THE TOWITTA TRAGEDY

Richard Dutschke The very bloody 1902 murder of 13-year-old Bertha Schippan in the little community of Towitta on the outskirts of the Barossa Valley has remained one of the great unsolved cases of South Australian history. Bertha’s sister Mary was accused of the savage crime and acquitted. Fingers have pointed around the Valley. Rumours have flown. The mystery has grown. Until now. Richard Dutschke has self-published a text by the late Ron Nitschke who had family links to the case and researched it for 50 years. He swore he had the answer in witness reports of a deadbed confession from the killer. Nitschke’s story is a gripping narrative, heart-rending and shocking. For all the reports and studies over the years, this forensic account could just be the one to close the book on the case. Rating: