| Sources |
- [S489] Deaths: Coroners Inquest NSW 1821-1937 [A], 1928-1933; Page 200; Item 1512.
- [S3617] _Births, Deaths and Marriages, NSW, George G Allsopp; Death; Index; 15757; 1929; Gosford.
- [S3101] Newspaper: Singleton Argus [TROVE], Woy Woy Tragedy; Article; 30 August 1929; Page 6; Viewed; 30 March 2025.
WOY WOY TRAGEDY
WOMAN'S MYSTERIOUS LETTER. DOUBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE
The District Coroner conducted an inquiry at Woy Woy yesterday into the tragedy at Blackwall last week, when George Frederick Allsopp, aged 59, retired miller, Johanna Isabella Hite, single, aged 29, his housekeeper, and her son, Michael Grant Hite, aged three, were found dead with bullet wounds in their bodies. Dr. Julius Delephine said that he was called to the scene at 10.15 a.m. on August 22. He examined the body of Allsopp, who had been dead six hours. He had been shot through the heart. Allsopp was fully dressed. The child was shot over the heart, and had been dead two hours. The woman, who was fully dressed, was shot through the lungs, and had lived for about half an hour after. Seth Davis and Ernest Humphreys told how they saw the house on fire and broke in. Albert King, butcher, said that he called for the meat order. He was probably the last person to see Mrs Hite alive. Mrs Allsopp, he said, had spent a week with Mr Allsopp, and had left two days previous to the tragedy for the city for medical treatment. Mrs Stella Hazelgrove, Bourke-street, Moore Park, Sydney, said she identified the body of the woman as that of Jo-hanna Isabella Hite, who was always called "Cissie." Mrs Hite was born at Eden. Joseph Gill, grazier, Woollahra, brother-in-law of Allsopp's wife, said as far as he knew Mr and Mrs Allsopp had lived on friendly terms. He had heard that Mr Allsopp intended to dis pense with the services of Mrs Hite. He was dissatisfied with her. Things were not attended to properly. Walter Stuart, pensioner, said he made arrangements with Allsopp on August 21 to go fishing on August 23. Constable Jenkins gave details of his examination of the house, and found a letter (produced). The Coroner would not allow the let ter to be read out, and expressed re gret that certain newspapers had print ed extracts, adding "the statements in the letter may, or may not, be true; they place the widow in an unenviable position. The letter may be true; but may be written by a disappointed and spiteful woman." Constable Jenkins was confident that Isabella Hite had shot Allsopp and the child and had set fire to the house; and had then shot herself. The Coroner found that Allsopp died on August 21 or 22 as the result of a bullet wound in the heart, inflicted by Johanna Isabella Hite; further, that the woman Hite died from a bullet wound inflicted by herself, after she had set fire to the house in which the bodies lay.
- [S3102] Newspaper: Barrier Miner [TROVE], Woy Woy Tragedy; Finding of Coroner; Article; 30 August 1929; Page 3; Viewed; 30 March 2025.
WOY WOY TRAGEDY
FINDING OF CORONER
Sydney, Friday.
The coroner yesterday concluded an inquest concerning the deaths of George Frederick Allsop, Isobel Johanna Hite, and Michael Grant Hite, whose bodies were last week found in a cottage at Woy Woy.
Albert King, a butcher, of Woy Woy, said that when he delivered meat on August 22, the day of the tragedy, Isobel Johanna Hite told him that there would be no order for the following day. The woman came right out of the house to meet him, which was unusual. There was no sign of the boy. The woman's demeanor was no different to what it was usually. She appeared calm. That was about 8.25 a.m.
Stella Hazelgrove said that Isobel Hite was born at Eden 29 years ago. She was a single woman, but had a child which had been christened Michael Grant.
The coroner found that George Frederick Allsop and Michael Grant Hite died on August 21 or 22 as a result of bullet wounds inflicted by Isobel Johanna Hite. He further found that the woman died from a bullet wound self inflicted after she had set fire to the house in which the two bodies were found.
- [S2969] Newspaper: Northern Star; Lismore NSW (1876-1954) [TROVE], Woy Woy Tragedy; Inquest Opened; Article; 31 August 1929; Page 11; Viewed; 30 March 2025.
WOY WOY TRAGEDY
Inquest Opened
SYDNEY, Friday.
The coroner (Mr. Kirkness) yesterday commenced an inquest at Brisbane Water concerning the deaths of George Frederick Allsop, Isobel Johana Hite and Michael Grant Hite, whose bodies last week were found in a cottage at Woy Woy.
Dr. Delapine, of Woy Woy, said that he saw the three bodies. Allsop was shot through the heart and had been dead for the last six hours. The bullet entered his chest in the region of the heart and lodged in his back. Death was instantaneous. The bullet wound on the body of the child was over the heart, and the clothes where the bullet entered were slightly burned. He was lying close to his mother's body. He had been dead about two hours. In the woman's body there was a bullet wound in the region of the heart. The woman was bleeding from the mouth, indicating that she had been shot through the lung. The doctor added that she had died probably a few min-utes before he saw her, and she had lived at least half an an hour after be ing shot. Witness stated that it would have been possible, for the woman to drop the revolver on the kitchen floor after she had shot herself, and then stagger to the bedroom.
Seth Davis said that when he passed the house at 7.15a.m. there was no sign of fire, but when he returned at 9 a.m. flames were shooting through the windows. He and his companions, Ernest Humphries, ran to the house and found all the doors locked. They heard someone moaning in a bedroom and forced the front door with an axe. They then made the terrible discovery.
Albert King, butcher, of Woy Woy, said that when he delivered meat on August 22, the day of the tragedy, Johanna Hite told him that there would be no order for the following day. The woman came right out of the house to meet him, which was unusual. There was no sign of the boy. The woman's demeanour was no different to the usual. She appeared calm.
That was about 8.25 a.m.
Stella Hazelgrove said that Isabella Hite was born at Eden 29 years ago. She was a single woman, but had a child which had been christened Michael Grant.
The Coroner found that George Frederick Allsop and Michael Grant Hite died on August 21 or 22 as the result of bullet - wounds inflicted by Isabella Johanna Hite. He found further that the woman died from a bullet wound self inflicted, after she had set fire to the house in which the two bodies lay.
- [S3617] _Births, Deaths and Marriages, NSW, George F Allsop + Margaret Macansh; Marriage; Index; 8175; 1898; Murrumburrah.
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1874 - 1929 (55 years)
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