Police found Frederick Fisher’s remains in the field the ghost had pointed to.
1. Mums Mysteries & Murder covers the legend of Fisher's Ghost in Campbelltown, New South Wales, and frames it as an 1826 ghost story tied to a real murder case.
2. Hosts Maira, Marty, and Effie guide the story, and guest-friend Wayne from Eerie Edinburgh is named as the person who recommended the case.
3. The episode asks how John Farley’s ghost sighting could lead police to Frederick Fisher’s body and solve the mystery.
4. John Farley says he saw a ghost sitting on bridge railings and pointing toward a field before fading away in front of him.
5. Frederick Fisher was born on 28 August 1792 and was later convicted of possession of forged banknotes in England.
6. Fisher received 14 years transportation to Australia and arrived on the Atlas on 16 January 1816 with 188 convicts.
7. The hosts explain that some transported prisoners could apply for a ticket of leave after serving half their sentence.
8. A ticket of leave allowed Fisher to work, buy property, and stay in a defined area while reporting to local authorities and attending church on Sundays.
9. By 1822 Fisher had settled in Campbelltown, and by age 33 he had secured four farms and was supplying wheat to the government.
10. George Warrell, a shoemaker from London, became Fisher’s neighbour after also being transported and later granted leave.
11. Warrell housed some of Fisher’s employees because his own farm was larger than Fisher’s.
12. In 1825 Fisher started building the Horse and Jockey Inn and hired carpenter William Brooker.
13. A payment dispute led to a fight, a knife was pulled, and Fisher was arrested only for assault.
14. Fisher gave George Warrell power of attorney over his land while he was in jail.
15. On 17 June 1826, Warrell told police Fisher had gone back to England because of a new forgery claim.
16. Warrell then began selling Fisher’s belongings and saying they had been sold to him.
17. Police arrested Warrell on 17 September 1826 on suspicion of murdering Fisher, and he blamed four other men.
18. After the ghost sighting, police searched the field and found Fisher’s remains where John Farley said the ghost had pointed.
19. The hosts present the episode in a conversational, anecdotal style, with side talk about travel, television, books, and capital punishment research.
20. Anyone interested in Australian folklore, old crime cases, or ghost stories will get the most from this episode.
