Share
Forgotten Australia
Murder at Devils River - Part Three: Australia’s First Femme Fatale
Season 7, Ep. 6
•
To colonial Australia, Betsy Scott had become a ‘female monster’ – all the more dangerous and diabolical for being alluring and attractive. But how much did this image influence her fate?
Support Forgotten Australia:
Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustralia
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustralia
To send a question to David Hunt for the Book Club episode:
Email - forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com
Audio - https://www.speakpipe.com/forgottenaustralia
Buy my books, Australia’s Sweetheart, Hanging Ned Kelly and The Murder Squad at:
https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html
https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922806406.html
https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781922863836.html
More episodes
View all episodes
19. The Meticulous Maniac – Part One: The Good Doctor
50:26*New Episode*In 1956, Sydney’s usually sedate southern suburbs were stalked by not one but two bloodthirsty men. While the Kingsgrove Slasher’s reign of terror would last years but result in no deaths, the Meticulous Maniac’s outrage was far shorter and far more deadly. Yet in the wake of his violence, victims were to react with extraordinary grace.Part Two will be released soon. It’s available now early and ad-free to Patreon and Apple Supporters. You can hear it with a free trial:Support Forgotten Australia:Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustraliaPatreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustraliaEmail: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com
18. The Deadwood Dick Murders – Part Three
27:53Jack Brown — murderer of three people, supposedly inspired by reading Deadwood Dick pulp novels — went to trial in October 1906. But could a boy who reckoned he’d slaughtered his best friends in the name of a genocidal revolution for White Australia actually be sane, be convicted and be hanged?
17. The Deadwood Dick Murders – Part Two
36:49Following the supposedly Deadwood Dick-inspired murders committed by Jimmy and Joe Governor, Jack Underwood and Thomas Quinlan, in July 1906 Australia was rocked by a new outrage attributed to “pernicious literature”: the brutal killing and mutilation of three people at German Creek on the NSW north coast. The perpetrator was young Jack Brown. But he said his motivation wasn’t to be a pulp novel hero. Instead, Jack wanted to start a genocidal revolution in the name of White Australia.
16. The Deadwood Dick Murders – Part One
44:33One more re-release before new episodes. This one originally came out in 2020, and, while it was supposed to be a two-parter, it became a trilogy – fittingly, given it's a bit like the Dark Knight. Parts two and three will be on general release this week, but are available now to Apple and Patreon supporters.Deadwood Dick was the first pop culture superhero – 50 years before Batman — and he was the first such character to spark widespread moral condemnation as a "cause" of crime. In Australia from the 1890s, Deadwood Dick was blamed for everything, from truancy to... mass murder.
15. The Nature of the Scorpion – Part Three
49:19Having escaped prison, fled interstate and joined the army under yet another new name, George Blunderfield seeks reinvention and redemption on the Western Front — but his true nature compels him to commit his most atrocious crimes yet. First released in 2021, this episode is re-released as part of Season 8’s ‘Crimes That Shocked Australia’ Brand-new episodes coming in May.
14. The Nature of the Scorpion – Part Two
44:39After committing a sickening outrage in the first weeks of 1900, George Blunderfield serves a relatively short jail sentence. When he's set free he sheds his identity but can’t help but follow the nature that causes him to hurt those who only want to help him. Part 3 will be released next week. But you can hear it now ad-free as a podcast supporter. First released in 2021, this episode is re-released as part of Season 8’s ‘Crimes That Shocked Australia’ Brand-new episodes coming in May.
13. The Nature of the Scorpion – Part One
36:23Forgotten fiend George Blunderfield left a trail of violence and murder across Australia from the late 19th century until near the end of the First World War. Parts 2 & 3 will be released next week. But you can hear them now ad-free as a podcast supporter. First released in 2021, this episode is re-released as part of Season 8’s ‘Crimes That Shocked Australia’ Brand-new episodes coming in May.
12. Nightmare on the Night Train – Part Three
31:36Trapped in Melbourne in bizarre circumstances, Herbert Kopit's last chance is to talk his way out of an arrest and flee the country.First released in 2022, this episode is re-released as part of Season 8’s ‘Crimes That Shocked Australia’ Support Forgotten Australia:Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustraliaPatreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustraliaThe Murder Squadhttps://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781922863836.htmlHanging Ned Kellyhttps://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.htmlAustralia’s Sweethearthttps://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html
11. Nightmare on the Night Train – Part Two
39:23How did Herbert Kopit become the most wanted man in Australia, trying to escape a massive tri-state murder manhunt while dressed as a woman?Part 3 will be released next week. But You can hear it now ad-free as a podcast supporter.Support Forgotten Australia:Apple - http://apple.co/forgottenaustraliaPatreon - https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenAustraliaFirst released in 2022, this episode is re-released as part of Season 8’s ‘Crimes That Shocked Australia’Brand-new episodes coming in May.