Ernest Austin (murderer)
Encyclopedia
Ernest Austin was the last person executed
by Queensland
.
Austin was convicted of raping
and murder
ing 12-year-old Ivy Mitchell at Cedar Creek road near Samford
. He was hanged
at Brisbane's
Boggo Road Gaol
and buried in South Brisbane Cemetery
.
In Australian folklore
, the ghost
of Austin is said to haunt the Boggo Road Gaol.
In 1922, Queensland became the first state in Australia to abolish the death penalty.
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
by Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
Austin was convicted of raping
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ing 12-year-old Ivy Mitchell at Cedar Creek road near Samford
Samford, Queensland
Samford is a valley community located in South East Queensland, Australia. It is roughly 21 km north west of Brisbane. The hilly area was first settled in the mid 1850s. The community is well catered for, with a number of sporting facilities, parks and museums.-Location:Samford is one of the...
. He was hanged
Death by hanging
Death by hanging may refer to:* Hanging* Death by Hanging, a 1968 film by Nagisa Oshima...
at Brisbane's
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
Boggo Road Gaol
Boggo Road Gaol
Boggo Road Gaol was a notorious Australian prison located on Annerley Road in Dutton Park, an inner southern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The site is the only surviving intact gaol in Queensland that reflects penological principles of the 19th century...
and buried in South Brisbane Cemetery
South Brisbane Cemetery
The South Brisbane Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery located in South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, adjacent to the Brisbane River. It is adjacent to Dutton Park and consequently is often called Dutton Park Cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1866 and remained in active use until the...
.
In Australian folklore
Australian folklore
-Australian Aboriginal mythology:*Bunyip - According to legend, they are said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes.*Rainbow serpent - It is the sometimes unpredictable Rainbow Serpent, who vies with the ever-reliable Sun, that replenishes the stores of water, forming...
, the ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
of Austin is said to haunt the Boggo Road Gaol.
In 1922, Queensland became the first state in Australia to abolish the death penalty.