rushed to save their dog who was losing the fight. The bird would kick him in the leg knocking him down. Philip trying to protect his brother hit the cassowary with a horse briddle.

This would allow the younger brother to get up and run. Unfortunately, Philip would trip to the ground and the cassowary would kick him slicing open his neck and severing his jugular vein. Philip would get up and run only 200 yards before bleeding to death. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Steemit

Fact Republic

The Gatton Tragedy: Murder of the Murphy Siblings

Norah              Michael                Ellen

On the night of December 26, 1898, around 8 p.m. 27-year-old Norah, 18-year-old Ellen, and 29-year-old Michael Murphy left their home at Black Fellow's Creek outside of Gatton, Australia in a two-wheeled cart. Michael was driving his sisters to a dance held at the Gatton Divisional Hall and hoped to arrive by 9.  

The trio didn't know that the dance was to be canceled due to the lack of female attendance. They arrived and realized it had been canceled and headed back home. But they were to never return. 

Their mother had gotten worried and knew something was off. She sent her son-in-law William McNeil into Gatton to see why the siblings didn't return. That morning he found them after following his Sulky's distinctive track marks (due to a wobbly wheel) on the road. He followed them and found their bodies in a horrifying sight.  The police were soon contacted. 

The scene was marked off, but townspeople hearing of the murders came to the scene. It was contaminated by onlookers. The bodies were brought to a local hotel for autopsy. 

At the scene, Ellen and Michael were laying back to back while Norah lay a few yards away on a neatly spread rug. The girls had them hands tied behind their backs with handkerchiefs. Micheal had been both beaten and shot to death. He may have had his hands tied together at one point.The girls had been sexually assaulted and then they were beaten to death. Norah may have also been strangled. Nora had a hames strap tightly wrapped around her neck. Their horse had been shot and killed and 15 shillings were missing from Michaels purse. His purse was in his hand and a breeching strap nearby. 

Some suspected maybe they were killed by family members or they had been killed by a local priest as someone heard a woman screaming "father" that night. But the police believed that it may have been a transient who was in the area who killed the three.

They had two main suspects one was man name Richard Burgess, but he had a solid alibi and the other was a man named Thomas Day. Thomas's hut was near the scene and someone claimed to see him wash the blood from a pullover days later. But there was no clear evidence of who the murderer or murders were. No one was charged with this case and will remain unsolved. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia
Gatton Murders
Western Mail
Daily News
Huff Post

Murder of Agnes, Maude, Eddie, Dorrie, Hughie, and Winnie Ching

27-year-old George David Silva who was of Cingalese decent was working as a farmhand for Charles Ching at Alligator Creek about 20 miles away from Mackay, Queensland, Australia. On November 16, 1911, Charles was away from the home at the time for supplies and money for George's wages. The three oldest children Florence, Henry and Henrietta were not living in the home at the time.

Maud (17) the daughter of Charles and Agnes (45) rejected George's advances. This angered George and went after the family. He shot Agnes and Maude in the neck with a revolver and a muzzle-loading rifle. He had beaten Hughie (5) and Winnie's (1) skulls in.  He dragged the bodies to the sitting room and placed them by a colored table and a table cloth placed on top of them.

He then took Dolly (8) and Teddy (10) away from the home and was witnessed by Grace Carey a schoolgirl who would walk home with the Ching Children. Once they got a mile and 1/2 he had shot and bashed both of their skulls in.

After the murder, he locked the door and waited for Charles. He told him that the family went to visit a neighbor and George and Charles had made dinner together in the kitchen house.  When his family didn't return Charles went to the neighbor he thought they were at. The neighbor stated they weren't there and to open a window for access to the house. So George and Charles did just that. Inside he found four members of his family dead. Two of the children were still missing.

George went to get the police and was carrying the bloody clothes that he wore during the attack. On the way, he burned the clothes, but they were later found.

George had tried to pass the blame to two neighbors named Dooley Khan and Charles Butler. There was no evidence to support that the two had killed the family. But after fearing a lynch mob would go after him, either way, he confessed to killing the family. He stated that Agnes wouldn't let him marry Maude.

George was found guilty and was executed on June 10, 1912. He was hanged at Boggo Road Gaol in Brisbane. 

SOURCES:

Murderpedia