Louisa Collins: The last woman hanged in New South Wales and her family’s bid for a tombstone

LOUISA Collins lost the fight for innocence when she was hanged for murder after an extraordinary four trials in 1889. Now her family is fighting to have her recognised after her death.

Mother of 10 was last woman hanged

LOUISA Collins lost her fight for innocence when she was hanged for murder after an extraordinary four trials in 1889, now her family is fighting to have her recognised after her death.

In life, Louisa Collins was one of those characters that couldn’t be missed.

The last woman hanged in New South Wales, and one of the only people in the world ever to be tried for murder four times, was said to love to dance, drink, and cause trouble up until her dramatic execution.

But since being hanged at Darlinghurst jail in 1889 after a jury found her guilty of murdering her second husband (she had already been found innocent of the same crime, and two juries decided she didn’t kill her first husband before that), she’s been lying in an unmarked grave in an inaccessible part of Rookwood cemetery.

Now her family is campaigning to have a headstone erected in the cemetery to recognise their notorious ancestor.

Until about six weeks ago, Louisa’s great-great-granddaughter Janis Thompson didn’t even know the infamous figure existed, let alone that she was a direct descendant.

Since being tracked down by author Caroline Overington, who has published the first full-length examination of the convicted murderess, she’s become fascinated with Louisa’s story and has decided that she believes she was treated unfairly.

“Three juries found her innocent of murder, and one finally decided it was time she was hanged,” she tells news.com.au.

“I don’t know if she was treated fairly, and it’s quite distressing find out the whole story, and after all that, there’s basically nothing to remember her.”

Ms Thompson has written to NSW Premiere Mike Baird seeking assistance in getting some, albeit late, recognition for her late great grandmother.

“We believe that Louisa was dealt with unfairly at the time of her incarceration in that it took four trials to convict her when the evidence was not convincing that she was actually guilty,” she wrote to the premier this week.

“We never knew anything about our family history prior to our grandmother and then to discover that Louisa, her grandmother, was notorious has been shocking but distressing when we find she is not commemorated in some way by a plaque or headstone at Rookwood.”

Ms Thompson has only come to know about her notorious great grandmother since being contacted by author Caroline Overington, who has written a book about Louisa, The Last Woman Hanged, published by Harper Collins.

After five years of research, she’s come to the same conclusion as Louisa’s family.

“I’m not out on a limb here. Three juries of 36 men felt the same. It was only the jury at the fourth trial that finally found her guilty,” Ms Overington said.

“But of course, that was the only verdict that mattered, and the judge ordered her executed.”

The book, the first full-length examination of Louisa Collins’ extraordinary case, uncovers details about the infamous figure, dubbed by the press at the time ‘The Botany Murderess’, accused of murdering her two husbands.

One of seven children, she was “married off” at 18 to a man named Charles Andrews, when after 22 years of marriage Andrews died suddenly after suffering violent vomiting.

Collins quickly remarried after five months, and almost as quickly, in just under a year, her second husband Peter Collins was also found dead.

A coroner’s report showed Andrews’ stomach held traces of arsenic when he died.

Peter Collins showed no sign of the poison, but he also suffered violent vomiting before his death.

Though minimal evidence was available that Louisa had anything to do with either death of the two men — fathers to her 10 children between them — a massive public outcry followed the reporting of both cases, and after four murder trials, it was decided Louisa should be killed mercilessly.

Janis Thompson says the experience of learning about her extraordinary family history has been incredibly overwhelming, and she’s pleased her great grandmother’s story is being told.

But having a site she could visit to acknowledge that part of her family, and the state’s history, is the next step.

“It would be just an acknowledgment, not so much her existence but I think the connection with our family, just keeping that connection going. It’s your heritage isn’t it,” she says.