‘We have failed because from the very outset we had no chance of success’
Inspector Frederick C. Urquhart in his police summary for the Gatton Murders
Gatton murder scene with police trackers at work, alongside Constable Murphy of Brisbane in the wattle scrub covered paddock belonging to Mr. Frank Moran. The Sulky belonging to the Murphy’s siblings (middle of the image) was part of the Police Museum collection but sadly it disappeared sometime after 1938.
The original image and the words describing it were first published in the Queenslander. Image No. PM0756 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum
The Crime: On the night of Boxing Day 1898, Michael Murphy, 29, and his sisters, Norah, 27, and Ellen, 18, were returning home in a sulky to their parents’ farm outside Gatton. They had been to a cancelled country dance in Gatton after spending a day at the races at Mount Sylvia. About 3km outside Gatton the three were murdered in what is still one of the most baffling unsolved murders in Australian history. The next morning their brother-in-law William McNeill set out looking for them.
The area in which the Gatton murders took place.
Image No. PM1027 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
Two miles out of Gatton on Tent Hill Road, he followed the sulky’s tracks, characterised by one wobbly wheel, as they veered through sliprails into Moran’s paddock. He found the bodies of Michael, Ellen and Norah. The girls’ clothing was torn and they had been raped. Michael and Ellen’s skulls were crushed. It was later found that Michael had been shot in the head. Nearby was the horse, also shot in the head. It was a horrible crime by any standard, but for it to have happened in an Australian country town in 1898 was almost incomprehensible to a shocked public.
Michael Murphy, aged 29. Image No. PM0759 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum
Michael Murphy, shown at left, was a quiet, good-natured man of about 5ft, 10inch tall and powerfully built, an expert bushman, and Sergeant in the local corps of Mounted Rifles, of which he was one of the most capable members, and in the uniform of which he is shown. He was home for his holidays from the Westbrook experimental farm. Michael’s body was found with the skull battered in, lying on its front, but with the head turned aside. In the right hand was an empty purse. The hands were folded behind the back, and the wrists abraded. Evidently they had been tied there and the binding removed after death – probably the breeching strap from the harness, as it was lying between his body and that of his sister. It was stated at the inquest that Michael was killed by a blow to the head which had crushed in the skull, but subsequent exhumation and further post mortem showed he had been first shot dead, the bullet having entered behind the right ear. The original image and words describing it were first published in the Queenslander.
Nora Murphy, aged 27. Image No. PM0753 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum
Nora Murphy, shown at right, must have made a terrible fight for her honour. From head to feet she was a mass of bruises and abrasions, and her clothing was torn to shreds. Around her neck the hame strap from the horse harness had been drawn tightly to still her screams – tight enough to in itself cause death. Her hands were tied behind with her own handkerchief, which had been first knotted around one wrist and then the other. In her struggles the skin and flesh was torn from her wrists. Both the Murphy girls were described as having been bright and capable girls, strong and well set-up, fine-looking, and held in much esteem.
Ellen Murphy, aged 19. Image No. PM0758 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum
Ellen Murphy, shown at left, and the younger of the two Murphy sisters was described as having been an exceptionally bright and happy country girl. She had attended three schools and distinguished herself at all, with her teachers described Ellen as having been the most popular and exemplary girl under their charge. Her hands had been bound tightly behind her back during this crime, and she was terribly bruised and her clothing torn in resisting the ravishers and murderers who had finally killed her by a blow on the head which crushed in the skull. The original image and words describing it were first published in the Queenslander.
The Investigation: Numerous setbacks – which would most likely never occur today – hindered the investigation. Due to communication breakdowns and reliance on telegrams to relay information, Brisbane police did not learn of the crime until two days later. The crime scene was not immediately secured and many people passed through, possibly obliterating valuable clues. At that time, there was only one police photographer who was responsible for covering crimes throughout the state. Bodies were moved before photos could be taken. The press criticised the police for bungling the investigation while Inspector Urquhart criticised the press for its ‘silly and unreliable’ reporting. Over the course of the investigation, the police interviewed more than 1,000 people.
The funeral of Michael, Nora and Ellen Murphy was held on 28 February 1898 in the Gatton Church. After the inquest the three bodies were removed to the church, where the coffins extended down the aisle, and the service was conducted in the presence of a crowded congregation, which was affected to tears by the Rev. Father Walsh. The funeral was the largest ever seen in a Queensland country district. Over 1000 were present, and there were between 300 and 400 horsemen, and over 200 vehicles of all descriptions. The procession extended for a mile.
The original image and the words describing it were first published in the Queenslander. Image No. PM0761 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum
Among the main suspects were Richard Burgess, a recently discharged prisoner and bush vagabond who had an alibi, and Thomas Day, a stranger to Gatton who was working for AG Clarke, the local butcher, at the time of the murders. Police found blood on his clothing but in 1898 there was no way to test if the blood was from an animal, as Day claimed, or from a human. In any case, Clarke warned Day against washing a particular jumper after the murders but a day or two later Day proceeded to wash and boil the jumper twice and scrub it with a scrubbing brush. No further action was taken against Day and a few weeks later he left the district.
Inspector Frederic Urquhart, on the right, was in charge of the Gatton Murder investigation. He was widely criticized during and after the enquiry for running an inconsistent and ultimately unsuccessful investigation.
Image No. PM0785 Courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum
Although there has been endless speculation over the years about this complicated and compelling case, it has never been established who committed the crime or what the motive behind it was.
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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing.
The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“The Gatton Murders, 1898” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence.
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