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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
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website today's episode involves crimes against children and won't be suitable for all
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[Music] listeners 74-year-old Elizabeth turki faced a dilemma she had one day left to
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decide whether or not to put an offer in for a house but she couldn't make up her
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mind someone recommended that Elizabeth speak with a spirit spiritualist who was
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known to have excellent Powers as they might be able to offer some guidance seeing no harm in getting their
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advice Elizabeth visited the spiritualist taking her 12-year-old granddaughter Elma as
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company Elizabeth handed the spiritualist papers pertaining to the property the spiritualist pressed the
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papers against her forehead and closed her eyes after a moment of quiet contemplation she advised Elizabeth not
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to make the purchase as long as she was there Elizabeth thought of something else
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she'd like guidance on elma's mother had died 7 years prior from a kidney disorder since then the
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young girl had been a much loved companion to Elizabeth but their time together was coming to an
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end elma's father lived in the regional Victorian town of Mafra 220 km away from
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Elizabeth's home in Mel plans were underway to send Alma and her younger sister Viola to Mafra so their
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family could reunite Elizabeth wasn't against the idea but the thought of Elma leaving
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filled her with sadness she asked to the spiritualist if Elma went to Mafra would she ever come
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back the spiritualist closed her eyes and had a think no she replied but at school Elma told her
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friends about the visit they could tell that she was troubled by it with a sad face Elma said the spiritualist told her
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that she'd die within 3 months elma's friends dismissed The Omen finding it somewhat
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funny but when Elizabeth turki was later informed of this she was confused she didn't recall the
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spiritualist giving any such premonition Elizabeth w Ed was it a harmless fear BMA told to get attention
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from her schoolmates or was it indicative of an unnerving feeling the young girl sensed within
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herself the following month of December 1921 Melbourne was a buzz with anticipation for the coming new year yet
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as night fell on Friday December 30 things were quiet and somber at a flat on Collins
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Street several members of the turki family and their loved ones had gathered inside unable to
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sleep Elizabeth turki was among them sitting in the parlor with a light on and the front door
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unlocked minutes after midnight the door opened Elizabeth stiffened in anticipation as two police officers
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walked through the doorway with baited breath she asked have you found my girl [Music]
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hours earlier Alma turki had been sent on an errand her uncle John worked at a butcher shop on Swanson Street a
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bustling stall oned thoroughfare in the heart of Melbourne CBD the shop named Bennett and wolox was
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just over 2 km from elma's grandmother's home in the city Fringe suburb of jolimont Elma was to visit the butcher
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shop pick up a parcel of meat and then drop it at her aunt's flat on nearby Collin Street before returning
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home the weekly task was was usually carried out by other family members but they were unavailable and Elma was home
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for the school holidays so she was happy to do it although Elma hadn't run this errand before she had traveled into the
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city multiple times and was familiar with the area all up the trip was expected to
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take no longer than 2 hours Elma was given money for a tram fair but she decided to walk
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instead it was a pleasant day and with plenty of other people moving about and busy traffic passing by she felt safe to
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do so Elma took the scenic route through the Fitzroy and treasury Gardens arriving at bennard and wolox shortly
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after 1: p.m. elma's Uncle John wasn't there so she spoke to the cashier instead who
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gave her the parcel of sausages and corned beef by the time Elma left for her aunt's flat on Colin Street it was
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around to 1:30 the flat was just a short walkway but Elma never showed up when she didn't return to jollymon
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either her family grew concerned they headed out to trace elma's steps but she was nowhere to be
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found while searching the city elma's Uncle John spoke to a police officer who suggested that Elma might have taken a
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tram to the beach to enjoy the nice weather but elma's family weren't convinced she hadn't been given enough
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money for a tram ticket that far the officer headed back to the station where calls were made to nearby
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hospitals Elma hadn't wound up at any of them her loved ones were told to return
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to the Collins Street flat in case Elma had finally appeared there as nighttime descended with no
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sign of Elma her uncle John headed to Victoria Police head Quarters on Russell Street to formally report his niece is
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missing he was assured that a description of Elma would be sent to other stations so that all officers
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would be on the lookout for the 12-year-old the slightly built Elma was 4 10 in tall with freckles and long
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golden red hair she was wearing her school uniform which consisted of a box plated navy blue dress with a white
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blouse underneath a white Leg Horn hat black stockings and black shoes even though it was the school
