Albert Smidt
Albert Smidt was a German-born Australian serial killer who murdered two men in south-east New South Wales. Smidt was convicted of the murder in April 1890 of his travelling companion, John Young Taylor, and hanged for the crime at Wagga Wagga. It was strongly believed that Smidt had also murdered Jacob Rick, a travelling companion of both he and Taylor, but the investigation of Rick's disappearance stalled after police failed to locate his body. It was also suspected that Smidt had earlier murdered an unidentified man whose decapitated body was found in the Murrumbidgee River in October 1888, on 'Gellingroe' station downstream from Gundagai. However, Smidt's role in that murder remained a matter of conjecture. He was hanged at Wagga Wagga in November 1890.
Biography
A German immigrant
Albert Smidt was born in about 1847 in Potsdam in Prussia, Germany. Rev. MacIntyre of Wagga Wagga, who frequently visited Smidt after he had been charged with murder in 1890, formed the opinion that Smidt was "a fairly educated and intelligent man, who had received in his youth a good deal of religious instruction".In a statement made to the police in May 1890, Smidt claimed to have been in Australia for "eight or nine years", having initially arrived in Queensland. A later newspaper article recorded that Smidt "arrived in Victoria from New Zealand".
In Australia Smidt was an itinerant miner, prospector and rural worker. In about 1888 or 1889 Smidt possibly worked as a fisherman on the Murrumbidgee River in the vicinity of Gundagai. Another newspaper report stated that Smidt may have been in the Murrumbidgee district as early as 1881 or 1882, at which time he "employed himself fishing in the river". After he was charged with murder in April 1890, enquiries by the police ascertained that Smidt had been working as a prospector in the Wee Jasper district, east of Gundagai, since about 1888. It was reported that "he used to go away occasionally, and on his return always seemed to have a good supply of money".
A newspaper article in November 1890 described Smidt, who at the time was awaiting execution, as a man of about five feet 4 inches in height, of medium build, and "inclined to be of fair complexion, although considerably sun-burnt". The prisoner's face was described as having "a sullen look", with "a low forehead, receding head, gray eyes, small moustache and 'goatee' beard".
The 'Gellingroe' murder
On Wednesday, 17 October 1888, the pastoralist Richard Whitacker, of 'Gellingroe' station, was fishing in the Murrumbidgee River about half a mile from his homestead when he discovered the headless, naked body of a man snagged on a log in the river. Whitacker informed the police at Gundagai and Constable Nickson was sent to investigate and take charge of the body. Nickson soon determined the man had been murdered “by one who is no novice in the business”. The man's head had been severed from the body by two distinct cuts, a piece of flesh was hanging from the shoulders and there were further marks of violence on the back and arms, indicating a fierce struggle with the killer had taken place. Nickson secured the body with ropes until it could be removed from the river. The body was “very much swollen and bloated”, reckoned to have been in the water less than three weeks. The man was estimated to be under 30 years of age, about five feet four inches tall, with the appearance of a healthy, muscular man. No trace of the head or clothing could be found. There had been no reports of a missing person from the district, suggesting that the murdered man had been a stranger to the area.The murder of the unidentified man in 1888, found decapitated in the Murrumbidgee River downstream from Gundagai on 'Gellingroe' station, remained unsolved. In April 1890 Albert Smidt was arrested for the murder of his companion, John Young Taylor. The fact that Smidt had decapitated Taylor and buried the head and body in different locations led to speculation that Smidt had also been responsible for the earlier Gellingroe murder. After Smidt's arrest Inspector Charles Harrison from Wagga Wagga led the investigation into Smidt's possible involvement, as well as the circumstances surrounding the later disappearance of Smidt's companion, Jacob Rick. It was reported in May 1890 that "the police are in possession of information which leaves no doubt that was in the neighbourhood of Gundagai at the time" of the Gellingroe murder. Another report stated that Smidt had been employed as a fisherman on the Murrumbidgee River "prior to being seen about Wagga with Taylor". In the end, however, Smidt's role in the Gellingroe murder remained speculative.
