John Charles Manning

John Charles manning was born in Valapraiso (note newspapers have Valparaiso in Peru, but it appears to actually be in Chile) to an English father who had gone to seek his fortune in South. America, His mother is thought by some to be full blooded Spanish and others have her born in England. The family moved to Australia when John was 5 years old. When older, John was a tobacconist in 225 Oxford St Sydney and later a gold miner in Talbot, Victoria. The accused and his wife lived in Maryborough for 17 years before moving to Golden Square. They had 7 surviving children. John had , according to reports at the time, a strange and fiery temperament. He was according to his children a brute and also a heavy drinker who would squander any money he obtained. Their mother, according to the children and others was a wonderful, loving mother and a gentle soul who kept a well ordered home. John started to keep a rambling diary on all his wife's faults and all that he had to endure as her husband. According to the children the opposite was true and he was jealous of even his own children. He said that a doctor said that his wife had a problem that affected her brain. This was ;later proven to be an outright lie. One night, whilst the children (these were older working children) were shopping the parents went for a walk along a route that they often took. Along the route John slit his wife's throat and later proceeded to make an unsuccessful attempt to slit his own The couple were found by the children, causing them great distress. John was admitted to hospital under police guard, He was charged and tried and sentenced to death which was later commuted to life imprisonment. He was released to the care of the Salvation Army in his old age(1922). By this time he was senile and child-like. Over several medical examinations, John Charles Manning was considered NOT to be insane. Sources: Bendigo Advertiser -Feb. 10. 1908 Internet information by Keith James Manning-Family Search web-site. Full story available on Family Search and newspaper reports are on Trove.