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holidays this was the nicest outfit Elma owned for a trip into the city the police also made another round
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of calls to nearby hospitals Elma still hadn't been admitted to any of [Music] them when told to return to their homes
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and not to worry elma's family couldn't help but feel like the police were treating the situation too
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casually Elma was intelligent reliable and well behaved she wasn't the type to get up to
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Mischief respecting her Elders was a large part of elma's personality and she did never intentionally do something to
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cause others to worry she'd recently returned home early from her school's late night end of Year
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celebrations just to give her grandmother Peace of Mind in the 19 20s Australian children
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were raised conservatively as a result Elma was incredibly naive and modest menstruation sex and other Coming
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of Age experiences were taboo subjects she knew little about if anything at all Elma couldn't even bring herself to talk
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to the boys at her school let alone strangers there was no reason to believe that she was disobeying her grandmother
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to push boundaries Elma lived her life doing for others in a school essay titled dudy
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first she wrote we should always do our duty to everybody before we do anything duty
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means kindness goodness helpfulness and to do anything to please others a Judy Embraces a multitude of
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things the following are duties concerning our lives household duties Garden duties to help people School
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duties to love honor and obey your parents and relations and teachers this demonstrated elma's desire
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to always do what she was told and never leave anyone waiting by deviating from her given
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task as Elizabeth turki described I had always been very strict with my granddaughter we had all taken
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particular pains to keep her mind free from all sord and frivolous matters her disposition was just all Sweetness in
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her own home she was happiness at for instance she might be at a tea party with her aunts and myself and
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after we had finished the meal we would miss Elma on investigating we would find
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that she had actually been washing up the dishes by herself there was no need for any of us
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or even for her to worry for Alma's family her unexplained absence meant that something terrible
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must have happened at the Colin Street flat Elizabeth waited in the Parlor in the hopes her granddaughter would wander
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in Safe and Sound by midnight 4 hours had passed since armor was reported missing two police officers soon pushed
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through the flats unlocked front door Elizabeth immediately quizzed them about her granddaughter but the officers
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were confused it was part of their job to check premises where lights were on inside and the doors appeared to be
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unlocked they were just carrying out their regular duties although their patch encompassed
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the areas relevant to Alma turki's disappearance they hadn't been informed of the
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matter by the following morning of Saturday December 31 1921 there still hadn't been any sign of armor as
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Melbourne stirred in preparation for New Year's Eve Henry Arrington roamed the streets with his 11-year-old
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daughter the pair were Scavenging for glass bottles to cash in for recycling they'd already made decent
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pickings around the city's bustling bar District in the East having so far filled two
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sacks the duo made their way to the Eastern Market a flower and Retail Market between little Collins and Burke
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streets the surrounding streets and laneways consisted of drinkeries bedding shops and brothel and at night the area
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was a hotbed of wild Antics and bad behavior Henry knew there'd be plenty of bottles scattered about the foot paaths
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gutters into drains in the early morning aftermath the father and daughter turned
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down little Colin Street a oneway lane of Boutique shops bars and hotels that ran parallel to the wider Colin Street
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sandwiched between a barber shop and hardware store was a narrow Alleyway called Gun
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Alley a nearby Clock Tower chimed 6:00 a.m. as Henry made his way into Gun Alley while his young daughter trailed
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further behind it was a secluded space one side was framed by a two-story brick wall
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while a tall corrugated iron and wood fence flanked the other with no source of light Gun Alley
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was perpetually dark a few meters in the alley took a sharp turn that led behind the barber
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shop and reached a dead end Henry Arrington made the turn and paused the naked body of Elma turki was
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lying face up on the brick pavement her legs were bent with one on top of the other bruises covered her right eye
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shoulder thigh jaw and throat Henry turned and stopped his daughter from witnessing the horrific sight before
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rushing to a nearby store to phone the police investigators determined that Elma had sustained a heavy blow to her
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right eye but the cause of her death was ruled asphixiation by manual strangulation this implied that her
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murder was opportunistic as the killer hadn't been prepared with a weapon elma's body showed signs of
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sexual assault yet no foreign fluids were detected a watery stain running down elma's thigh indicated that her killer
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had cleaned her body post assault it was determined that Elma had been dead for several hours before her
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body was found Gun Alley showed no signs of a struggle nor was there anything under