Jacob Rick's murder
John Young Taylor and Jacob Rick were miners and prospectors based at Rushworth, in the Campaspe district of northern central Victoria. They left Rushworth on October 23, initially attracted by reports of a goldrush in the Parkes district of central west New South Wales. It was at Peak Hill, north of Parkes, where the two men met Alfred Smidt, and began working and travelling with him. Soon afterwards, finding the prospects at Peak Hill less than what they had anticipated, the two Rushworth miners, together with Smidt and another man named Tubbenhaur, decided to move on. The four men left Peak Hill in November 1889, travelling in a horse-drawn waggonette, and proceeded to the Good Friday Gully, near Young in inland south-east New South Wales, where they began working an old claim. After four days Taylor travelled to Peak Hill to collect property belonging to Rick and then returned to Rushworth. After a further nine days Rick, Smidt and Tubbenhaur abandoned the claim at Good Friday Gully. The waggonette was taken into Young for repairs, after which the three miners travelled to old diggings south of Young, between Wombat and Murrumburrah, arriving there on December 6 and establishing a camp. For the next eight days Rick, Smidt and Tubbenhaur were employed by a local farmer in harvesting work. Tubbenhaur then left the group, and Rick and Smidt travelled to the Wee Jasper district, east of Gundagai at the foot of the Brindabella Ranges, a region familiar to Smidt.At Wee Jasper one of the wheels of the waggonette was repaired by a local tradesman named Frank Gardiner, after which the Rick and Smidt drove the vehicle eight miles to "Anderson's place", in undulating country west of Wee Jasper village, arriving there on Christmas Day. The two prospectors left the waggonette at that location and, loading a pack-horse, told Anderson they intended to prospect at Smith's old diggings on Sandy Creek, about five miles away in the Bungongo district. The two men were not seen again until the evening of December 31 when they camped at Shaking Bog Crossing on Adjungbilly Creek, near Thomas Bell's selection and five miles from Anderson's place. The following day, 1 January 1890, Rick and Smidt were taken by a local miner, Margules Keinitz, "to a likely prospecting site" in Garner's paddock in the Tumorrama district. They were observed by other miners at the location, shortly after noon on New Year's Day. Smidt and Rick prospected at the reef for only about an hour, before moving on later that afternoon.
Subsequent police investigations led to the conclusion that Jacob Rick was probably murdered by Smidt later in the afternoon of 1 January 1890, as the prospecting reef in Garner's paddock was the last place at which Rick was seen alive. At about four o'clock that same afternoon, Smidt, alone and leading the pack-horse, called at Bell's dwelling and purchased some butter. He then proceeded to Anderson's place, arriving there towards evening. When he was later interviewed by the police, Anderson recalled Smidt's "excited manner" on this occasion. When asked about Rick's whereabouts, he replied: "He has gone to Gundagai and taken the train to Victoria". As the hour was late, Anderson pressed him to stay, but Smidt refused, saying he was "in a great hurry". He then hitched the horse to the waggonette and departed. Smidt camped that night at his previous camp-site at Shaking Bog Crossing near Bell's selection. The next morning, January 2, he sold the tent he had been using to a local miner. The following day Smidt was seen at Keilley's place, eight miles along Adjungbilly Creek from the crossing-place. During the next few days Smidt was observed "proceeding up and down the creek from Keilley's in a mysterious manner", after which he returned to Keilley's and made unsuccessful efforts to sell the waggonette.
Smidt then drove the waggonette to Tumut via Brungle Creek, where he camped in the yard of McKay's hotel. At Tumut he again attempted to sell the waggonette, without success. Smidt then moved on to Adelong where he was again unable to find a purchaser for the vehicle. He continued on to Hillas' Creek, between Gundagai and Tarcutta, before heading south-west on the Great Southern Road towards Albury on the Victorian border.
As he travelled towards the Victorian border, Smidt camped for a day on a reserve near Bowna. While he was there he was observed by a group of boys, who were swimming in an adjacent waterhole, "busily washing an oppossum rug and effacing marks from the bottom of his waggon". The boys also reported that, after Smidt had left the camp, they found bloodstains on a log near where the waggon had been. On January 11 he arrived at Goode's wine shop at Eight-mile Creek, eight miles from Albury on the Sydney-road, where he remained until the 18th. Smidt left the waggonette with Goode and turned out the horse, asking the proprietor to sell both "if he could find a purchaser". He then travelled by coach to Albury, telling Goode "he intended proceeding to Victoria".
Taylor's murder
After Smidt crossed into Victoria at Albury in January 1890, he travelled to Rushworth. He stayed at a hotel in town for a few days until he ascertained where Taylor was living. He then "renewed his acquaintance" with Taylor, "and followed him about like a dog". Eventually, Smidt was able to persuade Taylor to go to the Tumbarumba diggings, where he claimed there was plenty of gold to be found by sluicing. Taylor purchased a new dray, as well as a red waggonette with a white tilt, and two horses. The two men left Rushworth on about February 23 for Tumbarumba, on the western edge of the Snowy Mountains. In March the two prospectors arrived in the Wee Jasper district, but Taylor was not impressed by "the look of the country" and they left a few days later.In late March 1890 Taylor and Smidt travelled via Tumut towards Wagga Wagga. On April 1 they arrived at George King's farm at Cunningdroo, east of Wagga Wagga. Jack Taylor and King were friends, having known each other for ten years. During the visit Taylor told King he planned to sell his dray "as it did not pay him to be taking two vehicles about with him". Taylor and Smidt departed for Wagga two days later in the red waggonette, with Taylor telling King they would return on Easter Monday, April 7. The two men stayed at James Kerr's Wagga Wagga Hotel for four nights, during which they slept in the waggonette. When Taylor paid for the board on Monday morning, he told Kerr he was returning to King's at Cunningdroo "and might stay there a week or two to spell the horses".
