Calls to halt removal of premier’s statue, as new suspect emerges for theft of William Lanne’s head

As a Tasmanian council prepares to tear down a premier’s statue on the basis he stole an Aboriginal skull, a new suspect as emerged for the dreadful deed.

William Crowther’s statue at Franklin Square, Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

As the Hobart City Council prepares to tear down a former premier’s statue on the basis he stole an Aboriginal skull, a new suspect has emerged for the deed.

HCC is within weeks set to approve its own development application to remove the statue of William Crowther from Franklin Square, making Tasmania the first state to bin a premier’s bronze.

Crowther – a surgeon and bone hunter – was in March 1869 accused of severing and stealing the head of the corpse of William Lanne, also known as “King Billy” and described at the time as “the last (Aboriginal) man”.

The surgeon was suspended from duties at the General Hospital but denied the allegation, claiming it was politically motivated, while an inquiry failed to draw any conclusions.

Crowther implicated another surgeon and rival bone hunter, George Stokell, who admitted snatching Lanne’s body from his grave and removing his hands and feet, but denied taking the head.

Stokell was unsuccessfully prosecuted for the crime, with no real evidence submitted against him.

Now a third suspect has emerged from the dusty archives, further muddying the waters.

King Billy also known as William Lanne

Newspaper reports uncovered by amateur historian Scott Seymour reveal the hospital’s barber, John Seughrane, aka “Dan the barber”, allegedly had an interest in skull collection.

The claim emerged during an inquiry into alleged ill treatment of patients, with the hospital board chairman, George Edwards, revealing “a man named Abraham Cohen, residing at the rear of the Theatre Royal, refused to go to the hospital for medical treatment”.

Cohen’s reticence was “upon the grounds that when he was there about two months ago he was roughly treated by the barber of that institution”, who “threatened Cohen that should he die in hospital, he, the barber, would have Cohen’s head, as it was so much like King Billy’s”.

It appeared Cohen took the threat seriously enough to avoid the hospital despite still being ill. He died shortly afterwards.

Mr Seymour, who has been researching the mystery of Lanne’s missing skull, said it was not unknown at the time for barbers to perform basic surgery, while testimonies – including Seughrane’s own – suggested he was the last man to have access to Lanne’s body before the mutilation was discovered.

Scott Seymour, a Tasmanian historian who is researching the missing remains William Lanne.

“He is definitely another prime suspect – to look at this evidence and say there’s nothing there would be ridiculous,” Mr Seymour said.

“If you showed this kind of evidence to a police officer investigating a crime they would say, ‘What have we got here, then?’ It’s clearly not a cut and dried case.”

Mr Seymour suggested HCC commission a panel of historians to further explore the archival material, before removing Crowther’s statue.

However, some councillors and the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre have argued there remains little doubt about Crowther’s guilt and that his statue “symbolises the atrocities committed against Aboriginal people”.

The statue, elevated on a plinth, was erected in 1889 by a “grateful public and sincere personal friends … to perpetuate the memory of long and zealous political professional services rendered to this colony”.