Martha Rendell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Martha Rendell | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1871 |
| Died | 6 October 1909 |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Status | Executed by hanging |
Martha Rendell (c. 1871 – 6 October 1909) was the last woman to be hanged in Western Australia. She was convicted of murdering her de facto husband's son, Arthur Morris, in 1908. She was also suspected of killing her two daughters, Annie and Olive.
It was alleged that she killed the children by swabbing hydrochloric acid on the back of their throats. She always protested her innocence, maintaining that she was treating the children for diphtheria. There was considerable public outrage at the time; the press portrayed her as a "scarlet woman" and "wicked stepmother". She was hanged at Fremantle Prison on 6 October 1909. She is buried at Fremantle Cemetery, in the same grave where serial killer Eric Edgar Cooke was interred more than half a century afterwards.
An unusual illusion appears on one of the church windows.[citation needed] It is said to be the portrait of Martha who watches over the prison. The thing that makes this image so unusual is the fact that it can only be seen on the outside of the window and when inside the church looking out the glass is smooth and even with no unusual shape or texture.
[edit] References
- Fremantle Prison a brief history, Cyril Ayris ISBN 0-9581882-1-1
- Daily News 05/10/1909
- West Australian 30/09/1909
- Murdering Stepmothers: The trial and Execution of Martha Rendell, Anna Haebich1997
- American Chronicle, January 17, 2007