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elma's fingernails to indicate she'd put up a fight the killer hadn't left anything
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behind and elma's clothing was missing therefore detectives surmised the bulk of the attack must have occurred
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elsewhere Elma had likely been killed the previous day before being dumped in the alley later that
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night the area was scoured for Clues police wondered whether the killer could have tried to force elma's body down a
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nearby Barrel drain and into the wide pipes 12 ft below as her head was found partially resting on it the drains were
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checked but nothing of Interest was found even if evidence had been discarded down there the chances of
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recovering it now were slim the flowing water would have swept it through the pipes under the city and
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Beyond surrounding bins shops residents and rooftops were also checked for Clues
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but the search came up dry police turned their attention to potential Witnesses a sex worker told them that she'd been
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in Gun Alley just before 1:00 a.m. she didn't see elma's body or anyone suspicious as this woman had a reliable
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reputation with authorities police determined that elma's body had been dumped sometime after
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1:00 residents who lived above Gun Alley didn't recall hearing a thing although even if they had they wouldn't
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necessarily have looked outside Gun Alley was often frequented at Night by drunks and Drifters as well
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as sex workers with their clients it wasn't unusual to hear an assortment of strange noises emanating from down
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below at around 1:00 a.m. several residents of little Collin Street reported hearing what sounded like two
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gunshots being fired in quick succession they quickly realized it was actually the sound of a car
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backfiring they also heard a door being slammed shot this supported the theory that the
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killer had transported elma's body to Gun Alley under the cover of Darkness but the question remained where
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had she been taken first the killer needed privacy in time to not only assault Elma but clean her
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body too investigators therefore believed he must have taken her somewhere familiar where he didn't run
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the risk of being caught in the act for that reason sh housing seemed unlikely local hotels and lodgings were
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checked and ruled out it was also possible that the killer lived with his family but had time alone while they
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went away for the holiday period yet Elma was manually strangled this was common in attacks where the
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killer felt pressured to silence their victim after killing Elma Common Sense dictated that the perpetrator wouldn't
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have wanted to transport her body very f the surrounding city streets were never
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completely deserted no matter the hour it was possible that he' carried elma's body in a bag or in some other
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inconspicuous way yet no one had seen a man lugging anything Hefty the city's alcohol fueled
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nightlife might have allowed him to track along busy thoroughfares completely unnoticed while the darken
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streets s and doorways would have provided him with plenty of hiding spots dumping elma's body was no doubt a
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strategic move to prevent investigators from having a crime scene to examine still they weren't sure what to
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make of this scenario if the killer had access to a car why didn't he leave elma's body
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somewhere it wouldn't be found elma's body was left at the end of Gun Alley after it turned 90° and was no
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longer visible from the street unless one had traveled down the alley before for there was no way of knowing it
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featured this distinctive turn or reached a dead end if the killer lived nearby or
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frequented the area often he'd know which spots were populated which were lit and possibly the rout and timings of
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police on the beat officers tasked with safeguarding this particular area of Melbourne had a
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set routine between 1: and 2:00 a.m. they headed to the nearby Town Hall police Depot for meal and a drink before going
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back out the Killer's movement seemed incredibly well timed to fit this Gap the officer on the beat that night
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was required to check every lane and alley on the Block less than an hour after the sex
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worker left a Gun Alley the officer reached the top of the alley and peered into the
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darkness not noticing anything odd he continued on his route had he performed his duties properly and gone into the
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alley he might have come across Alma's body and possibly her killer even if the killer had already
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fled it was likely he'd still been in the vicinity and there would have been a greater chance of him being
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caught with her long golden red hair freckled face and school uniform Alma turki cut a memorable figure and several
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witnesses recalled seeing her on the afternoon of her disappearance after picking up the
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parcel from her uncle's butcher Elma was seen walking in the direction of her aunt's flat on Collin
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Street unlike the exclusive and opulent Precinct that it is today in the 1920s the colins street area was regarded as a
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disreputable part of Melbourne in the words of the Herald newspaper its atmosphere was squalled
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and depressing the streets were lined with decrepit dated buildings crammed between
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cheap and gloomy lodging houses the age newspaper described it as an unsavory quarter of
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undesirables a witness saw Alma slowly turn up a little Colin Street looking up at the buildings as if she was
