327 replies to this topic

[Lilith Immaculate]

In 1898 in my little hometown of Gatton Queensland Australia there was a horrific murder of a brother and his two sisters. the murder remains unsolved to this day. Here's a link where you can get the gist of the story,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatton_murders

but one thing they leave out is that Michael Murphy was not only shot, he was choked to death first by a leather strap/belt from the horses reigns, this was later discovered after his body was exhumed after finding out the gun shot was not the cause of death.


This link will show you a picture of Michael Murphy

http://enc.slq.qld.gov.au/logicrouter/serv...mp;num_result=0

Just a little bit of my home town history.

[Calista]

Interesting mystery.  Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

[distortedpandy]

I've heard about this previously but haven't researched it, thanks for reminding me.

[Bunny Munro]

That's was a rather interesting read, thanks for that.

[Sir_Muffonious]

Not that strange comapred to some other things, but an interesting read no less. Thanks.

[Fox Mulder]

I know this topic is pretty old, but I stumbled across it while looking for info on the murders.

According to a family member of mine, there was a priest in Gatton who went mad after these murders occured.  The rumour was that someone admitted to the killings during confessional.  Since anything said in confessional can never be mentioned by the priest to anyone, the burden played on his mind and sent him insane.

Cheers.

[conspiracybeliever]

This is very interesting. For some reason I couldn't open the picture of Michael Murphy but I guess it's not necessary anyways. Hopefully that's the only reason the priest killed himself. Maybe he was insane before that? Has anyone thought about that? Maybe the priest did it. Scarey thought isn't it? But then there are a lot of priests that have done some pretty unsavory things that have come to light lately...It's not completely impossible.

Hey maybe I just solved a mystery!

Edited by conspiracybeliever, 15 August 2008 - 03:16 PM.

[mysterchick]

conspiracybeliever on Aug 15 2008, 03:15 PM, said:

This is very interesting. For some reason I couldn't open the picture of Michael Murphy but I guess it's not necessary anyways. Hopefully that's the only reason the priest killed himself. Maybe he was insane before that? Has anyone thought about that? Maybe the priest did it. Scarey thought isn't it? But then there are a lot of priests that have done some pretty unsavory things that have come to light lately...It's not completely impossible.

Hey maybe I just solved a mystery!

Old topic, but was reserching on the internet and this came up, I am very close to this subject, very close to my heart.
If you look int he book 'the gatton murders' the photos int he center of the house? I learned to ride horses at that place, i spent countless nights in that house and my trainer, Pat Murphy(Jnr), was the son of Pat murphy in the story, He was michaels, Ellens, and Norahs nephew. The subject of these murders held a massive burden over his life, his whole life. and we used to look at him in wonder. His life came to an end when his 40 year old daughter commited suicide in that house, and Pat Murphys old, frail mind and body could no longer withstand life. His horses were sold, and he was moved onto a retirement village, where he spent his last days. that house, with all of that history, was knocked down and made into crops. this broke Pats heart. but it happened, its too late now.
Before pat passed, he was telling me all about the gatton murders. He also told me that he knows who did it, and why. he said that he never told anyone, nor will he tell anyone, as he does not want it out in the open as he is deeply ashamed. I have an inkling, but no one will ever know for sure because he was the last person alive to know for sure what happened that day.

I lvoed Pat Murphy Jnr, he was my trainer, my mentor and my life for a very long tiem, and it wasnt until the end that i realised what his life actually involved, from something that happened 10 years before he was born, and was a burden on his shoudlers his entire life.
R.I.P Pat

[conspiracybeliever]

mysterchick on Sep 25 2008, 03:51 AM, said:

Old topic, but was reserching on the internet and this came up, I am very close to this subject, very close to my heart.
If you look int he book 'the gatton murders' the photos int he center of the house? I learned to ride horses at that place, i spent countless nights in that house and my trainer, Pat Murphy(Jnr), was the son of Pat murphy in the story, He was michaels, Ellens, and Norahs nephew. The subject of these murders held a massive burden over his life, his whole life. and we used to look at him in wonder. His life came to an end when his 40 year old daughter commited suicide in that house, and Pat Murphys old, frail mind and body could no longer withstand life. His horses were sold, and he was moved onto a retirement village, where he spent his last days. that house, with all of that history, was knocked down and made into crops. this broke Pats heart. but it happened, its too late now.
Before pat passed, he was telling me all about the gatton murders. He also told me that he knows who did it, and why. he said that he never told anyone, nor will he tell anyone, as he does not want it out in the open as he is deeply ashamed. I have an inkling, but no one will ever know for sure because he was the last person alive to know for sure what happened that day.

