Martin Ryan owned a grazing property at Thalia, a few miles from Wycheproof in the region of Victoria known as the Wimmera.
Ryan had originally purchased a modest holding at just 30 shillings per acre. Over the years he increased his property to 3,000 acres. By 1928 the land value had increased to £12 an acre, making him a very wealthy man.
A description of the property appeared in The Argus;
‘The homestead is of an old-fashioned type, set in the wide, sweeping plains of the Wimmera, and surrounded by a thick growth of pines and peppercorn trees…fine stables surround a courtyard adjoining the house, adjacent to which is a garage where the motor-cars of several of the un married members of the family are kept. The homestead itself, which is enclosed in a picturesque old-world garden, is a brick building and one of the more solid types of construction.‘ (Argus, Feb. 28 1928)
Ryan’s wife Jane had died in 1926, and in 1928 he had been unwell himself. This may have prompted the now 64 year old to consider his own mortality, and to decide he should make a will.
There were 13 Ryan children (8 sons and 5 daughters). Three sons and a daughter still lived on the homestead; Henry (Harry) James (Jim), Robert (Bob) and Matilda (Tilly). Two other sons, Martin Jnr. and Michael (Mick) had farms nearby.
Robert, the son at the centre of this story, is marked with an arrow in following photo.
When Ryan spoke to his solicitors in Wycheproof in early February he said he didn’t really know how to go about dividing his estate, but that he wished one daughter to inherit a third of the estate plus a house and car. This was no doubt Matilda, who had become very close to her father after her mother’s death. There were others he did not want to leave anything at all. He was advised by the solicitor’s clerk to draft something out at home, then take it back to the office. However, the clerk did not see Mr Ryan again.
On the morning of February 22, Martin Ryan was found shot dead at his home, with a bullet in the back of his neck. He had clearly been ambushed as he drove into the garage at about 11.30 the night before. His feet were on the vehicle’s pedals, and his hands on the steering wheel. The headlights were still burning. James Ryan discovered his father’s body when he went to the garage after breakfast for tractor fuel. A shotgun, which had been missing for some weeks was propped up on the back seat, with the muzzle against the back of the dead man’s head.
Suicide was dismissed immediately, and detectives did not believe the gun had been fired inside the car, but from outside it, a few feet away. No-one had been at the property that evening apart from the immediate family.
An important piece of evidence was found when detectives searched the homestead. Inside an old envelope postmarked January 23 1927 was a sheet of paper listing the names of all thirteen children and their ages. Against three of the names were heavy black marks. This was interpreted as an early attempt by Ryan to decide who should share his estate when he made his will. It appears that Robert Ryan was one of those ‘black-listed’. When questioned he admitted that he had deeply disappointed his father.
‘About 1924 [or] 1925 my father gave me a start by putting in 50 acres of crop, and I was to have the proceeds to assist me to get more seed and put in more crop. I made about £250 from that 50 acres, and I spent the money by paying debts and drinking. At present there is about 3/- to my credit in the bank, My father was against me for spending the money, and not staying at the farm and working, the same as the other boys.’ (The Argus, Mar, 15 1928)
23 year old Robert thus became the focus of the police investigation. He was in more trouble when the question of fingerprints on the gun came under discussion. At first he denied entering the garage after the body was found, but his story would change.
Meanwhile, the siblings all moved out of the house and went to stay with relatives in the area.
A coronial inquest was held at the Wycheproof court house,
During the hearing, police revealed that they had called the young man’s bluff about the fingerprints. Detective Lee said that he told Ryan that there were fingerprints on the gun, and that the police were developing them. Robert agreed to have his prints taken, but just as his hand was held out at the police station he withdrew it and said, ‘I want to make a statement. I touched the gun. ‘ He said he went to look at his father’s body, picked the shotgun up briefly, then put it back where he found it. He said he had lied because he saw the constable handle the gun and thought the policeman’s prints would cover up his own, and that he would not have to explain them away.
Of course the police theory was that the prints were left there when Robert shot his father, which he categorically denied .
ALL IN THE FAMILY
The strangest thing about the case was that not one of the four Ryan siblings admitted to hearing their father’s car arrive home, or to hearing a gunshot. This was despite the fact that the garage was very close to the homestead. Given that the murder took place in the quiet of night at a remote location it made no sense whatsoever. Detectives Lee and Bruce expressed their frustration.
Senior-detective Bruce said this afternoon that certain persons whom he and Detective Lee had interviewed had admitted having entered into a ‘conspiracy of silence.’ These persons had told the detectives that they would say nothing about the murder, but would tell the truth, concerning events so far as they were familiar with them, following the discovery of the body. The detectives say that these persons beyond saying ‘I do not know who murdered him’, have offered no explanation as to how the murderer might be traced.
Matilda had been admitted to hospital, which Bruce said was done to prevent them talking to her.
The coronial inquest found that Robert Ryan had murdered his father and should face trial in April.
However, there was a final twist in the story. The crown decided that there was not enough evidence to secure a guilty verdict against Robert Ryan, and the case was abandoned before the trial even began.
As Martin Ryan was murdered before he made a will his estate was shared among all of his children. In early May his sons offered a £500 reward for information leading to their father’s killer. There is no record of anyone coming forward.
Life was difficult for Robert Ryan in Thalia after the inquest. He remained the only suspect and many believed him to be guilty. Soon afterwards he left the area and ultimately he moved interstate.
His sister Matilda married orchardist Edwin Lindner the year after the murder, but she died just two years later aged 30. Most of her brothers, though not Robert, were pallbearers.
Below is the grave of Martin Ryan and his wife Jane, in the Wycheproof cemetery.
ODDLY ENOUGH THERE WAS ANOTHER STRANGE CASE IN THE WYCHEPROOF AREA IN 1931. ONCE AGAIN IT INVOLVED A CLOSE, RURAL FAMILY AND THE MATTER OF MAKING WILLS. HOWEVER, ON THIS OCCASION DEATH WAS DUE TO POISONING.