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lost had she continued up little Colin Street and taken her left she would have reached her
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destination however at 2:30 someone else spotted her on Burke Street this meant she'd taken a ride a mother and daughter
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incidentally trailed Elma for a short distance until she entered the Eastern arcade a two-level building next to the
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Eastern market across the road from Gun Alley the arcade served as a thoroughfare from Burke to little Collin
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Street its long narrow enclosed Court interior was mostly desolate many of the shops within were
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empty save for 50 or so business between both floors including a tobacconist a herbalist and secondhand
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dealers drab dark and Dusty the building red of mustiness neglected Grime had crusted
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over the ornate glass doed roof preventing sunlight from pouring in and cobwebs dangled from all corners and
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crevices the arcade inhabitants were rough most were On The Fringe of society and or living in poverty but there were
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other unconventional characters like fortune tellers and mediums as the age described from the early days of
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Melbourne this section of the city has been the haunt of Thieves and gamblers and other people of low type A Haven for
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evil characters most of the arcades regulars were suspicious of police and reluctant
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to speak with them there was no no known reason for Elma to enter the Eastern arcade elma's
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grandmother suggested she might have gone in to use the public restroom whatever the case it was
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unlikely Elma was aware of the arcade's Seedy reputation towards the little Colin
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Street exit of the Eastern arcade was a bar called the Australian wine Saloon it too Drew in a bad crowd anyone
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was served there regardless of age customers were often spotted around little Colin Street at all hours in
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varying states of intoxication vomiting urinating and confronting passes by the Australian wine Saloon was owned
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and operated by a man named Colin Ross shortly before 300 p.m. on Friday December 30 Colin briefly stepped out of
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his Saloon and happened to see Elma turki she paced around as if looking for somebody before exiting the
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arcade the next sighting of Elma was as she crossed little Colin Street just a few hundred met from where she'd started
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her journey it had taken her 90 minutes to walk in a circle around a city block even more troubling when Witnesses
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described elma's demeanor they used words like nervous agitated and even frightened
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[Music] elma's Journey would have taken her past some slum dwellings on little Colin
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Street investigators considered whether an unscrupulous loiterer had lured her away or maybe she'd been stalked by a
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predator who pounced at an opportunistic moment given elma's unsettled State she
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might have known she was being followed and had been wandering around trying to give her purua the
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slip Elma was obedient and introverted in nature with a soft way of speaking if something were a Miss she didn't have
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the tenacity to confront the problem head on in the words of her uncle John though of a bright disposition Elma
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was somewhat reserved and did not make friends readily like some girls she lacked the vivacious manner that
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encourages a chance acquaintance by the time elma's body was discovered her killer had a ible Head
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Start despite the lack of clues or evidence investigators were certain the mystery would be solved within
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days the Victorian government offered a250 reward for information that led to a conviction an amount that was deemed
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woefully inadequate by the local populace given the urgency of this situation they expected a far higher and
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more tempting offer if the investigation took too long the Killer could flee the state or Worse
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strike again but by Tuesday January 3 1922 4 days after elma's body was discovered
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there still hadn't been any arrests Elma turki was laid to rest that day her small coffin was adorned with
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white flowers with six of her friends acting as paw bearers Alma's graving family traveled
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with her body in the hearse that took her to her final resting place a plot alongside her recently deceased
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Grandfather at Brighton Cemetery after elma's funeral her loved ones went to Gun Alley for a moment of
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private reflection they were confronted by a large crowd of strangers gawking at the
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crime scene Gun Alley had been chaotic since the discovery of elma's body a Non-Stop
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influx of locals Out of Towners police and news reporters flooded the small area at all
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hours within the first week of January 1922 thousands of people pushed their way through the tight space to observe
00:26:38
the area lay flowers condemn the perpetrator and swap theories a line of people nearly 100 m
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long stretched from the Alley's entrance with inconvenienced business owners threatening to hose the onlookers if
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they didn't disperse similar crowds also descended on the Eastern arcade storming into
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shops and lodgings shouting let us at them pull the place down Elma tury's murder was the first
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crime in Melbourne to create such hysteria the Press covered the story exhaustively releasing detailed updates
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about the investigation every morning and afternoon that included evidence uncovered and witness
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accounts the people of Australia were left reeling how did a killer strike in broader daylight on the bustling streets
