Australian criminals of the early 20th century
All the photos you will see below were taken in New South Wales, Australia, at the beginning of the 20th century, immediately after the charges were brought against the criminals. Under the pictures you can read what they were accused of.
35. Muriel Goldsmith, October 29, 1915. Accused of theft. Muriel looks like a village teacher, but in fact she was a thief with experience and got caught stealing money and jewelry at the Criterion Hotel in New South Wales. Age: 25 years. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
2. Alice Clark, April 3, 1916. Accused of selling alcohol without a license. She benefited from the restrictions that meant pubs had to close at 6 p.m. because she was selling alcohol right at home. Alice Clark was arrested a few weeks after the restrictions were imposed. Age: 42 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
3. Amy Lee, January 30, 1930. The court described Amy as "once an attractive woman, turned ugly from cocaine use." Her dry skin, covered with spots, is the result of drug addiction. Age: 41 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
4. Annie Gunderson, September 20, 1922. She was accused of stealing a fur coat from the Sydney store "Winn's Limited". Police records do not indicate whether the fur coat she is wearing is the one stolen from the store. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
5. Doris Winifred Poole, July 31, 1924. Doris Poole appeared in court for stealing jewelry and clothes. She has already been convicted on a similar charge, and received six months of community service. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
6. Dorothy Mort, April 18, 1921. Accused of murder. She had an affair with a young doctor Claude Tozer. On December 21, Tozer came to her with the intention of breaking off their relationship. Mort shot him, then tried to commit suicide. Age: 32 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
7. Edith Florence Ashton, August 29, 1929. Edith Ashton was involved in clandestine abortions, thefts and the sale of stolen goods. She was clearly not a great expert in abortions, and her actions led to the death of at least two women. Age: 37 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
8. Elizabeth Ruddy, January 5, 1915. She was a professional thief accused of stealing from the house of one Andrew Foley. Sentenced to 12 months of hard labor. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
9. Elizabeth Singleton, April 27, 1927. She has been arrested multiple times for begging for food, and appears in police records as a "prostitute." The details of her sentence have not reached our days. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
10. Emily Hertrud Hemsworth, May 14, 1925. Emily Hemsworth killed her three-week-old son, but could not remember any details of the murder. The woman was found innocent as mentally ill. She was sent to a medical facility, and it is unknown whether she was ever recognized as healthy and released. Age: 24 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
11. Esther Eggers, December 16, 1919. Charge: damage to property and injury while attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. Esther Eggers attacked a police officer who tried to arrest her for property damage. She was sentenced to 12 months in prison. Age: 22 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
12. Etti Saltana, November 17, 1922. Prostitute Etty Saltana worked in New South Wales and Queensland. She was convicted many times for prostitution, drunkenness, theft, swearing and vagrancy. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
13. Eugenia Falleni, (aka Harry Crawford), August 16, 1928. Accused of murder. Most of the time she disguised herself as a man. In 1913, she married a widow, Annie Birkett, whom she later murdered. This case caused a real stir in society. Age: 43 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
14. Evelyn Courtney, November 3, 1920. Evelyn stole a lot of different things, starting with an umbrella and ending with Irish linen napkins. She was suspected of seven thefts during 1920. Age: 19 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
15. Janet Wright, February 16, 1922. He is accused of provoking miscarriages. One of her young patients almost died during the procedure, and Wright was sentenced to 12 months of hard labor. Age: 68 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
16. Jesse Longford, July 22, 1926. Legendary police Constable C. J. Chuck, or "Shadow" arrested the famous shoplifter Longford. Age: 30 years. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
17. Caitlin Ward, May 14, 1925. She was convicted of drunkenness, profanity and theft. She enjoyed unnerving the authorities. You can see that she blinked on purpose to ruin the photo. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
18. Leslie Selina Gertrude Rees, October 8, 1915. Leslie Rees was accused of bigamy and was sentenced to four months of light labor. Women were transported from the regions to Sydney for work. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
19. Lilian Sproule, October 31, 1928. A native of Tasmania, Lillian was accused of trafficking cocaine. The newspapers dubbed her a "parasite in a skirt." Sentenced to six months in prison. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
20. Mary Rubina Brownlee, April 4, 1923. She was accused of provoking miscarriages. She was arrested as a result of the investigation and sentenced to 12 months of light labor, and her assistant was acquitted. Age: 64 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
21. Matilda Devine, May 27, 1925. "Tilly" Devine slashed a man's face with a razor and received two years in prison. She was the owner of a famous Sydney brothel. Age: 25 years. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
22. May Ethel Foster, March 27, 1928. Mae Foster and her partner Albret Roy Callaway were engaged in burglaries. Previously convicted of vagrancy, failure to appear in court and possession of stolen goods. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
23. May Smith, April 8, 1929. Mae Smith, known as "Botany Mae," was involved in the drug trade. She resisted arrest, fighting off the police officer Leelan Armfield with an iron heated to red. Sentenced to 10 months of hard labor. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
24. Mildred Crass, December 16, 1919. Mildred Crass married for the first time in 1914. She got married for the second time in 1918 and was accused of bigamy, because she had not yet been formally divorced from her first husband: she did not want to waste time and money on the divorce procedure. She received six months of community service. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
25. Myrtle Lee, August 4, 1927. Myrtle Lee stabbed Mary Moon twice in Alexandria. The press emphasized that the victim was Chinese. Lee received 6 months in prison. Age: 35 years. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
26. Nellie Cameron, July 29, 1930. Nellie was one of Sydney's most famous and expensive prostitutes. Police officer Lillian Armfield stated that Nelly was different from others in her demeanor and confident behavior. Age: 21 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
27 Pasty Neill, January 30, 1930. She was accused of theft and possession of cocaine. As a bar worker, she was involved in illegal activities. The conflict with Kate Ley led to Kate threatening her with a gun. Age: 26 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
28. Pearl McFadden, October 31, 1928. She was accused of prostitution and vagrancy — a typical accusation that was very easy to prove. She was sentenced to six months of hard labor. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
29. Philomena Mary Best, March 15, 1927. She stole silk and other goods worth more than 36 pounds ($2,000 in modern money). She was sentenced to 12 years of light labor. Age: 33 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
30. Phyllis Carmier, April 1, 1921. "Yankee" Phyllis stabbed her pimp during an argument at an illegal liquor store in Surry Hills. The pimp died, and the press expressed their sympathy and called her crime a justified murder. Age: 32 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
31. Ruby Furlong, November 15, 1920. Petty thief Ruby Furlong quarreled with a drunken musician in Newton, took out a razor and hit him in the face. This photo was taken during her incarceration for causing premeditated injury. Age: 34 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
32. Ruth Carruthers, September 7, 1927. She was accused of fraud after a series of crimes in 1926: using the power of persuasion, she extorted goods and money from sellers. She was subsequently arrested and sentenced to six months in Long Bay Prison. Age: 28 years old. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
33. Ruth Young, September 11, 1923. Ruth Young was an alcoholic and homeless. She was accused many times of alcoholism, vagrancy and petty theft. Most likely, she was shaved bald before incarceration to get rid of lice. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
34. Marjorie Day (aka Elma Walton), February 13, 1925. Marjorie persuaded the salesman to give her two dresses to show to her mother. I promised to return them, but I sold them to another store. I got six months in prison for it. Age: 20 years. (The Sydney Justice & Police Museum)
35. Alice Adeline Cook was accused of bigamy and theft. By the age of 24, she had acquired an impressive list of aliases and at least two husbands. Police described her as "quite attractive."