HISTORY A young British migrant woman unwittingly complicated the police identification of a dead body in 1890. But that would likely never have happened had she not betrayed her fiancé and fled to Adelaide. 28 Police Journal Treachery's unintended April 2005 consequence www BY ALLAN L PETERS .policejournalsa.org.au Suddenly, floating in Port Of Levi, however, they gave a and simply agreed to the suggestions from the Iberia also failed to positively Phillip Bay near St Kilda Pier description which closely matched of her future husband and his friends. identify the garments, but spoke of an was the body of a young that of the dead woman. On the day before the wedding, extraordinary similarity between them woman. Shocked to And, while they could not, with any Lightman gave his bride £15 to buy and the clothing Levi wore on the discover it, as he went about his work certainty, identify the clothing or some household items. But, in the journey from England. on that April afternoon in 1890, was jewellery as belonging to Levi, they afternoon of that day, she disappeared The police, determined to solve the boatman, Thomas Higgins, who said the items were remarkably similar with all her luggage from Mrs Breslau's identity mystery, broadened their immediately called the police. to those she wore. home. She had said she intended to inquiries and soon found Levi alive Constable Willett soon arrived on Lightman said he had known Levi ­ his take her belongings to her future and well. After her disappearance the scene, where he retrieved the brother's sister-in-law ­ in Leeds before Fitzroy home, so Mrs Breslau was not from Melbourne, she had travelled to body for delivery to the Melbourne he immigrated to Victoria in 1886. A in the least suspicious. Adelaide and, later, the Riverland town Morgue. With nothing by which to cabinetmaker, he secured a well-paid Lightman later said that in various of Morgan, where she and her new identify the body, the morgue issued a job with the Melbourne Tramway and conversations with Levi she had had husband, Reid, boarded the paddle description, which read: Omnibus Company's Carriage Works much to say about Alexander J Reid, steamer Ruby and headed upstream. The body is that of a woman about after he arrived in the city. a man who took the same journey she They were now in Mildura, where 26 years of age, five foot two inches In letters to his brother, who still had aboard the Iberia from England. It they intended to purchase land for (157.5cm) in height, dark complexion lived in Leeds, Lightman wrote of his seemed obvious that he had paid her themselves and Reid's relatives, who and brown hair. She was dressed in a good fortune in Australia. His brother a great deal of attention. hoped to emigrate soon from England. black dress, and wore an imitation wrote back, suggesting he (Lightman) After the journey, she and Reid had This solved the missing-person sealskin jacket, a purse containing should consider marriage to Levi, who met on several occasions in the puzzle, but left unanswered the £1.5.6 ($2.55) was found in her had said she was prepared to travel to street. So Lightman came to think question of the identity of the female pocket, and she wore two silver Australia and be his bride. Reid might know of Levi's body recovered from Port Phillip Bay bangles and a gold brooch. The body Lightman delighted in the prospect whereabouts, and went to visit him at and now buried in the unmarked grave appears to have been in the water for of marriage to Levi, and so sent the Federal Coffee Palace. There, he of a pauper? about a week. money for her passage out to learned that Reid had moved and left In an all-out effort to solve the Over the next few days, many Australia. He also set about preparing no forwarding address. mystery, Inspector Webb painstakingly people visited the morgue, where a home for her. He failed in several other attempts examined the clothing and jewellery they tried but failed to identify the By the time Levi arrived on the to find Levi and later resolved to end removed from the body of the dead young woman and her belongings. steamer Iberia in mid-March 1890, his search. But, just then, Lightman woman. Stamped faintly inside the Then, on the evening of April 30, Lightman had fully arranged their read a newspaper report of the waistband of her skirt, he found the two men turned up at the morgue. marriage and secured a Bell Street, woman whose body had been fished name of the maker, Foy & Gibson. And James Shannon and Louis Lightman Fitzroy house. The wedding day was out of the bay near St Kilda Pier. some of the jewellery, he discovered, were looking for 20-year-old Jewish scheduled for March 31. Until then, Mrs Breslau, on a visit to the had been made by Messrs R woman, Pauline Levi, a recent arrival Mrs Breslau of Drummond St, Carlton morgue, identified portions of the Robertson and Sons, manufacturers of from Leeds, England. would, by arrangement with Lightman, clothing as those Levi had worn, but Little Collins St. But the dead woman's body, owing care for Levi. later said they did not belong to the The discovery of the dressmaker's to its extensive decomposition, had Strangely, Levi displayed little missing woman. name came as something of a been buried before the two arrived. interest in the marriage arrangements, A number Levi's fellow passengers breakthrough in the inquiry. It led to ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT 2004 ­ implementation The Police Association provides the information below to assist members to understand the transitional arrangements arising out of the restructuring of SAPOL. Mrs JE Roberts, who had arrived in 29 Melbourne from Tasmania only a