I have recently done some research about a Catholic Reformatory of the 19th Century Australia in South Australia , Kapunda called "Snt Johns".
Apparently, a catholic church was converted to a day school , to a reformatory operated by Josephite Nuns assisted by (now" Saint") Mary Mackillop for girls (Irish Catholics) and after 12 years closed down.
Unfortunately after reading about the history of the area and looking over the Geography it vastly "looks alike" a "skimming" laundering job of money.
The story of the reformatory has many false "wow" stories of abuse and scandal and the actual story is more than anything interesting to an "Auditor" if anything.
Except for a couple of points!
1. A number of oddly timed natural deaths occurred both in the lead up to the day school construction project and then when the reformatory closed 12 years later. The final death(there were not many but their format appears a serial killer template and oddly a female more probable!) may have been a grave digging, funeral and effects "skim" size sum generator.
2. The second is the physical location (3 miles South East of Kapunda South Australia) is not particularly sensible for safety reasons unless you are a proper gun slinger e.g. for most, the idea was handling children as "people of the cloth" or for lack of better expression by parity to Catholic corporal punishment , people whom are non violent and "thou shalt not kill" mentality.
Article home for Paranormal about Snt Johns, Mary Mackillop wrote the building was supposed haunted in her own diary.
saintjohns.weebly.com/USA FBI in front of their Cadi' (the main one used by gangs because it hold plenty of machine gunners on the side-boards!). This type of thing would be easy for nuns with machine guns 3 mile out of town in 19th-20th, turn of.
Here is the dirt i found below
======================
Odlly, there is some chance the priests died to a serial killer, and also
Ruby Bland.
Only "possible by theoretical point" but there is below showing something
the Childrens Council could clarify better about "reformatorisation"
transport guards in that department!
While police are a known(identifiable) local statutory authority they are
not a specialist.
Second, where the real point sits about a possible serial killer is "money"
as much victims or a shield(Known as a comfort zone - but a more complex
version in this instance).
*Article in a newspaper about that reformatory ..."first class dining"...
www.paranormalfieldinvestigators.com/kapunda_ghosts_stjohns.html....It was so strong, that I felt that I didn't want to turn and look at my
drivers door window, or over my shoulder. I turned to Amy only to find that
she looked uncomfortable too. Upon enquiring what was wrong, she confirmed
that she was feeling exactly the same and couldn't look behind her or at my
side window. As we were discussing this, I watched what looked like a
shadow of a man cross through the beam of my headlights, in front of the
car before hearing a small bang on the boot. .....
By what is written above, it's just a point, that you have said by it !
That's very similar to modern process with orphans,foundlings and
reformatory "wards"(wards of the state) in "transport" at arrival.
What this describes is the security of arrival procedure whether an early
motor vehicle with a strapped on trunk at the rear or horses and carriage
with strapped on trunk.
The presence by the window beside the vehicle is probably a government
"intake" man and observer-handler to look for weapons and identify the
correct vehicle has arrived and contains the correct people(i suppose
you're not! stinkies!!!!) and assist in prevention of the child/children
"absconding".
This next bit is bizarre but true!
All wards whether reformatory or foundling,orphan(previous usually a
departmental transport stowaway) and whether baby or toddler(******** as i
said this is bizarre but very true *********) CAN BE ARMED AND KILL!!!
(obviously more usually of reformatory wards)!
So, the transport chaperons do not look behind at this point(arrival) or a
child could use a weapon because the vehicle is now stationary , they could
try attack and get out on the side opposite the receiving officer window!!!
In the headlights(lanterns were on horse drawn carriages and sulky's) the
children could see the person crossing in front, but behind they need to
know by a bang on the trunk to help assert they are surrounded(serves
another purpose also for stowaways to wake up without being "directly"
caught and cause them to shift in a noisy way to help know if one is in
there! NEVER CATCH THEM OUTRIGHT - that's done by knowing from the other
end who's missing and how much food is going missing at this end in the
near future hours!)
About ghosts:
Another problem about transporting children wards for reformatory is they
are under the governance of the military in terms of "protection and
guardianship".
These are not orphans and foundlings(civil law). These are child criminals.
So nuns do not transport such state wards(or you have extremely corrupt
nuns!), neither protect and chaperon them and neither do police do any of
this either(or they are thing similar to modern day ASIO - hybrid between
police and military and only stipulated for working with children whether
present day or 19th century)!!!