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of Melbourne's Theater District mothers used Alma's death as a warning to their own children even
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though no one fully knew what she'd experienced or by whom the one thing people did know was
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that her killer was a cold-blooded careful Predator as fear gripped the city members of Melbourne's criminal
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underworld offered their help by sending the message to the Poli you tell us who you want and we'll
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get him for you an article in the age newspaper asserted the circumstances of the case
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are of such a tragic and revolting character that the whole Community should leave no stone unturned to
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discover the criminal the issue for police wasn't that they weren't getting enough tips
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it's that they were getting too many Melbourne citizens reported all sorts of suspicious Behavior including a man who
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changed his outfit three times in one day police were spoken to about everything from worrisome dreams to
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Clairvoyant Visions the constant pylon ran the risk of key information being overlooked even though the crime scene
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had been thoroughly examined and cleared by authorities amateur sleuths mudded The Waters by inundating gun Ali and
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handing over anything they came across from buttons to a piece of ribbon one man even handed over a parcel
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of sausages he found behind a drain pipe thinking it could have been the meat Elma turki had collected from the
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butcher prior to her murder in actuality all of these items had been strewn there by hoers wanting
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to stir up some drama detectives also began receiving Anonymous death threats warning them to
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drop the inquiry these two were suspected to be from pranksters despite the chaos the police
00:29:33
encouraged the community to keep information pouring in on Thursday January 5 Someone who
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lived near little Collin Street called in claiming they had important information relating to the
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case several detectives piled into a police car and sped towards the destination as they approached the
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corner of Lonsdale and exhibition streets a man staggered in front of of their car the driver swerved to avoid
00:30:01
them causing the vehicle's front wheels to lock and scared the car overturned throwing two
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officers from their seats and leaving a third pinned underneath the officers only sustained
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broken bones and relatively minor injuries but the entire Fiasco was reported by the Press who had been
00:30:25
casting Victoria Police in a mostly negative light from the outset of the turki investigation the detectives involved in
00:30:33
the car accident were described as utterly incompetent and on a wild goose chase the police car involved in the
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crash was an old obsolete vehicle that had earned the nickname among officers as the suicide car due to its poor and
00:30:48
dangerous State its continued usage highlighted the problems Victoria Police faced in
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the wake of Alma turki's murder for starters investigators hadn't been supplied with electric torches
00:31:03
instead they relied on matches to search the dark Alleyways and other locations the same went for the officer
00:31:11
who had been tasked with checking Gun Alley on the night of the crime if he'd had better resources some questioned how
00:31:18
things could have worked out differently then there was the matter of the police photographer who shared his
00:31:24
Services across all government departments as researcher Kevin Morgan explained in his book Gun Alley it was
00:31:33
not uncommon for police to be told on making application for the photographer services that he had been dispatched to
00:31:40
Country Victoria to photograph new fruit picking techniques or new harvesting equipment and that he would not be back
00:31:47
in Melbourne for several days as a result gun Aly wasn't photographed for the purpose of the
00:31:54
homicide investigation until mid January 192 2 weeks after Elma turki was killed this meant no photographs had
00:32:04
been taken of her body in situ or in the Mory at the time it was the sole duty of
00:32:11
detectives to examined and interpret a crime scene even though forensic Sciences were not entirely new few in
00:32:19
Victoria were trained in its most recent developments not only did the police lack the expertise they needed they also
00:32:27
lacked to Manpower when elma's body was first discovered only three officers were
00:32:33
dispatched to Gun Alley this was barely enough to maintain the Integrity of the crime scene let alone close off the
00:32:40
surrounding area to search for the killer curious onlookers and news reporters had trudged their way through
00:32:47
the alley before it could be cordoned off and guarded with the limited resources they had it took the police
00:32:54
days to properly examine the crime scene not to mention the greater area as Victoria Police faced growing
00:33:02
criticism the government upped the reward in elma's case to £1,000 this was one of the biggest
00:33:09
rewards ever offered in Australian history enough to buy several houses and live a comfortable
00:33:16
life the increase was well received by the community it served as both a face saving strategy for the government and a
00:33:24
timely distraction of the underlying issues that plagued the police meanwhile the relationship
00:33:31
between the police and the Press remained Rocky while both were sad on identifying Alma's killer and worked in
00:33:38
tandem at times the press's criticism hurt relations within days of elma's murder
00:33:45
they'd portrayed the police as having failed in gloriously for not making any arrests they started demanding a royal
00:33:52
commission into the police's incompetence and the public had a little confidence in law enforcement as a
00:33:59
result the pressure on detectives to solve the case quickly was immense one detective told the
00:34:07
press any day now we expect to get our men the editor of the arus newspaper doubted this writing as each day passes
00:34:18
the Grievous disappointment of the public at the failure of the police to track down the murderer of Alma turki
00:34:24
grows more profound the detective and police forces of Melbourne are on trial and no matter
00:34:32
how exacting they may find the ordeal they must realize that the public will not tolerate failure on their
00:34:42
part working on the theory that alus killer had to be local to the area surrounding Gun Alley police questioned
00:34:49
various frequenters of the Eastern arcade among them was the proprietor of the Australian wine Saloon 28-year-old
00:34:57
Colin Ross who had reported seeing Elma walk past his Saloon at around 2:30 p.m. the mother and daughter who saw
00:35:06
Rama enter the Eastern arcade verified Colin's account they not only saw Rama but also remember seeing Colin Ross as
00:35:15
