The terrible execution of James Murphy - for the murder of Constable O’Boyle at Warrnambool.

The terrible execution of James Murphy - for the murder of Constable O’Boyle at Warrnambool.

Murphy was on remand in prison for horse theft but on Tuesday, 4th August, 1863 was sent under the supervision of 27 year old Constable Daniel O’Boyle to clean up the courthouse at Warrnambool on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia.  

It was a cold morning so Boyle decided to light the fire and was kneeling down in front of the fireplace.  Seeing a chance to escape, Murphy crept up behind O’Boyle and hit him over the head twice with a heavy masonry hammer, just after 7 a.m.  

He died the following day without regaining consciousness.  Murphy then went on the run for two days before being recaptured at a dairy station on the Hopkins River after a large scale manhunt.

Murphy pleaded not guilty to the murder but the jury convicted him and he was sentenced to death by Justice Williams at the Circuit Court at Geelong on the 21st of October 1863.

The Geelong Advertiser newspaper reported that “The executioner was a man sent down from Melbourne for the purpose, and a rather affecting scene took place when he was first introduced to his victim. 

It appeared the condemned man and he had been intimate friends in Tasmania, and as soon as he recognised him the tears began to roll down at the idea of his having to carry out the grim sentence of the law upon his old mate. He soon recovered his composure, however, and got through the remainder of his thankless office creditably.

Murphy was attended in his last moments by the Rev. Mr. Clampet, of the Roman Catholic Church, who had been with him a great part of the previous night, and again from 6.30 a.m. that morning. 

The hanging was carried out at 8.00 a.m. within Geelong Gaol.  Murphy appeared to “agitated and feeble” according the reporter who with some 30 others witnessed the execution.

When the bolt was finally drawn at 8.15 a.m. Murphy dropped through the trapdoors but “seemed to suffer but little pain”.

The Geelong Advertiser reported that “After hanging the usual time the body was cut down, and at eleven o'clock the coroner held an inquest upon it, when, from the medical evidence given, the jury returned a verdict, that the deceased died from the sentence of the law being carried out upon him”.

A death mask was made and is still in existence.  There is also a tableau of the execution scene on display within the Old Geelong Gaol. Murphy’s was the first of only two executions to take place within that prison.