George Silva
Born1884
Homebush, Queensland, Australia
Died(1912-06-10)10 June 1912 (aged 28)
Boggo Road Gaol, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Resting placeSouth Brisbane Cemetery
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)Wilful murder
Criminal penaltyDeath
Details
Date16 November 1911
CountryAustralia
Location(s)Alligator Creek, Mackay, Queensland
Killed6

George David Silva (1884 – 10 June 1912) was an Australian mass murderer.[1] Silva, who was of Sinhalese descent, worked as a farmhand on a property owned by Hong Kong-born[2] Charles Ching at Alligator Creek, about 20 miles (32 km) from Mackay, Queensland.[3]

Early life

Silva was born in Homebush, near Mackay, Queensland, to Sri Lankan parents.[4] He became a passionate attendant of the local church and often led prayers. He became known as a preacher and a "pet" of the church. As an adult, Silva found work as a farmhand on a property at Alligator Creek, 20 miles out of town.

Silva's employer was a property owner named Charlie Ching. Ching was a man from Hong Kong who was married to English-born Agnes. They lived in a corrugated iron home with a dirt floor. The kitchen was in a separate structure, away from the main home. However, in comparison to Silva, who had almost nothing, they were wealthy.

Silva wanted to marry the Ching family's oldest daughter, teenaged Maud Ching. Silva told a neighbour that he would get a plot of land from Charlie Ching by Christmas and he would build a home to start a family. The neighbour replied "You can't marry. You got no money. You got no blanket. No decent trousers. How would a girl like to marry you like that?"

Silva's marriage proposal was rejected by the Chings as he had nothing to offer their daughter. Maud also rejected his advances.[1]

Murders, trial, and execution

On 16 November 1911, Charles Ching told Silva he was traveling to town for supplies and money for Silva's wages. While he was away, Silva murdered the six Chings. The bodies of Agnes, Maud, Hugh and Winnie were found inside the house piled under a rug. Mother and eldest daughter had been shot by a revolver and a muzzle-loading rifle, while the boy and baby had their skulls smashed against the wall.[2] The bodies of Teddy and Dolly Ching were found a mile and a half away; both had been shot and their skulls smashed in.[1]

Police and aboriginal trackers inspected the crime scene, and after the trackers stated that there was no trail to follow the police homed in on Silva. Silva, fearing a lynch mob from Mackay, eventually confessed to police. He claimed that two neighbours had helped him murder the family, but the police found no evidence of him having any accomplices.[1]

Tried only for killing Maud Ching, Silva admitted to being present, but denied personally killing anyone. It took the jury only 20 minutes to find him guilty of murder. Silva was given a mandatory death sentence and hanged at Boggo Road Gaol in Dutton Park, Brisbane, on 10 June 1912. In his final moments, Silva repeatedly quoted passages from the Bible in an attempt to delay his execution until prison authorities told him to stop. Silva tried to keep talking as the noose was slipped around his neck, but was hanged before he could finish.[2] He was buried at South Brisbane Cemetery, Dutton Park.[5][6][7]

Victims

Plaque at the burial site in South Brisbane Cemetery of those hanged at Boggo Road Gaol. Silva's name is third from the bottom.
  • Agnes Ching, wife of Charles Ching
  • Maud[lower-alpha 1] Ching, 17,[lower-alpha 2] daughter of Charles Ching
  • Teddy Ching, 10, son of Charles Ching
  • Dolly Ching, 8, daughter of Charles Ching
  • Hugh[lower-alpha 3] Ching, 4, son of Charles Ching
  • Winnie Ching, 20 months, daughter of Charles Ching

Notes

  1. ↑ Alternatively spelt Maud or Maudie.
  2. ↑ Also reported as aged 15.
  3. ↑ Alternatively spelt Hughie.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kyriacou, Kate (22 January 2015). "George David Silva responsible for one of Queensland's worst mass murders in Mackay". Queensland Newspapers. The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Kyriacou, Kate (11 January 2015). "On top of their bodies sat a bible". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  3. ↑ Miley, Jacob (11 January 2018). "REVEALED: The atrocious crimes that shocked Mackay". News Corp. Daily Mercury. The Ching family massacre - 1911. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  4. ↑ McKean, Bruce (18 November 2011). "Farmhand faced six murder charges". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  5. ↑ Queensland. Supreme Court (1912). Queensland Law Reporter. Council of Law Reporting. p. 200. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  6. ↑ Silva George David Archived 13 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine — Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search
  7. ↑ Jarvis Finger (2012). A Cavalcade of Queensland's Crimes and Criminals: Scoundrels, Scallwags & Psychopaths – The Colonial Years and Beyond 1859–1920. Boolarong Press. p. 183. ISBN 978-1-922109-05-7. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
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