he stepped outside of his establishment to observe the arcade when they glanced back both Almer
00:35:21
and Colin were gone the Australian wine Saloon took up two shop floors of the arcade's ground
00:35:30
level inside the entrance an arched doorway on the right led to the neighboring shop floor where the saloon
00:35:36
parlor was located to the left sat the bar behind the bar was a small curtained off room that contained a couch with two
00:35:46
blankets on it as well as the opening to The Cellar according to the staff this was a
00:35:52
private room used only by Colin Ross if the curtain was closed that meant no one was allowed to
00:36:01
enter Colin had first reported his sighting of Alor to two detectives who visited his Saloon the day after the
00:36:08
12-year-old's body was discovered when one detective asked him how much do you know Ross he
00:36:17
replied I don't know anything at all over the days that followed Colin and other arcade regulars were
00:36:25
questioned several times elaborating on his movements from Friday December 30 Colin said that he'd arrived at his
00:36:33
Saloon at around 2:00 p.m. the bar was quiet so he wandered out the front to take in the happenings
00:36:39
around the Eastern arcade that's when he glimpsed to Alma turki walk past Colin then went back into his
00:36:48
Saloon and remained there until closing time at 6: p.m. at 6:10 he traveled to the suburb
00:36:55
of footz cray where he lived with with his mother and brothers he ate dinner before heading
00:37:01
back to the city Colin had planned to meet his friend gladus at the Eastern arcade at
00:37:08
900 p.m. arriving early he wandered around little Colin Street aimlessly for 15 minutes before catching up with gladus
00:37:17
and taking her to the Australian wine Saloon given it was after hours they were the only two
00:37:25
inside they stayed there until 10:45 at which point Colin locked the place up and walked to gladus the roughly
00:37:32
20-minute journey to her flat on King Street he then went to Spencer Street Station and took a train home where he
00:37:40
stayed for the rest of the night glattus confirmed Colin's version of events but she said they left the
00:37:48
saloon at 10:20 p.m. 25 minutes earlier than what Colin had stated according to gladus the pair
00:37:56
spoke outside of her flat for a while before parting ways at 11:15 gladus watched Colin walk off and
00:38:04
was under the impression that he was heading home although Colin Ross was simply
00:38:10
being questioned in relation to the Alat turki case rumors quickly spread that police had placed him under arrest for
00:38:17
her murder a 3,000 strong crowd gathered at the entrance of the Eastern arcade shouting for officers to bring him out
00:38:27
the building was locked down as officers on Horseback arrived to disperse The Angry
00:38:33
Crowd for the general public who absorbed all of their information about the case from the Press Colin Ross was
00:38:41
exactly the type of man who would kill Alma turki there was no doubt about that a little under 2 years earlier in
00:38:54
March 1920 police received a call from Colin 's then girlfriend Lily she claimed that Colin had
00:39:01
threatened her with a revolver after she rejected his marriage proposal saying that he'd have her dead or
00:39:09
alive terrified Lily had accepted his proposal just to Plate him but then called the police as soon as he
00:39:17
left colum was charged with using threatening words towards a young woman and carrying firearms without
00:39:24
permission he avoided a 14-day stinting in jail by agreeing to a 12-month good behavior bond with A5
00:39:32
fine more recently a patron of the Australian wine Saloon was robbed of his cash and shot in the
00:39:40
shoulder several people were suspected of being involved in the crime including Colin Ross and he was subsequently
00:39:47
charged with armed robbery yet the victim had been heavily intoxicated and couldn't recall who was
00:39:54
responsible for his injuries invest tigators were left with conflicting accounts from the
00:40:00
disreputable accused who lobed blame at each other and Colin was ultimately acquitted a criminal with a penchant for
00:40:09
violent acts Colin Ross fit the bill of a killer he had a Burly strong figure and could have easily intimidated and
00:40:17
overpowered little Alma turki he matched the police's suspect profile being a local business owner
00:40:24
familiar with the area yet they hadn't uncovered anything to justify his arrest for Alma's
00:40:32
murder detectives quizzed Colin about his relationship with women through their inquiries they'd been told that
00:40:40
Colin was known to boast about his sexual prowess claiming that he was quote the largest sexually made man he
00:40:49
allegedly said that if his sexual partners didn't do what he wanted them to he would quote strangle the bastards
00:40:58
though police never revealed their sources for this information it was no secret that theyd questioned many sex
00:41:05
workers in the aftermath of Alma's murder and Colin was known to engage their services when confronted with these
00:41:13
statements Colin asserted it was all lies he seemed perplexed that anyone would say these things about him so much
00:41:22
so that he arrived at Police Headquarters to find out who had detectives refused to tell Colin their
00:41:30
sources and asked why he was so anxious to know Colin replied that he didn't believe anyone said those things about
00:41:38
him if they had Colin said that he'd quote warm them up sensing an opportunity detectives
00:41:48
tried to provoke Colin in the hopes he might react by doing something that implicated him in Alma tur's
00:41:55
murder replying to Colin's and the many complaints they'd received from neighboring businesses regarding
00:43:01
the saloon Rowdy patrons Colin had no choice but to close the establishment down by the time detectives got around
00:43:11
to Examining The Saloon on Tuesday January 3 4 days had passed since elma's body was
00:43:18
found by then the entire building had already been completely emptied and gutted 2 weeks later on Thursday January
00:43:27
12th detectives visited Colin Ross at home they noticed a pair of blankets folded up under a pillow on his couch
00:43:36
one brownish red in color the other a gray blue Colin said the blankets had previously been in his Saloon slung over
00:43:44
a couch in the curtained off room behind the bar looking at the brown blanket one of
00:43:51
the detectives noticed a long red hair stuck to it the blanket were confiscated for
00:43:58
further analysis all up a total of 22 red hairs were recovered on the brown blanket the blue blanket also contained
00:44:08
five red hairs as well as two Seamon stains prior to Elma tury's burial a lock of her hair had been placed inside
00:44:17
an envelope to Aid with future investigations an analyst compared the hairs found on the blankets to
00:44:25
Almer They concluded that all of the hairs had derived from the scalp of the same
00:44:32
[Music] person at the police station Colin Ross maintained that on Friday December 30
00:44:44
he'd walked his friend glattus back to her flat before catching the train home he added that he got home at around
00:44:51
midnight and went straight to bed once again detectives switched their line of questioning to Colin's personal
00:44:59
life they said a source had told them that Colin had a habit of exposing himself when drunk Colin denied this
00:45:08
saying that is a lie and I do not believe any person told you that the interviewing detective Fred
00:45:16
pigot responded do you think I am lying Colin moldered over before replying I won't say that
00:45:28
his response intrigued detectives as it wasn't an outright Denial in a way his koi answer seemed like an
00:45:36
admission for detective pigot this was a huge step in the right direction what Colin didn't know was
