The Rhynie Poisoning Case: The True Crimes of Alexander Newland Lee

by Samantha Battams

Was Lee a callous murderer, or innocent as he maintained?At the end of the First World War, Alexander Newland Lee was accused of poisoning his wife and three children.Born at World’s End, Lee was a destitute labourer who severely injured his hand in a farm accident. Recovering at The Willows Hospital in the Barossa Valley, he fell in love with nurse Dolly Scholz, an attractive young woman of Prussian-German descent. The setting was post World War I, a time when her community was ostracised.When Lee was arrested for murder at Rhynie and put on trial, the case attracted strong interest from members of the community. They crawled over the gates of the Supreme Court to try to get a seat in the public gallery and a glimpse of the accused. It was deemed one of the most sensational criminal cases in South Australian history, and people waited outside the court in their hundreds to learn of Lee’s fate.Strangely, a generation earlier, his Auntie Martha Needle, known as ‘The Richmond Poisoner,’ was hanged in the Old Melbourne Gaol for a similar crime. Did Lee know about his infamous Auntie?Alexander always maintained his innocence, claiming that his wife had committed the crimes.Lee's death sentence led to the first protest against capital punishment in South Australia, in what the press dubbed a ‘Proposed Execution Holiday.’ The date of the hanging was set for 15 July 1920, the day H.R.H. Prince of Wales was visiting the state.This story explores Lee’s crimes and trial set amidst the post WWI social context.

205 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2021

About the author

Dr Samantha Battams is a writer of non-fiction historical books/biographies based on Australian history, public health educator and researcher and management consultant.

She has written 3 books. Her first book is a 19thC true-crime tale: The Secret Art of Poisoning: the True Crimes of Martha Needle, the Richmond Poisoner (2019).

Her second book was written with co-author Les Parsons and is on a pioneer aviator from WW1: The Red Devil: The Story of South Australian Aviation Pioneer Captain Harry Butler (2019, Wakefield Press).

Her 3rd book is a follow up on the first story: The Rhynie Poisoning Case: The True Crimes of Alexander Newland Lee (2021).

Samantha is also an Associate Professor and has been a university educator & researcher (public health), community development worker, advocate, health service manager and management consultant. Samantha resides in Adelaide, Australia, is widely travelled and has lived and worked in Switzerland in global health. She has a BA Hons (Soc Sci), and PhD in Public Health. She has published academic articles and book chapters in the fields of public health, global health, social policy and sociology.

Reviews

[Sarah Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Rhynie Poisoning Case” examines the post-World War One murder of Muriel Lee and three of her children, by her husband Alexander Lee. Lee was convicted of the poisoning and subsequently hanged,
I really admire the tenacity of True Crime authors and their ability to sift through copious amounts of irrelevant information, and dubious recollections and most of all, manage the emotional burden of repeatedly reading, and being exposed to some pretty horrific descriptions of crimes and depraved human actions.
Battams is no exception. The book is well-researched and referenced (full list at the end of the book), and this is reflected in the thorough and unbiased retelling of the stories of Lee, his family, and associates. Battams' rigorous review of available media, Police and Court records of the day provides the reader with an insight into the day-to-day operations of the legal system in South Australia at the time.
Battams captures the hardship of life in the post-war Barossa Valley, especially for those from low socio-economic communities and of German-Prussian heritage. The role of women and children, and their dependence on male relatives is an alarming reminder of our repressive past.
All this is precisely recorded without the drag of some true crime novels with excessive and unnecessary detail. Included is a fascinating series of photos, including some “now and then” shots of the various locations relevant to the story.
I must admit that I had never heard about the Rhynie Poisoning case prior to reading Battam’s book. Being a bit of a true crime (especially historical poisoning cases), I was thrilled to be introduced to this tale.
“The Rhynie Poisoning Case” by Samantha Battams is gripping, easy to follow and hard to put down. It is not only a fascinating true crime story but also a record of a period of South Australian legal history. One for lovers of true crime and history.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been talking about Alexander Newland Lee for many years on our Adelaide Gaol tours, so it was doubly fascinating for me to read Dr Battams book, as she delves deeper into a story I only brush upon. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Dr Battam has a compelling style of writing, which helps to paint a complete picture of this tragic event that rocked South Australia when it happened. The story stays in your thoughts a long time after reading. For the first time, I can now see and hear these characters in my mind and have a more complete understanding of the situation and the times in which they were living.

For those into historical true crime, this is definitely not one to be missed. I for one could not put it down!

I am now reading Samantha Battam's first book "Art of Poisoning". The story just gets more and more intriguing! I can't wait to see what her next books will bring.