short Senior constable performed. This new system Senior sergeant review Police Journal time earlier. All constables qualified to the provides for recognition of both During the life of this She had been married for about 14 rank of senior constable have qualification and experience. agreement, SAPOL will conduct months when, tragically, her husband now been promoted in-situ. Members may have the ability to an examination of the work developed symptoms of insanity and SAPOL will gazette, on an on- transfer to other functions in performed by those positions was placed in the Kew Lunatic Asylum. April 2005 going basis, those members who SAPOL without having to revert in classified as senior sergeant in Roberts had been stopping in at the become eligible for in-situ rank. Every member who qualifies order to determine which senior Coffee Palace at South Yarra, but no promotion to senior constable. for senior constable and SC1C sergeant positions are one had seen her since April 3. The rank is rewarded for his or her www The promotional qualifications appropriate for reclassification to Coffee Palace chambermaid positively board for senior constable no efforts. This encourages a new rank between senior .policejournalsa.org.au identified her dress, jacket and jewellery. longer exists. professional development sergeant and inspector. The new From the evidence they gathered, individually, and lifts the status of rank will be introduced as part of the police concluded that Roberts had Senior constable first the occupation generally. the next enterprise agreement. committed suicide by drowning, as she class had suffered severe depression owing Brevet sergeant The association's role in this Any member appointed to a process is to confer with SAPOL to her husband's mental illness. prescribed promotional position Pursuant to clause 10.5.1 of EA on the process and criteria to be An Adelaide newspaper, in a hard- at the rank of senior constable 2004, a new rank of brevet used for the conduct of the hitting editorial, openly criticized its under the previous system was sergeant was introduced ­ on examination. Melbourne counterparts for: promoted to the new rank of January 1, 2005 ­ for senior ...so freely using the term "mystery" senior constable first class constables first class, who Patrol tutor allowance when reporting on such cases as this, (SC1C). This new rank is perform defined functions and The purpose of the patrol tutor where in fact there had been no attached to the individual, not the satisfy required competencies or function is to manage the mystery at all. And if the police had position. Two new pay qualifications. The Commissioner development of cadets during examined the clothing of the dead increments were introduced into of Police, pursuant to clause "outphase" and probationary woman earlier they would have the senior constable wage 10.5.2, determined the functions constables during the first six experienced no problems whatsoever structure. Increment 7 is available to which the rank of brevet months of service after graduation. in identifying the deceased woman. for members holding the new sergeant would apply. SAPOL is currently developing the The Adelaide newspaper claimed SC1C rank. Members will hold this rank and field tutor system and associated that the Melbourne papers: Further, pursuant to clause receive the payment only for the processes for implementation ...in their attempts to promote their 10.4.5 of EA 2004, period in which they perform the from January 2006. city, and giving it alliterate titles such as the Commissioner of Police defined function. The payment "Mysterious Melbourne" are doing an determines positions to which the forms part of annual salary and Voluntary flexible injustice to members of their own rank of SC1C will apply. Following will be applied to superannuation working arrangements community, such as Miss Levi, whose restructure, there are now two entitlements. EA 2004 provides access to a name has been so unpleasantly methods of gaining entry to the The Commissioner of Police range of voluntary flexible brought into notoriety when indeed rank of SC1C: retains the discretion, pursuant to working arrangements, including there was no evidence whatever to * By a senior constable clause 10.5.9, to apply the brevet purchased leave, special leave connect her with the case. completing the sergeant sergeant rank to other functions, without pay (including career The article went on to assert that: qualification programme (or past where appropriate, during the life breaks) and working from home. Now in all this mystery-mongering equivalent) and completing 12 of the agreement. SAPOL has finalized policy there is much that deserves the months of service on increment The new rank of brevet sergeant regarding these working condemnation of Australians. Why four. is an exciting opportunity, and has arrangements. The association is should any capital be made out of the * Selection on merit to a SC1C the potential to break the nexus awaiting notification from SAPOL melancholy death of unhappy position. between rank and salary. The on when these working persons? One of the worst effects of The enterprise agreement association is supportive of all arrangements will be made giving prominence to such accidents provides every member of SAPOL functions having the capacity to available to all members. and offences, and of dignifying them the opportunity to progress to the receive brevet sergeant rank with the name of "mysteries" is that ranks of senior constable and based on appropriate criteria. public attention is drawn to them, and SC1C regardless of the function morbid and even vicious propensities encouraged.