Written by Mark Tedeschi QC is the story of
the Eugenia Falleni and the criminal trail for the charge of murdering her wife,
in Sydney 1920.
Eugenia lived her life as a man under the
name of Harry Crawford, gave birth to a daughter, and married twice as a man.
The story begins with the Italian migrant family in New Zealand and follows
Eugenia to Australia now known as Harry, and the marriage to his first wife Annie.
Harry remarries after her disappearance but the remains of her body are found two
years later in bushland in Chatswood. Harry is arrested under suspicion of
murder and his true sex is revealed. The trial at the time caused a sensation,
with much interest as to how her true sexual identity was kept from both wives and
‘the article’ that was used to maintain the marriages.
Mark Tedeschi traces the Falleni family,
Eugenia’s contemporaries, the witnesses, the Crown prosecutors and defendants,
the newspaper accounts and dissects the court proceedings with a
critical view to the justice and prejudices of the time. This was a fascinating
read, written for the uneducated in legal speak to understand.
Anna 8
Annette 6.5
Cheryl 8
Genevieve 7
Megan 7
Phil 7
Average 7.25
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