How did crime have an impact in Richmond between the 1900’s to 1930’s ? By Jessica Angelovski

1. How did crime have an impact in Richmond between the 1900’s to 1930’s ? By Jessica Angelovski

2. Crimes Committed • Pick pocketing • Robbery’s • Horse theft • Mail robbery • Abortionist

3. Reasons why crime happened • In Richmond, it was very hard for the women as there were no such thing as conception. This meant that many women would have babies or be worried about if they might have one. This was a crime as many could not afford to have a baby and raise is properly, so they would go to someone to get the baby killed. • Another reason why crime happened in Richmond was because of education. The amount of education that you have decided if you have a well-paid job or a poor paying one. Or if you are in a dead end job that you are barley earning any money then the last resort may be to mug people and also steal so you have some money to spend. • In any state when people need money they get desperate and sometimes are very unstable. Lot’s of people will do anything to get their hands on money. Banks were a big target because that’s where money was kept and give the people who are living in poverty ideas. These people did not have money so they decided to try and steal from the bank.

4. What did the police do? • The police saw great changes in how people were caught, arrest and charged to appear in court. The police force as we know it today did not exist until 1856. Before then most places had only an unpaid parish constable to keep order. Most prosecutions were not carried out by the police, but by private individuals. Normally the victims of the crime. Anyone who was thought to have committed a crime was taken to the parish constable or magistrate by the person who caught them. Even in places where there was no proper police force most prosecutions were still started by private citizens.

5. Sentences for these crimes committed

6. Sentences for these crimes committed • The first was to be sentenced to a punishment cell for a week, with not having many things such as no sounds or light. Their meals for a week would be just the plain bread and water. They also normally slept on the ground with no sheets/blankets with rats running around. • The second punishment was corporal punishment where the first stage was the birch. They were given up to 50 lashings and to stop these lashings from giving them an infection they rubbed salt into them which helped cure or prevent that. The second stage was cat of nine tails where normally socking in salt overnight then whipped on the back again probably up to about 50 times. Sometimes the prisoners attached to their sentence were given this (cat to nine tails) around every three to six months. • The third punished was called the capital punishment. It was when the person was sentenced to death. In Melbourne they used hanging because they believed that it was the fastest and most peaceful way to die.

7. Was Capital punishment right or wrong? • I think that if you don’t have total proof and can confidently say that the person has committed a crime then they shouldn’t be killed for it. Many people have been hanged as they have been accused of something or killing someone. It isn’t far to take someone’s life if they are innocent and hadn’t done anything. Even if this person has committed a murder I think that none of them should be killed, as that is not really a lesson learnt from them as they have nothing to improve on as there life is coming to an end. They should be put in a jail cell for a few years or even give them a punishment like the cat of nine tales.

8. 2 well known criminals in Richmond • Squizzy Taylor • Martha Needle

9. Who was Squizzy Taylor? • SquizzyTaylor was born on the 29th of June 1888 and died on the 27th of October 1927. His full name was Joseph Lestle Theodore ‘Squizzy’ Taylor. He was known as an Australian Melbourne based gangster and was also the leader of a violent gang war against a rival criminal faction in 1919. • He left from Bali and without getting caught hid from the police over a year. The crimes which he was involved in ranged from pickpocketing, assault and shop breaking to armed robberies and murder. Squizzy Taylor was involved in selling co-caine, and then became in conflict with Sydney gangsters. He also was known to have a gambolling problem. • He had a big influence on the streets of Richmond starting a ‘gangster’ way of life in the area. • He made kids work for him to do illegal trade of alcohol and drugs within the area.

10. Martha Needle • Marthan Needle was one of the most well known criminals in Richmond. She was known for poisoning her husband, 3 children and future brother-in-law. • Martha was then hanged on 22 October 1894 at the age of only 30. She was one of only 4 women who were hanged at the Richmond Jail. Although she was also mentally disturbed but they still decided to hang her. • Martha was convicted for the murder of Louis Juncken, brother of her fiance Otto Juncken, on 15 May 1894. • She tried to state her innocence numerous times but was eventually hanged. • Rat poison was what she used and her heartless motives were never revealed. Although Martha gained a lot of money from life insurance payouts

11. Bibliography • Internet websites • http://sites.scran.ac.uk/lamb/crime.htm • http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/2/20/194713/990 • http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConNarrative.78/chapterId/1872/Social-conditions-in-the-19thcentury-port.html •  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Needle • http://nemingha.hubpages.com/hub/Squizzy-Taylor-and-Other-Notorious-Australian-Gangsters-of-the-1920s • Primary source • Old Melbourne Jail • Historical society • Book • Struggle down

12. THANKS FOR WATCHING 