Case 150
The Murchison Murders
After the Western Australian gold rush of the late 1800s, there was little work available in the isolated Murchison region. Those lucky enough to find jobs were the ones willing to tough it out in the harsh conditions of the small towns and stations along the Rabbit Proof Fence. Due to the transient nature of these communities, it wasn’t unusual for people to leave without ever being heard from again.
So when station hand Louis Carron goes off the grid, his disappearance doesn’t arouse too much suspicion. That’s until two other men, James Ryan and George Lloyd, are also reported missing. The three men have one thing in common – they were all last seen in the company of the same individual.
When a connection is drawn to a detective novel written by local author Arthur Upfield, police learn that the truth really is stranger than fiction.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research – Holly Boyd
Writing – Elsha McGill
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
RESOURCES
BOOKS:
The Murchison Murders – by Arthur W. Upfield, (2015, Kindle Edition). ETT Imprint
The Sands of Windee (Inspector Bonaparte Mysteries Book 2) – by Arthur W. Upfield, (2014, Kindle Edition). ETT Imprint
Up and down the real Australia – by Arthur W. Upfield, (2016, Kindle Edition). ETT Imprint.
Murder on the Rabit Proof Fence. The strange case of Arthur Upfield and Snowy Rowles – by Terry Walker, (1993). Hesperian Press
ARTICLES:
Unless otherwise indicated, articles were sourced through The National Library of Australia’s digital archive
Missing Canadian – The West Australia (6 February 1931)
Disappearance of three men – The Daily News (17 March 1931)
Rowles guarded closely, alleged attempts at suicide – Western Argus (16 February 1932)
Self possessed Snowy Rowles puts up a great fight – Mirror (19 March 1932)
Reprieve urged – Queensland Times (8 June 1932)
Mother sees Rowles – The Daily News (8 June 1932)
The Rowles Petition: slur on Outback Men claimed – The Daily News (8 June 1932)
Rowles Fate – Western Mail (9 June 1932)
Was Snowy Rowles guity? Juryman tells why verdict was reached – Daily News (14 June 1932)
Murchison Tragedy, the final scene – the Geraldton Guardian and Express (14 June 1932)
Snowy Rowles executed – denies crime on scaffold – Singleton Argus (15 June 1932)
Man’s death presumed – Barrier Miner (26 May 1934)
Great Wall of Rabbit Repulsion – National Library of Australia News, September 2007 edition, page 15
Heritage nod for site of grisly outback murders – The West Australian (6 March 2018)
COURT DOCUMENTS:
Smith v R, Supreme Court of Western Australia, WA Law Reports, 27 April 1932
ARCHIVES:
Transcribed notebooks of Henry John Manning – 1925 -1963, National Archives of Australia
WEBSITES:
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