I lvoed Pat Murphy Jnr, he was my trainer, my mentor and my life for a very long tiem, and it wasnt until the end that i realised what his life actually involved, from something that happened 10 years before he was born, and was a burden on his shoudlers his entire life.
R.I.P Pat

This story is so sad. Now I have to find that book. I'll check Amazon. So Pat was the last of the family? They're all gone now? It's so sad.

Wow that is an expensive book. They have 2 on Amazon, both used. One is 29.01 and the other is 47.11. I wonder how much they are new. It must be a good book.

Edited by conspiracybeliever, 25 September 2008 - 05:19 PM.

[mysterchick]

conspiracybeliever on Sep 25 2008, 12:39 PM, said:

This story is so sad. Now I have to find that book. I'll check Amazon. So Pat was the last of the family? They're all gone now? It's so sad.

Wow that is an expensive book. They have 2 on Amazon, both used. One is 29.01 and the other is 47.11. I wonder how much they are new. It must be a good book.

Pats wife is living the last of her days now, and they also have a daughter in her 40's and although she is married she doesnt have children as she is wheelchair bound from being paralysed. Much like Polly in the story actually...! the Eldest daughter becoming paralysed. She will be the last of the Murphys unfortunately.
I am actually reading the book again now, very occasionally, usually around the time we lost Pat Murphy, i bring the book out and read it and look at those photos in detail and try to connect parts of the story up with what Pat had told me, but thats that, we will never know!

[conspiracybeliever]

I have to get this book now. It'll be cold enough to start lighting my fireplace. I have to have a good book to read in front of my fireplace in the winter. And this sounds like the perfect book.

[mysterchick]

Its interesting, after i read the book and the intricite descriptions of the house and the bedroom placements and the fine details when explaining people leaving through a window etc, and then of course i woudl go back to that house to spend a weekend training horses, walk into the spare room and it woudl hit me that i am going through as described in the books.
The place always looked so last century that i could PICTURE the family occupying the house, and the feed yards and barns spoken about in the book still stood until the place was turned to crops, so you could picture the horses described, wandering around on that land, and where in the book there was spoken about a fire that had been started purposefully on the big crop of Murphy land? well one night we woke up to the fire: started in the exact same place. AND burning the same area too, and started around the same time of night, but 100 years later. It was very scary as all i coudl think about was the book, the fire was put under control and all i can asssume is that a local idiot had read the book and thought it would be hilarious to remind the family of there terrible history, and it worked.

i do feel privelaged to be so close to the subject but i sure do hold a large element of sadness for my trainer, and still trip out about memories of staying int hat house and looking around, remembering. A story really comes to life when you have seen the settings in the flesh.
I have also seen the area where norah ellen and michael were found dead, and in teh book they speak of the McNiels farm?? well it still exists today, and its still called the mcNiels farm. Its all a very interested peice of history, with much of it still standing today

[conspiracybeliever]

And you said your trainer knew who did it but wouldn't say because he was ashamed so that probably eliminates the priest as the killer. It sounds like it was a family member if he was ashamed. It's so strange that the family would keep the sectret all their lives, passing it from generation to generation.

[msmischief]

conspiracybeliever on Sep 26 2008, 05:33 AM, said:

And you said your trainer knew who did it but wouldn't say because he was ashamed so that probably eliminates the priest as the killer. It sounds like it was a family member if he was ashamed. It's so strange that the family would keep the sectret all their lives, passing it from generation to generation.

That's what I thought was implied as well.

[mysterchick]

msmischief on Sep 26 2008, 09:05 PM, said:

That's what I thought was implied as well.

My assumption is that it was pat murphy senior, there ARE clues that point to him after all, perhaps not that he was the killer (as why woudl he want to rape his own sisters) but that he conspired it for some reason.

and perhaps the whole family didnt know about it, just pat murphy senior, who let spill to his son at some point?? who knows!!