Dixon Thomas Sidney (3 results)

Hardcover / Hardback. Condition: Fine. First edition. Hardback. SIGNED. The Stuart Case is the story of a murder trial that divided Australia. In 1959, Rupert Max Stuart, an itinerant Aboriginal, was found guilty of the rape and murder of a nine-year-old white girl. The conviction was based on a typed confession delivered in precise, educated English - a language Stuart could barely speak or write. As Stuart's life hung in the balance, a courtroom drama began which put police procedures and racial attitudes on trial. A young newspaper proprietor named Rupert Murdoch and his editor Rohan Rivett put the case on the front page, causing fierce debate about Stuart's innocence, and the case against capital punishment gathered unstoppable momentum. Sentenced to death on April 24, 1959. Commuted to life in prison. Released on parole in 1973. He was in and out of gaol until 1984, when he was paroled for the sixth and final time. The author, a Catholic priest, was of the opinion that Rupert Maxwell Stuart was innocent of the brutal murder, but wasn't sure if this was because of poor judgement on his part, or a wizard deceit on Stuart's part. He therefore decided to resolve the dilemma and took 20yrs to write up his conclusion. This book, the first in favour of Stuart and his supporters, is the result. Illus. + Index. 416pp. 4to h/back. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. Nr. F. INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. Scarce. A heavy book which will require additional postage both domestic and overseas.…

Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 2nd Edition. Morwell, Alella Books, 1988 (second edition)/ 1987. Quarto, [viii], vi, 416 pages with numerous illustrations (from photographs). Pictorial card covers slightly rubbed and creased; an excellent copy. A presentation copy, signed and inscribed by the author 'Best Wishes | Tom Dixon | 30/10/90'. The recipient was Dick Kimber (Richard Glyn Kimber AM, 1939-2024), author, anthropologist and historian. Loosely inserted is a short autograph letter signed by Dixon to Kimber, with the same date as the inscription, relating primarily to the Night Parrot. It closes 'Hope you find the "Wizard" helpful in more ways than one'. Thomas Sidney Dixon (1916-1993) was a Catholic priest and a missionary to the Arrernte people of Central Australia. This is Dixon's detailed account of his role in the case of Rupert Max Stuart, an Arrernte man sentenced to death for the 1958 murder of a young white girl. Called to visit Stuart in prison because of his knowledge of Arrernte, Dixon quickly realised that Stuart's limited English meant he could not have made the detailed confession presented to the court by police, and spearheaded the high-profile campaign to overturn Stuart's conviction. While it was upheld by a Royal Commission, public pressure led Premier Thomas Playford to commute the sentence to life imprisonment, and the case exposed systemic injustices faced by Aboriginal people in the Australian justice system. [2 items]. Signed.…

Oblong , 10.25" x 9.75", hardcover, red papered boards, gilt titles to upper board and spine, Fine condition, feps lightly foxed, inscription on the front flyleaf: " To Jim & Kate Walshe and family with gratitude for your friendship and support. Tom Dixon June 1987.