John and Sarah Makin
John and Sarah Makin  |
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John and Sarah Makin in the 1890s.
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| Born |
14 February 1845 (John) 20 December 1845 (Sarah) New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 15 August 1893 (aged 48) (John) 13 September 1918 (aged 72) (Sarah) New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation |
Drayman (John) Midwife (Sarah) |
| Criminal penalty | Capital punishment |
| Criminal status |
Hanged on 15 August 1893 (John) Paroled on 29 April 1911 (Sarah) |
| Children | 5 sons, 5 daughters |
| Parent(s) | William Samuel and Ellen Selena Bolton Makin (John) Emanuel and Ellen Murphy Sutcliffe (Sarah) |
| Conviction(s) | Murder — March 1893 |
John Makin (14 February 1845 – 15 August 1893) and Sarah Jane Makin (20 December 1845 – 13 September 1918) were Australian baby farmers who were convicted in New South Wales (NSW) for the murder of infant Horace Murray. Both were tried and found guilty in March 1893 and were sentenced to death. John was hanged on 15 August 1893 but Sarah's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. On 29 April 1911, Sarah was paroled from the State Reformatory for Women at Long Bay in response to the petition of her daughters.
Sarah Jane Sutcliffe was born on 20 December 1845 to Ellen Murphy and Emanuel Sutcliffe; her father was a miller and former convict. Sarah's first marriage was to sailor Charles Edwards on 29 April 1865 in Sydney. She later married brewery drayman John Makin of Dapto, New South Wales, on 27 August 1871. John was the son of farmer William Samuel Makin and his wife Ellen Selena. John and Sarah produced five sons and five daughters. The couple turned to baby farming—the practice of caring for illegitimate babies in exchange for payment—as a source of income after John was injured in an accident.
In 1892, eighteen-year-old Amber Murray placed an advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald in search of a mother to adopt a baby boy. Murray was unable to care for her illegitimate son Horace, born on 30 May of that year, and offered to cover child support expenses. The Makins replied that they were willing to take care of Horace for ten shillings per week. Daughter Blanche Makin accepted an initial payment of three pounds and collected the child. John Makin continued to collect child support payments from Amber Murray while responding to her requests to see Horace with excuses. When Murray visited an address near Sydney the Makins had provided, the family had moved to Macdonaldtown, NSW, and could not be found. Murray never saw her baby alive again.
The Makins came to police attention on 11 October 1892 when worker James Hanoney was clearing a clogged underground drain in the backyard of a home in Burren Street, Macdonaldtown, and found it blocked with the remains of two infants. Investigators examined records to trace the Makins, who had moved again to Chippendale. The Makins and four of their daughters were arrested, though only John and Sarah were charged. Police exhumed remains from the backyards of eleven homes that the Makins had occupied since 1890. The bodies of twelve infants were recovered, though some sources say thirteen. Prosecutors believed the Makins sought to profit by taking in babies for childcare payments, and found it easier to kill the children and deceive the parents to continue receiving money. One of their victims was Horace Murray, whose clothing was identified by his mother Amber.
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