Viewers are advised that this item record may be disturbing in nature.

Photograph, Enterprise Photo Company, 1897

Historical information

The photograph depicts eleven vignettes relating to the murders of Captain Lee Weller, Charles Burgess and Arthur Preston by Frank Butler (born Richard Ashe, alias Frank Harwood). Some historians consider Butler to be Australia's first serial killer.

Butler submitted written advertisements to the classified columns of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper looking for people to join him in prospecting for gold. Butler took his victims into the Blue Mountains in New South Wales and told fabricated stories of gold mines worth thousands of pounds. He then made his victims dig their own graves under the guise that they were digging for gold. He would then shoot them, take their valuables, and bury them.

Physical description

Sepia rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paper mounted on card.

Inscriptions & markings

Obverse:
1897 /
Butler's inseparable Friend /
Cap ' Lee Weller / The Victim Burgess / A OT Preston /
Frank Harwood / alias / Butler / J. Mulhall & Son / discoverers of Burgess grave / Butlers supposed Wife / Frisco /
Examining Burgess corpse at Black Range near Parkes NSW /
The Swanhda / His Prospecting Tools / Burgs Waggonette used for Prospecting sold Butler /
(?) /
The Butler Tragedies

Reverse:
BMMA03308 /
Removal story of the / 1997.3119 /
Butler murders near /
Parkes NSW 1897 /
84 - 35 - 1 /
Enterprise Photo Company, /
26 Elizabeth Street, /
SYDNEY. /

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