15 – An acute sufferer of Irish-Potato-Face Syndrome (Bridget's murder trial illustrator)

I find the sketch done of my uncle, Hugh O’Callaghan, when he testified at Bridget’s murder trial unintentionally comical. [1]

Black and white sketch of Hugh O'Callaghan, showing a front-facing portrait with a suit and tie, slightly rounded facial features, and a solemn expression. — Hugh O'Callaghan, as illustrated by a court artist in 1914, when he testified at his sister’s murder trial. [2]

My cousin (he who provided the “Wild Bridgie” sobriquet) has a pet theory about our family, vegetable consumption and our facial appearance.

He believes members of our family are in ever-present danger of succumbing to IPFS – Irish-Potato-Face Syndrome. The more potatoes we eat, the more we come to resemble the root vegetable that we’ve consumed so voraciously for generations.

In his courtroom sketch, Hugh looks unerringly, to me, like a morose Mr. Potato Head.

In truth, the young Hugh was a cutie. Kind eyes. Symmetrical features. Endearingly prominent ears balancing out a strong jawline. Nary a potato in sight.

Side-by-side image of Hugh O'Callaghan. On the left, a black and white courtroom sketch from 1914 shows him with a somber expression in formal attire. On the right, a photograph from 1915 shows a more lifelike portrayal of him in a suit and tie. — A contrast between Hugh O'Callaghan's courtroom sketch from his 1914 involvement in the Mayne Murder trial (left) and a family photo from 1915 (right). The sketch is sourced from the Truth newspaper, while the photo belongs to the Duggan family archive. [3]

Hats off to the illustrator who attended Bridget’s murder trial in January 1914. He might have done my uncle’s looks a disservice, but Hugh’s deep sadness radiates from the few rough lines of ink on paper. (Hugh would break down on the stand while testifying about his futile attempts to save his youngest sister’s life.)

Henry’s sketch is a harder sell, for me.

“Thin, wasted, cadaverous and unshorn, Henry Terns Hopgood looked a pitiable object as he sat in the corner of the dock at the Brisbane City Police Court…” [4]

Henry Terns Hopgood, suspect in the murder of Bridget Hopgood, as depicted in a court artist's sketch from 1914. [5]

Henry’s image was captured after a week spent in prison. [6] He was also in the grips of psychosis. (He would tell his doctor that he could hear horses in his cell and that unnamed people were trying to hurt him. [7])

No one looks good when they’re sleep-deprived and deep in the throes of a mental health episode.

Again, we have to salute the talent of the illustrator. Henry looks careworn, unstable but not terrifying.

It depends on your perspective, I suppose. My mother has never seen anything but menace in this sketch.

“Is that the Murderer?” she said, upon first being shown this sketch. “He looks like one.”

110 years after he murdered her aunt, my mother refuses to grant Henry Hopgood the courtesy of his name. Henry features as “he”, or “the Murderer”, in Mum’s conversation. If she can be brought to refer to him at all.

I think that’s taking it too easy on him. Whether pitiable lunatic or menacing murderer, he doesn’t get to be a two-dimensional sketch on a page.

A digital rendering of Henry Hopgood, based on his courtroom sketch from the Mayne Murder trial, originally published in the Truth newspaper in 1914. The image re-imagines Hopgood in an outdoor setting with a horse, giving a more lifelike depiction of the historical figure. [8]

Men who commit violence can be utterly charming. They have mothers who love them and friends who introduce them to their little sisters.

They can also be excellent company. You might find yourself liking them, even while knowing they visited violence on someone you love.

It's for the woman they've hurt, or will hurt, that you need to remember that they're a human, full of flaws and graces.

Somoeone who was once capable of inspiring love.

#WildBridgie

End Notes

[1] "THE MAYNE MURDER." Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954) 8 February 1914: 5. Web. 21 Sep 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202663260.

[2] "THE MAYNE MURDER." Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954) 8 February 1914: 5. Web. 21 Sep 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202663260.

[3] "THE MAYNE MURDER." Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954), 8 Feb. 1914, p. 5. National Library of Australia, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202663260. Accessed 21 Sep. 2024. Family photograph courtesy of the Duggan family archive, 1915.

[4] "THE MAYNE MURDER." Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954) 8 February 1914: 5. Web. 21 Sep 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202663260.

[5] "THE MAYNE MURDER." Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954) 8 February 1914: 5. Web. 21 Sep 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202663260.

[6] "THE MAYNE MURDER." Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954) 8 February 1914: 5. Web. 21 Sep 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202663260.

[7] "THE MAYNE MURDER." Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954) 8 February 1914: 5. Web. 21 Sep 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202663260.

[8] "Sketch of the Mayne Murder." Truth (Brisbane), 8 Feb. 1914, p. 5. Trove, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202663260. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024. Image generated based on sketch by unknown artist, 2024.

Wild Bridgie

15 – An acute sufferer of Irish-Potato-Face Syndrome (Bridget's murder trial illustrator)

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