00:45:45
that someone had already come forward implicating him in elma's Murder Olive Maddox was a sex worker by
00:45:53
trade and a regular visitor at the Australian wine Saloon she considered Colin Ross a friend even though he'd
00:46:00
unsuccessfully propositioned her for sex on multiple occasions Olive had told police that
00:46:06
she'd been at Colin's Saloon at 5:00 p.m. on Friday December 30 after ordering a drink she stood in the
00:46:13
archway to The Parlor to see if she recognized anyone inside sitting alone in a corner was a
00:46:20
young woman wearing a dress with red hair flowing down from under her hat she had a glass in front of her but
00:46:28
olive wasn't sure what it contained according to Olive she approached Colin Ross at the bar and
00:46:35
told him there was a girl in The Parlor who appeared too young to be drinking there Colin smiled and responded
00:46:43
sarcastically oh well if she wants it she can have it Oliver left the saloon shortly after
00:46:50
noting that the girl was still there when she returned almost an hour later it was 5 minutes till closing time and
00:46:58
neither the girl nor Colin Ross were anywhere to be seen Olive claimed to have crossed paths
00:47:06
with Colin Ross again 6 days later on Thursday January 5th when he asked for her thoughts on Alma tury's
00:47:14
murder Olive didn't know much about it but Colin had plenty to say he started lambasting Elma claiming the papers were
00:47:24
making her out to be goody goody when she was in in fact quote a cheeky little devil he said that the little girl was
00:47:32
at an age where she wanted a man Colin's comments Disturbed Olive but she couldn't say with certainty that the
00:47:40
girl she'd seen in his Saloon had been Elma turki while they bore a resemblance and
00:47:47
the girl had been wearing clothes that fit the description of elma's school uniform The Parlor had been poorly lit
00:47:54
so she couldn't be entirely sure but olive maddox's account was just one piece of a damning puzzle forming
00:48:04
against Colin detectives had learned that Olive wasn't the only one who claimed to have
00:48:10
seen a girl matching Alma turki's description at the Australian wine Saloon Ivy Matthews was a bartender and
00:48:18
former employee of Colin Ross she told the police that on December 30 she' dropped into the saloon
00:48:25
at around 3:00 p.m. as she approached the bar Colin emerged from his private room leaving the
00:48:32
curtain open long enough for Ivy to catch a glimpse of a young red-headed girl sitting on a chair
00:48:40
inside Ivy wasn't sure what to make of the situation she wondered whether the girl's mother was also in the room just
00:48:48
out of sight Ivy watched Colin pour a glass of wine before returning back behind the
00:48:55
curtain she left the saloon shortly after but her observations continued to bother
00:49:02
her Ivy already thought Colin Ross was a pervert she claimed to have previously seen him follow and accost children
00:49:10
around the arcade and had warned him to leave them alone according to iy when she learned
00:49:18
of Alma tur's murder on December 31 she immediately confronted Colin at work about the girl she'd seen in his back
00:49:25
room Colin swiftly ushered Ivy outside and onto little Colin street so they could
00:49:31
talk privately he admitted that he'd been standing outside his Saloon when Elmer
00:49:37
approached and asked him for a drink he said that he led her inside and into the
00:49:43
back room Colin assured Ivy that he didn't do anything to Elma but implied that she'd
00:49:50
been with men before he said he'd intended to move her on when his bar closed but she would
00:49:58
leave but Colin soon changed his tune he allegedly broke down telling Ivy that he
00:50:05
suffered from a disease where being in the presence of a child caused him to lose his
00:50:10
head he confessed that he' quote ravished Elma and that without meaning to she was dead before he knew
00:50:18
it afterwards he wrapped elma's body in the blankets from the back room and went
00:50:24
home he drove back to to The Saloon in the early hours of the morning and used his car to move elma's body to Gun
00:50:33
Alley as Colin told Ivy this he was visibly destroyed according to Ivy he said that
00:50:40
after killing Amma he'd felt like getting a knife and finishing [Music] himself interviewing detectives
00:50:49
presented Colin Ross with the allegations from Olive Maddox and iy Matthews he called them deliberately
00:50:56
lies saying you can get nothing on me Colin Ross was nevertheless charged with the murder of
00:51:06
Alki as he was led away for processing his relaxed attitude faltered and he began yelling about a frame
00:51:14
up his mother and brothers accepted his assertions of innocence and contacted a lawyer Colin was scheduled to appear in
00:51:23
court the next day by then news of arrest had made headlines making him the most hated man in
00:51:31
Australia a large Angry Crowd amassed at the city court calling for Colin's head
00:51:36
as the police tried in vain to disperse them Colin was transported into the building via a direct passage from the
00:51:44
police station cells to bypass the Raging mob Colin appeared optimistic about his
00:51:51
situation though wept after briefly speaking with his mother his nerves kicked in once he was in front of the
00:52:00
judges detective Fred pigot detailed the case against the accused he spoke of Colin siding of amor at the Eastern
00:52:08
arcade but added nothing further simply saying there is other evidence which at this stage the police do not wish to
00:52:19
disclose a coronial inquest into Alma's death was scheduled to determine if Colin Ross would stand trial for her
00:52:27
murder he objected to being remanded in custody until then telling the court that he'd prefer to be out so Witnesses
00:52:35
could come to him and prove his whereabouts on the night Elma was killed the remark was Ill considered as
00:52:43
it only further cemented the judge's belief that Colin needed to be remanded Colin
00:52:50
pleaded but there is no reason why I should be here with that his mother read abruptly
00:52:57
stood up in the public gallery and announced I can prove where he was one of Ed Sons quietened her and
00:53:06
pulled her back down to her seat Colin Ross was remanded until the coronial inquest as he left the dock in an
00:53:15
apparent State of Shock he remarked sarcastically this is a great country there's no doubt about
00:53:25
it [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] no one had seen them Colin LED Elma into
00:54:29
the private room behind the bar closed the curtain and offered her a drink of sweet
00:54:35
wine she refused at first but Colin eventually persuaded her to take a sip the two proceeded to talk for several
00:54:44
hours during which Amma consumed two more glasses of wine at one point Colin left to speak
00:54:52
with another bar Patron after closing up shop he returned to the back room to find that Elma had
00:54:59
fallen asleep Colin allegedly told Sydney Harding that he couldn't resist the temptation he began molesting Elma
00:55:09
during which she stirred awake and cried out Colin covered her mouth with his hand and proceeded to rape
00:55:17
her at some point during the attack Elma fainted Colin left the back room for a moment during which Elma regained ious
00:55:26
nness and began crying out he rushed back and tried to pacify her but she wouldn't settle not knowing
00:55:35
what came over him he began choking her Colin allegedly told Sydney that when he came back to his senses he
00:55:44
lifted elma's arm and it flopped lifelessly confirming she was dead he calmed down and tried to
00:55:53
think Elma looked horrible and it was bleeding badly Colin grabbed a bucket full of
00:55:59
