Wednesday, June 10, 2009

What did Arthur Upfield think of the similarities between Manning’s investigation and that of his fictional detective; Napoleon Bonaparte? - 1 Comment

It was in Arthur Upfield's book, "The Murchison Murders" that he wrote a side by side comparison of the real-life Detective-Sergeant Manning and his fictional Inspector Bonaparte. It is quite remarkable how close fact and fiction became in this fascinating slice of history. It appears that Upfield was left with a haunting sense of guilt or at least regret in his line, "The Sands of Windee," the plot of which cost three men their lives, and dragged me into the greatest murder case in the history of Western Australia."⁽¹⁾

 MANNING ⁽²⁾

1. Police examined ashes of a large fire 10 months after Carron disappeared.
2. Police found in ashes human bones, false teeth, dental plate fasteners, a wedding ring, etc.
3. Police found in ashes a piece of melted lead of equal weight to an 0.32 bore bullet.
4. Police found in ashes, besides human hones, plenty of animal bones.
5. Police found an iron camp-oven which, it was assumed, was used to smash up the bones of Carron.
6. Manning investigated a careless attempt to destroy a human body.
7. Manning found in one ash heap bones which he took for human finger hones.
8. Manning had to convince a real life judge and jury that Carron had been murdered by Rowles.
9. Manning is par excellence a bushman.

BONAPARTE ⁽²⁾

1. Bony examined ashes of a large fire two months after Marks was reported missing.
2. Bony found in ashes one boot-sprig. Also a silver disc in the fork of a tree some distance from the scene of the murder.
3. Bony found in ashes three pieces of melted lead, each of equal weight to an 0.44 bore bullet.
4. Bony found in ashes no human bones, but plenty of animal bones.
5. Bony found that a prospector's iron dolly-pot had been used to pound to dust the bones of marks.
6. Bony investigated the almost perfect murder, the body of Marks having been most efficiently destroyed.
7. Bony found in the ashes bones which he sent to his headquarters to determine if they were human finger bones or kangaroo paw bones.
8. Bony was diverted from bringing his case to a judge and jury because logically he would have failed to convince them.
9. Bony, having the tracking powers of his aboriginal mother and the reason-powers of his white father, was a super-bushman.  

 
⁽¹⁾ Arthur Upfield in "Fur Fever" reproduced in Up & Down the Real Australia published by Lulu.com, 2009
⁽²⁾ Arthur Upfield in "The Murchison Murders", a booklet he wrote in 1934 reproduced in Up & Down the Real Australia published by Lulu.com, 2009

 

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