The reconstruction and "solving" of a previously unsolved and sensational murder, which occurred on the remote Carpentaria Downs cattle station in the Gulf Country of Far North Queensland in 1908.
In 1908, on Queensland's remote Carpentaria Downs station, the vibrant Nellie Duffy was found dead, her throat slit. Fanny Wilson, wife of the station manager, and Billy, an Aboriginal station-hand, were charged with the murder. The trial failed and the truth never surfaced. Newspaper headlines screamed of a high-level cover-up, and calls for a parliamentary inquiry went unheeded.
Who was responsible for killing this housekeeper-companion to Fanny Wilson? Among the many suspects was the station boss Henry Wilson, known to police via allegations of cattle stealing and cruelty to Aborigines.
For almost a century, the legend surrounding this callous murder has lingered, fuelled by tales of adultery, family secrets, racial exploitation, brutality and police bungling.
In this book, Stephanie Bennett narrates a fascinating tale and presents a compelling exercise in forensic reconstruction. Along the way she tackles the questions: What evidence was hushed up? Why do rumours that persist in the north tell a different story from the one the public was allowed to hear? Why was Nellie Duffy killed? Indeed, who killed her?