water and cleaned her body then the scene he had plans to meet his friend a gladus at 9:00 p.m. and he knew it would
00:56:07
be suspicious if he cancelled he took a gladus to The Saloon where she remained blissfully unaware
00:56:14
that a child's body lay hidden just meters away according to Sydney Colin said he
00:56:22
then walked glad home and caught public transport back to his place in foot cray
00:56:27
along the way he made himself as conspicuous as possible to establish as many aliis as he
00:56:34
could in the early morning hours Colin stole a bicycle from a neighboring home and rode the 10 km back to the Eastern
00:56:43
arcade after walking around the building to check that the coast was clear he went inside the saloon he stripped
00:56:51
elma's body naked and wrapped it in a coat before carrying her body across the road road to Gun Alley and leaving it
00:56:59
there on his way home Colin stopped on foot's cray Road and tore elma's clothing into strips he scattered the
00:57:07
pieces as he rode onwards throwing each of her shoes into two nearby Rivers after returning the bicycle to
00:57:15
his neighbor's house he went home Colin allegedly told Sydney that the only other person he' told this to
00:57:24
was his lawyer who'd advised him to keep keep his mouth shut he said he trusted Sydney and felt good about his
00:57:32
case once it was all over he intended to sue for compensation unless he lost in which
00:57:39
case he'd take his own life the inquest into the death of Alat turki took place on Wednesday January 25
00:57:51
a little under a month after she was killed an angry mob in circled the building forming the largest crowd the
00:57:59
court had ever seen this time the police came prepared they kept the peace as detectives Witnesses and members of
00:58:08
Colin Ross's family were hurried inside followed by the Shackled man himself each of the cas's witnesses took
00:58:17
the stand to reiterate what they'd seen or heard Colin stared unflinchingly as Ivy
00:58:24
Matthews and Sydney Harding detailed the alleged confessions he'd made to them every so often his lips would curl into
00:58:33
a smile after hearing testimony from Witnesses case detectives and a forensic analyst Colin refused the opportunity to
00:58:43
take the stand the coroner then handed down their findings concluding that Colin Ross was
00:58:50
responsible for Alma tur's death and committing him to stand trial for her murder
00:58:57
in the meantime a woman came forward to hand something over to police she'd been traveling along foots
00:59:04
Gray Road when she came across a 6-in square piece of blue fabric in the gutter the police believed it was part
00:59:12
of the dress yurki was wearing on the day she was murdered the discovery added validity to
00:59:19
the alleged confession that Colin Ross gave to his fellow inmate Sydney Harding and only strengthened that cas against
00:59:28
him the trial commenced the following month in February having established itself as
00:59:35
one of the most infamous criminal cases in Victoria's history the courtroom was packed those who missed out on a seat
00:59:43
lingered outside the court waiting for minute by minute updates foral berans the trial was just
00:59:51
a formality the general consensus was that Colin Ross was guilty Colin was ushered into the courtroom
00:59:59
where he staunchly announced his Declaration of not guilty all the witnesses who testified
01:00:06
at the coronial inquest reappeared for the murder trial they more or less provided the
01:00:12
same testimony albeit with some additional details that filled in the blanks the prosecution also presented
01:00:20
two new Witnesses the first of whom was a man named Francis Upton on Friday December 30 1921 Francis said
01:00:31
he'd been drinking heavily at the Australian wine Saloon he ended up passing out in the nearby Flag Staff
01:00:38
Gardens once he regained Consciousness it was a little after midnight and he was feeling sober wanting another drink
01:00:47
Francis headed back to the Australian wine Saloon and noticed a light on inside he approached to The Saloon and
01:00:54
overheard a woman's voice say from within oh my God darling how are we going to get rid of
01:01:02
it Francis tried the door it was unlocked he heard Colin Ross's panicked voice say there is somebody
01:01:13
here Colin then appeared at the door clearly rattled he held a small Taw against one arm and his hands were
01:01:21
stained red Francis asked him for wine Colin rushed to the bar grabbed a bottle and
01:01:29
thrusted at Francis pushing him away and retreating back into the saloon without
01:01:34
asking for payment outside the arcade Francis noticed the wine bottle had the same red
01:01:41
staining on it as Colin's hands the bottle was still sealed leading Francis to suspect the staining
01:01:49
wasn't wine but perhaps blood he took a swig from the bottle and left it on the corner of William and
01:01:57
flender streets the second new prosecution witness was Joseph Dunston another man
01:02:07
who had been on remand with Colin Ross Joseph testified that he was once reading a book in the prison yard when
01:02:14
he saw Colin and Sydney Harding walking back and forth in deep conversation Joseph overheard Colin
01:02:21
saying things like I was talking to the girl if they find any wine inside her that ain't to say I gave it to her and
01:02:31
no a bike Joseph heard Sydney ask how was she dressed this testimony further supported
01:02:41
Sydney Harding's allegations that Colin had confessed to killing Alma turki primed by the press the public
01:02:50
viewed Colin Ross contentiously seemingly utterly unap getic and unaffected in court he chewed
01:02:58
on lollies and joked with his lawyers during breaks whenever Colin was escorted through the angry mob he shouted at them
01:03:07
playfully bye-bye unlike at the coronial inquest Colin opted to take the stand at his
01:03:15
trial he cut the figure of a Gruff and angry Thug he denied all accusations leveled against him and repeated his
01:03:24
unchanged vert ver of events Colin said the police were trying to pin elma's murder on him as payback
01:03:32
for the armed robbery case they lost against him years prior the trial concluded on its fifth
01:03:40
day Colin sat composed and listened intently to the prosecution's closing remarks that described him as a
01:03:48
desperate man facing a desperate charge and prepared to say anything desperate the jury deliberated for a day
01:03:57
before presenting their verdict guilty Colin stared blankly ahead as the announcement was
01:04:05
made asked if he had anything to argue against receiving the death penalty Colin
01:04:12
responded I still maintain that I am an innocent man and that my evidence is correct if I am hanged I will be hanged
01:04:21
an innocent man my life has been sworn Away by desper [Music] people the judge sentenced Colin Ross to
01:04:31
death by hanging Colin reasserted his innocence several times over but the judge
01:04:38
interrupted him saying and may God have mercy on your soul outside Court the massive crowd
01:04:47
erupted in Cheers For the First Time Colin appeared distraught and nearly collapsed as he
01:04:54
was led to a waiting van as he passed the crowd yelled scoundrel serves you right hanging is too good for
01:05:03
you the conviction heralded a celebration in Melbourne unlike any criminal trial in the history of the
01:05:11
state Colin endeavored to appeal his conviction but was ultimately unsuccessful he was sent to the Gallows
01:05:20
on Monday April 24 1922 almost 4 months after Alma 's murder his final words were I am now face to face with my maker
01:05:33
and I swear by almighty God that I am an innocent man I never committed the crime
01:05:40
and I don't know who did I never confessed to anyone I ask God to forgive those who
01:05:47
have sworn my life [Music] away to continued next [Music] [Music] week for