Soldiers do all that transporting , handling, managing, paperwork, ID
checks, perimeter whether uniform or plain clothes(and always have because
the laws about children for military and "military procedures" are related
to strict procedure with no flexibility and in effect all military
directives that are broken are "both treason and internal
department(military) judiciary law"), whether male or female soldiers,
whether present day or or "19th century male or *female* soldiers" !
So we have a total of five possible dead souls from something untoward and
possibly unwritten-unreported.
However, this may seem odd to not report killed soldiers in such an
incidence or have no record of such occurrence except for the fact that
soldiers in the 19th century whom can ID people whom work with government
kept children and handle their safety and security actually have a rank
similar to the weight of importance of a governor of a gaol (jail) or
police commissioner, and usually has two ranks
e.g. lieutenant-major, brigadier-major. One rank is for field soldier
proficiency the other for their intelligence officer rank!
By effect this means five counts of "treason" or "high treason" were
committed as assassination (not mere murder) whether another soldier or
simply anyone else!
Unless what happened was a prank by locals.
In para-psychological terms however, it can be demons imitating it, usually
they are what is known as/called a "shadow figure"(sometimes "shadow
person" because it is humanistic unlike ghosts whom even dressed black show
all their clothing style and features. A shadow figure is always vague
ultimately).
Why, would usually be for testing whether the same incidence format
resulting in murder is discovered as been occurred(evidence), or as
disturbance/decoying for some other reason.
======================
Oddlly, there is some chance the priests died to a serial killer, and also
Ruby Bland.
Only "possible by theoretical point" but there is below showing something
the Children's Council could clarify better about "reformatorisation"
transport guards in that department!
While police are a known(identifiable) local statutory authority they are
not a specialist.
Second, where the real point sits about a possible serial killer is "money"
as much victims or a shield(Known as a comfort zone - but a more complex
version in this instance).
*Article in a newspaper about that reformatory ..."first class dining"...
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/36963247However, the transition of buildings and openings and closures with debt
point to possible "skimming" technique whether a builder or a government
official with access to government treasury(Federal or state treasury)
regarding "grants" for worthy projects. In this case somewhere it may well
be related also to the catholic community(Although it fits either a doctor
or a female serial killer somewhat).
Mackillop may have been an eager "charlie" to start(economically) in both
the day school and the reformatory!
NB: Because Ruby Bland was supposed a life-long resident by state
guardianship(of catholic girls) or at least complete child-hood(to finish
child-hood) resident of the abruptly terminated reformatory, it remains
immensely difficult to understand her death even if it was not either a
serial killer(skimming balance), cover-up or natural accident-complication.
Worse, what makes these deaths interesting is they were bed ridden people
as the alike of a classic style female USA serial killers' victims "Jane
Toppan"(arrested around 1902) whom alike most phsych template of female
serial killers generally up to at least 70% - 90% of their killing methods
combined are not violent of any form (remembering at this point we only see
snt John's reformatory as coincidence).
However, a well known comparitor called H.H.Holmes(real name, Herman
Webster Mudgett) "very oddly" also had non violent methods in a minor
number of his incidence and the "Servant Girl Annihilator"(active
1884?1885) is "right out" but more Holmes style!
Holmes however was an economically motivated serial Killer.
As for haunting, the remote location(and the River Light - a "bodies"
vehicle) says with regards to human community safety, it has been breached
but this is only by my rules of haunting which matter none here in the
logical construction of real world and historical fact. My rule is "fatal
flaw for escape or help" security factor. There should be a 2 meter high
climbable(adult or child) see through fence.
=====
This letter indicated the priest was not considered any form of criminal.
Second, in that era if he were thought of as such he would around not be
heard of again!
These type of children(and are large almost adult children but is
irrelevant because of their temperament) would be the most unlikely to
actually succeed in abusing beyond corporal punishment.
...."To speak of physical frame of the clergyman resident at Saint Johns as
powerful is a statement as contrary to fact as a statement can be possible.
That mentally he is not robust I unreservedly admit. But I thought him, and
still think him, equel to and fit for light work he has to perform at the
girls reformatory."....
Remember, these girls are much older, tougher and larger than usual
children, they do commit escape, including cutting direct telephone wiring
and scaling a fence.
There are obviously much more sound reasons for leaving the priest at Snt
Johns and only conferring his removal, such as "PTSD" or any other trauma
shock installed logical disorder as can perhaps be as minimal as "haunting"
or being a person of the cloth and not a gunslinger(as would be needed a
few miles out of town and was common of Australians of the 18th century).
