Frank Butler and the Blue Mountains Murder

In 1896, three men left Sydney on prospecting trips with a man using the name Frank Butler. None returned. When their bodies were discovered, police launched an international manhunt that ended aboard the Swanhilda in San Francisco. This episode follows the Blue Mountains murders, Butler’s many aliases, the investigation, trial, and the questions that still remain about his true identity and possible victims. For more exclusive content check out our Patreon at patreon.com/historicaltruecrime Source Materials Jason K. Foster, The Devil’s Butterfly: Hunting Australia’s First Serial Killer (2024) The Sydney Morning Herald, 1896–1897 The Argus, 1896 The Queenslander, 1897 The West Australian, 1897 The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, 1897 The Western Mail, 1897 Russell O. Atkinson, “Amazing Story of Blue Mountain Murders,” Townsville Daily Bulletin, 1952