Olive Mary Gwendoline Harvey Latham

I started my research on John Livingstone and as I was working my way from 1880's to 1915 I found a newspaper article about him and it led me to her. So I decided to switch it around and have my post be about an innocent women who was brutally murdered.


Olive Mary Gwendoline Harvey Latham was born 16 Jan 1888 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia to Frederick George Harvey Latham BIRTH 1861,DEATH 30 OCT 1932 • Hobart, Tasmania, Australia and Edith Sarah Ada Absolom BIRTH 4 JUL 1867 • Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. DEATH 24 JUN 1948 • Hobart, Tasmania, Australia Both pictured below.

Olive married Charles Henry Richardson in 1910 and they had a daughter, Beatrice Gwendoline Richardson 1910-2003

Pictured below.

On the 24th of April 1915 John Livingstone entered Olive's home for reasons of theft, they did not know each other or it was never raised in court that they did.

He struck her in the head and fractured her skull, she died 10 May 1915. She was only 27 years old.

John Livingstone has a long rap sheet including attempted murder in 1890. He has other charges a long list, larceny, burglary, theft. He seems to of started his criminal behavior at age 12. He was born  11 Oct 1867 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. I do not have a death date but I know he got the death sentence for this murder. The sad thing is he had gotten a death sentence for his attempted murder charge in 1890 but it was reduced. 

Below are some newspaper articles on this crime.

Here's a text version of an article I found

TWICE CONDEMMNED TO DEATH.

TASMANIAN PRISONER'S EXPERI

ENCE.

Hobart, June 15.

The Executive Council to-day considered

the case of John Livingstone, under sen

tence of death for the murder of Mrs.

Olive. Richardson at Sandy Bay. The de

cision of the Council was as follows:--'l'he I

Executive Council, having perused a copy

of the evidence and the report submitxed

by his Honour the Judge before whom the

case was tried, and having also personally

conferrel with his Honour, desire to advise

his Excellency to commute the seutence to

one of imprisonment for the term of the

prisoner's natural life. It is recorded that

the commutation of the death sultence in

this case, is made only on account of the

existence of the theoretical possiblity of

the condemned man's imnocence and, t I ihe

absence of new evidence, no future anplica

tion for release will be entertained."

It falls to the lot of few nme to have

the death sentence passed upon the:u twice,

but this has happened in the case of L:ving

stone. On December 9, 1890. Li':in.astone,

then a young man of 33 years of age, was

charged with unlawfully pushing Edward

Harrison off the barque Waterwitch into

the River Derwent with intent to drown,

and thereby murder lhimn. Hlarrison was

the watcllman of the WaIt.rwitcb. and, ac

coreing to the, evidence, Livingstone went

on board the boat. T'here was a scuffle

anid Harrison was pushed overboard, but

managed to get. ashore. The jury found

Livingstono guilty of assault with intent, to

murder, but added a recommendation to

mercy as they considered that the accused

was under the influence of liquor at the

time, and that he did not go on bioard t.lh?

Waterwvitch with the intention of murdering

Harrison. The Judge passed sentence of

death on Liviungstone, but indicated it was

not likely that the Executive Council would

carry it into effect. Sentence was after

warts commuted to one of five years' 

imprisonment.

Here's another account of what happened and mentions the child in the home.

DEATH SENTENCE COM-

MUTED.

POSSIBILITY OF ACCUSED'S

,- INNOCENCE.

THE SANDY BAY TRAGEDY.

Hobart, June 13.

The sentence of death rasped on John j

Livingstone for the murder of Mrs. Olive;

Richardson at Sandv Bay, on April 24, w<i_

to-day commuted to imprisonment for die

term of bia ji.itur.il _ie_ It is recorded I

íftiat the commutation of the death sen-

tence is made on account of the existence

of a theoretical possibility of the con-"'

detuned man's innocence, anJin the event

of any new evidence in the future an ap-

plication for release will be entertained.

Twenty-live years ago this same John

Livingstone was charged with the at

tempte.l murder of Edward Harrison, night

watchman on the barque Waterwitch. The

evidence on that oct'iu-lon fcho'wed that

Livingstone went on board the barque to

obtiin .stores, and endeavored to get the

watchman out of the way by hitting him

on the head and knocking him into the

water. Harrison got on to a fender along-

side, the wharf, whereupon Livingstone

climbed down and tried to force him back

into the water but failed. When he met

him subsequently on the_ wharf he again

assaulted Harrison. Livingstone was sen-

tence to death, but it was commuted to

five years' imprisonment, the judge ex-'

pressing the hope that it would prove a 

lesson to him.

The crime for which Livingstone -was last

sentenced was for killing a young married

woman, Mrs. Charles Richardson, jun. Her

husband and others left home at 4 o'clock

to do milking, and when they returned at

6 o'clock the husband found his wife lying

on tile bed in a pool of blood, her head

looking as if it had been battered in. Ap

pcirances indicated that the intruder saw

the woman 'in bed and at once mutilated 

her. all the blows evidently being directed

to the head, her teeth being smashed in.

and one side of the skull being hardly free

from injury. In addition, tfhe bace of the

skull was fractured.  She never regained

consciousness, but died several days later.

There was only one child, aged 3, in the

house at the time, but she was untouched.

Unfortunately I never found any death records for John Livingstone. I was hoping he was executed but I found no proof. 

I made a Findagrave memorial for Olive because there wasn't one and I felt she deserves to be remembered. You can leave flowers for her here. 

• MEMORIAL ID 186552864

I pondered if I should post a photo of her murderer but I decided I would. So below is his 1884 mug shot.

Charles Henry Richardson 1889-1958

Re-married in 1917 to Zoe May Stacey, they had a son Robert Edward Richardson 1919-1978