George David Silva (1884 – 10 June 1912) was an Australian

mass murderer Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

. Silva, who was of

Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...

descent, worked as a farmhand on a property owned by Hong-Kong born Charles Ching at Alligator Creek, about 20 miles (32 km) from Mackay, Queensland.

Early life

George Silva was born to Sri Lankan parents and lived on the outskirts of the town of Mackay. He became a passionate attendant of the local church and often led prayers. He became known as a preacher and a "pet" of the church. As an adult, Silva found work as a farmhand on a property at Alligator Creek, 20 miles out of town. Silva's employer was a property owner named Charlie Ching. Ching was a man from Hong Kong who'd married a white woman named Agnes. They lived in a corrugated iron home with a dirt floor. The kitchen was in a separate structure, away from the main home. However, in comparison to Silva, who had almost nothing, they were wealthy. Silva wanted to marry the Ching family's oldest daughter, 17-year-old Maude Ching. Silva told a neighbour that he would get a plot of land from Charlie Ching by Christmas and he would build a home to start a family. The neighbor replied "You can't marry. You got no money. You got no blanket. No decent trousers. How would a girl like to marry you like that?" Silva's marriage proposal was rejected by the Chings as he had nothing to offer their daughter. Maude also rejected his advances.

Murders, trial, and execution

On 16 November 1911, Charles Ching told Silva he was traveling to town for supplies and money for Silva's wages. While he was away, Silva murdered the six Chings. The bodies of Agnes, Maud, Hugh and Winnie were found inside the house piled under a rug. Mother and eldest daughter had been shot by a

revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

and a muzzle-loading rifle, while the boy and baby had their skulls smashed against the wall. The bodies of Teddy and Dolly Ching were found a mile and a half away; both had been shot and their skulls smashed in. Police and aboriginal trackers inspected the crime scene, and after the trackers stated that there was no trail to follow the police homed in on Silva. Silva, fearing a lynch mob from Mackay, eventually confessed to police. He claimed that two neighbours had helped him murder the family, but the police found no evidence of him having any accomplices. Tried only for killing Maud Ching, Silva admitted to being present, but denied personally killing anyone. It took the jury only 20 minutes to find him guilty of murder. Silva was given a mandatory death sentence and hanged at

Boggo Road Gaol Boggo Road Gaol in Brisbane, Australia, was Queensland’s main jail from the 1880s to the 1980s, by which time it had become notorious for poor conditions and rioting. Located on Annerley Road in Dutton Park, an inner southern suburb of Brisbane ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

on 10 June 1912. He was buried in South Brisbane Cemetery.Silva George David
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search In his final moments, Silva repeatedly quoted passages from the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

in an attempt to delay his execution until prison authorities told him to stop. Silva tried to keep talking as the noose was slipped around his neck, but was hanged before he could finish.

Victims

*Agnes Ching, wife of Charles Ching *Maud Ching, 17, daughter of Charles Ching *Teddy Ching, 10, son of Charles Ching *Dolly Ching, 8, daughter of Charles Ching *Hugh Ching, 4, son of Charles Ching *Winnie Ching, 20 months, daughter of Charles Ching

Notes

References

External links

Tragedy at Mackay
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The Sydney Mail ''The Sydney Mail'' was an Australian magazine published weekly in Sydney. It was the weekly edition of ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' newspaper and ran from 1860 to 1938. History ''The Sydney Mail'' was first published on 17 July 1860 by Joh ...

'' (22 November 1911)
A terrible tragedy
'' Northern Territory Times and Gazette'' (15 December 1911)
Fearful tragedy
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Poverty Bay Herald ''The Gisborne Herald'' is the daily evening newspaper for Gisborne and environs. It is one of only four independently owned daily newspapers in New Zealand. History Established in 1874 as the ''Poverty Bay Herald'' it was published biweekly ...

'' (20 November 1911)
Queensland murder case
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'' (21 November 1911)
The Ching tragedy
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'' (20 November 1911)
The Ching tragedy
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'' (30 November 1911) {{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, George 1884 births 1912 deaths Australian mass murderers Australian murderers of children Australian people convicted of murder Executed Australian people Executed mass murderers People executed by Australia by hanging People executed by Queensland Massacres in Australia Massacres in 1912 People convicted of murder by Queensland 20th-century executions by Australia Burials in South Brisbane Cemetery Australian people of Sri Lankan descent