There are many forms of behavioral disorder that can become manifest in
persons that match the description in the letters and they and that would
be something more like "bipolar" or "IED".
They were only worried he is the only physically strong person there.
If anything, the reformatory was closed because of the Catholic church
treasury being unsure of embezzlement as indicated in the letter about the
closure process and payment of debts.
..."The present debt stands at 994 pounds. The debt, however does not
trouble me. I shouldn't have paid it off more easily; it is true, though
the generosity of the Catholic public if the instituation remained in
existence. But shall pay off in any case, in the course of a few years."...
Hints the reformatory would be investigated for its debts and spending over
the next three years!
There is definitely something to wonder of Grit Pipe
Thin,Moriarty,Marmalade Atkins and Nuns with baseball bats, but in all it's
only possibility of serial killing and embezzlement through the ledger
books a truly rational question(All natural causes is odd in that time
frame , i would research the others regularly attending the reformatory for
their incidence and mode"s" of death to determine if anything followed
including any missing).
=============================
Still smells right for a serial killer of the economic type.
In the twelve years of operation, the reformatory was probably usually only
half full at the stated around 124 girls total through the twelve years.
This equals around 400 Australian pounds plus the 100 pounds raised by the
nuns = vaguely around 500 pounds total raised for 12 years.
When it closed it was around 900 pounds in debt.
One mentioned striking feature happens to be a 3 mile (5km) telephone wire
all for the reformatory to the police station (Possible the ultimate con
job of history!!!) would be an expensive new high technology with certainly
a high price tag, the type for skimming delivered lump sums.
***Here is a page link with an example of the cost of telegraph poles in
February 2009 to put in electricity mains wires***
forums.overclockers.com.au/threads/cost-of-power-connection-over-long-distance.752133/#post-10022656The below shows "10/" shilling p/week (
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/36963247Article 19th century newspaper , snt johns
) each child of the
reformatory to be a size could be skimmed(alike money laundering just more
embezzlement from lump sums), considering priests and nuns are not strictly
paid any wage it stands to reason this bypasses some of the problem by the
state having a non cooperation policy related to economics. Payment was
purely a business deal with the SA state department.
More than this , unfortunately it shows it to be possible an economic
serial killer more in the category of "loner, hit man, (CAN BE A FEMALE!)"
similar to specialist gangster could pull that by timing and
manipulation("social manipulativeness at personal level face to face" an
almost universal characteristic among every serial killer) of economic
projects and problems.
Perhaps the 13 days in hospital for "ruby bland" and subsequent funeral(got
an unmarked grave) were last attempts to draw money from the ultimate
catholic coffers of the debt guarantor!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_pound 19th century Australian money
240 pence = "pound"
20 shillings = "pound"
12 pence = "shilling"
year 1907: 54% mans wage = wifes entitlement (year 1907 = 21 shillings)
"The Harvester Judgment"
www.abc.net.au/federation/fedstory/ep3/ep3_events.htmwww.localhistories.org/australia.htmlThen in 1907 a court case ended in the Harvester Judgement which said that
an unskilled workman should earn at least 7 shillings for an 8 hour day.
(In other words just enough for a decent standard of living). This became
the basis of Australia's basic wage.
www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-56_u-127_t-348_c-1203/life-and-working-conditions-/nsw/life-and-working-conditions-/australia-to-1914/life-in-australia-at-the-turn-of-the-centuryIn 1907, the basic wage (Ex parte HV McKay (1907) 2 CAR 1) case resulted in
the decision of 42 shillings ($4.20) per week as the base amount that would
provide for an adult male employee and his wife and family (three
children). Many have suggested that this decision was flawed because women
remained entitled to only 54 percent of the man's wage. This disparity
remained unchanged for the next seven years despite a 25 percent rise in
prices. It does need to be recognised, however, that these early advances
led the way for the workers' rights of today.
worksite.actu.org.au/the-harvester-judgement-and-australias-minimum-wage/"Catholic schools" and the heading "The growth of religious orders"
www.catholicaustralia.com.au/www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=7298
http://www.asha.org.au/uploads/37600/ufiles/newsletters/2013-2.pdfThis should not have loaded player (The alternative is "Ma Baker - Boney M" Nb: was another real historical outlaw)
Out there for sniping purpose, this early 20th century killer is oddly probably a piece how it would be done, whether there is any record of events or not.