Taylor and Smidt left Kerr's hotel in the red waggonette, mid-morning on Easter Monday, 7 April 1890, for the stated purpose of visiting George King at Cunningdroo. The two men drove half-a-mile along Edward-street and stopped at Juppenlatz's Viaduct Hotel, where they stayed for over three hours. During their time there "Taylor partook of liquor pretty freely, shouting for several persons". Smidt, on the other hand, had only one drink, "refusing to follow the example of his companion". When they left the Viaduct Hotel, Taylor was intoxicated and Smidt drove the waggonette. The two men next stopped at the Farmers' Home Hotel, on the Tarcutta Road towards Alfredtown, where they remained for about fifteen minutes. Taylor drank a brandy and Smidt a shandy-gaff. The publican, Grace Tillett, later testified that she refused to serve Taylor another drink "as she thought he had had enough", despite which he was "in good spirits and high good humour". When they reached Costello's hotel at Alfredtown, the two men stopped again and Taylor had two glasses of pale brandy and Smidt two small shandy-gaffs. When they left the hotel at about 2.30 p.m., Taylor was driving and Smidt was sitting behind in the body of the vehicle. From the Alfredtown Hotel, King's farm was further on along the Tarcutta road.
From the evidence of witnesses and wheel-tracks, Taylor and Smidt travelled at a steady pace from the Alfred Town Hotel on the Tarcutta Road, towards George King's farm. About 200 yards from King's, at a point in the road not visible from the house, the waggonette turned and headed back towards Alfredtown. Near where the wheel tracks turned, several pools of blood were found on the road. Witnesses later recalled seeing the red waggonette returning along the road "at a fast trot" and being driven by Smidt. Smidt stopped at a house close to the road between Alfredtown and Wagga belonging to Caroline Homer and her husband. He came down from the waggonette and asked Mrs. Homer if she had any eggs to sell. After being told she had none, he then proceeded to question her about local roads. He asked if there was any way to get to Junee without going through Wagga. When the woman replied he would have to go through the town, Smidt then questioned her about how he might get onto the Sydney road without going back the way he had come. He then asked her about a nearby road leading to the cemetery and Lake Albert. While they were conversing Caroline Homer "noticed something dropping from near the back of the waggonette on to the road: it looked a dark colour like blood". Smidt then drove the waggonette off the main road onto the branch road leading south to Lake Albert.
At about six o'clock in the afternoon Smidt stopped beside the Lake Albert road, about two-and-a-half miles from the Tarcutta road. About a hundred yards away was the camp-site of John Mepham and two other labourers employed by Gideon Watson, who had a contract for bridge- and road-works on the Lake Albert road. According to his later testimony, Mepham observed "the man in charge of the waggonette scraping out something with his feet, and then gathering dirt up with his hands, and taking it up and scraping it as I thought on the axle of the waggonette; he also appeared to be caulking up the bottom of the vehicle". At about 9.30 that night Mepham heard the sound of horses and saw the man driving the waggonette away from the location. With his suspicions aroused, Mepham went over to examine where the waggonette had been. Lighting a match, he saw what appeared to be blood-stains on the ground. Mepham decided to leave further examination until the morning, when he found further blood-stains and splashes in the area. He informed his employer, who immediately departed to inform the Wagga police of the suspicious activity. Senior-constable Henry Dixon and Constable Davidson were despatched to investigate. When they arrived at the locality, the policemen found trails of blood in various places along the Lake Albert road and at other places in the area where Smidt had stopped. They traced the wheel marks of the waggonette from the lake back as far as the railway gates, where the marks were lost.
After he left the spot near the road-workers camp, Smidt had driven onto a lane in the neighbourhood, running parallel to the Tarcutta road, where he camped with his horses and vehicle for the remainder of the night. The next morning he drove back through Wagga and crossed the bridge to North Wagga. At seven o'clock in the morning he pulled up at the Caledonian Hotel, on the Junee road at North Wagga, and purchased a bag of chaff from the publican.
Smidt arrived at Old Junee by mid-afternoon on Tuesday, April 8, where he stopped at the Samual Storey's store and purchased a spade, claiming it would be used for sinking post holes. Storey later testified that Smidt was "quite cool and collected". Smidt then crossed the creek in front of Storey's house and camped on the other side, within sight of the store. Later, while Storey was catching a sheep, he caught sight of Smidt, who in turn appeared to be watching him.