Outback Graves Markers

John Calvert ADDINGLEY (more)

Cause of Death: Suicide by gelignite

Known as The Doctor.

The deceased committed suicide by blowing his head off by means of dynamite, which he had evidently put in his mouth and attached a cap and fuse thereto. He was commonly known as "The Doctor" and it is asserted that he was justly entitled to the distinction, being a duly qualified medical doctor.

An inquiry was held and a verdict of suicide whilst temporarily insane was returned.

The deceased was the eldest of two boys and four girls born between 1868 and 1879. His father, Charles Addingley, was born in 1830 in Pontefract and died in 1891 in Pontefract, leaving an estate valued at £29,783 7s 6d. HIs wife was born in 1835 in Skipton, Yorkshire, and died in 1934 in Pontefract. He was still residing in Pontefract, Yorkshire, in 1881.

Frederick BOND (more)

Cause of Death: Shot by a drinking companion

Henry Wilkins, a mine manager at Burtville, was charged with having murdered Frederick Bond on the night of July 27. The two men were drinking together in a Burtville boarding house on the night of July 27. While drinking whisky, Bond accidentally spilt or splashed some of the contents of his glass over the accused. The latter drew a revolver and threatened to shoot but put the weapon away after Bond had apologised. Shortly afterwards, the men left the house. Then shots were heard, followed by a scream and men rushing out found Bond in a dying condition. Wilkin was found about 8ft. away from the body with a revolver in his hand. In the court room, Dr. John D. Hurst, medical practitioner practising at Laverton, described the results of a post-mortem made on the body of the deceased on July 29. The body was then lying in the house of Mrs. Sullivan. He found a punctured wound on the left side of the breast, on the lower part of the breast and about 1½in. from the breastbone. He found that a bullet had passed through the heart and the left lung and he found the missile 3in. or 4in. above the point of entry. His opinion was that the shot was fired in an upward direction and that it was fired from a distance of three or four yards, at least. Death was due to the bullet having penetrated the heart. Wilkins was the manager of the Mikado mine at Burtville. At the trial on 22 September at the Kalgoorlie Circuit Court, The jury returned a verdict of manslaughter, with a strong recommendation for mercy.

James CASEY (more)

Cause of Death: Mine accident - struck by falling rock

James Casey and others had just taken a contract on the Karridale Mine. Casey was on his second shift when the accident occurred. A jury was summoned and, after viewing the body, the inquest was adjourned for eight days. The verdict at the inquest concerning the death of James Casey, was that the deceased was struck on the head by some hard substance which fell down the shaft, but that there was not sufficient evidence to show where it came from. There was no blame attachable to anyone.

Robert Archibald GRAHAME (more)

Cause of Death: Suicide by Dynamite

The deceased was found dead outside his camp on Tuesday afternoon. The upper portion of the body was terribly shattered, the head being completely severed and scattered in all directions. It was evidently a case of suicide. A jury was summoned and a formal inquiry held before Mr. S. P. Wheeler, acting coroner. An order was made for burial and the inquiry was to be resumed the next day. A large number attended the funeral. On 30 May 1901, the deceased, along with Arthur George Cavendish and Ephraim Hobbs, applied for an auriferous lease and subsequently another lease, the two claims which later became known as The Savage Captain and The Hard Lump. On 24 August 1904, Robert Grahame and Ephraim Hobbs sought to recover from the defendants, James Moore, Archibald Aitken, Edward Fahey and Robert Hogan, the sum of £770 as damages for certain breaches of a tribute agreement and asked for the cancellation of the agreement and an injunction to restrain the defendants from further prospecting or mining on the lease known as the Savage Captain, situated at Burtville. The Warden, in his judgment, after outlining the terms of the agreement, stated that it is alleged by the plaintiffs in their particulars of claim, that the defendants committed breaches of the agreement. Warden Burt's judgment concluded: "On my findings on the evidence, judgment is entered for the plaintiffs for £596 11s 6d, with costs, and I order that the agreement be cancelled and I grant an injunction restraining the defendants from prospecting, mining or trespassing on G.M. lease 1099t." Having won this case just a few months prior to his death, it is curious to know if this was still playing on his mind at the time of his death. Within a very short time after the death of Grahame, The Savage Captain lease cleaned up a parcel of 124 tons, for 324oz, which was treated at the local public battery. Huge tonnage followed from this mine. Grahame was the second child of a family of three boys and three girls born in Cheshire, England, to Robert Graham, born 1847 in Ontario, Canada, and his wife, who was born in Liverpool. Their six children were all born in Cheshire, England. The other children were Agnes Ottilie, born 1872; William E born 1876; Henry Francis born 1878; Marion Isabel York born 1883; and Susie D.A. born 1886. The couple married in 1872 and, together with the deceased, were still living in Cheshire in 1881. Mr Graham Senior died in Torquay, Devon, in 1918, leaving the amount of £28,526 1s 6d to his wife, who died in Torquay in 1935. The estate of the deceased was settled in Bristol, England, on 23 September 1937, with effects to the value of £1038 2s 11d being left to William Percy Tyrwhitt Grahame and John Henry Clifton.

Allen HUGHES (more)

Cause of Death: Convulsions

Elizabeth Jane "Lily" Hutchens married Evan Hughes in 1895 at Broken Hill, New South Wales. They proceeded to create their family of three girls and four boys as follows: Benjamin Roy born Broken Hill 1897; Ivy M born 1899 in Broken Hill; Benjamin Harold born 1900 in Boulder; Phyllis Eileen born 1903 in Boulder; Elsie Florence born 1914 in Perth. Lily was born in Clare, South Australia, in 1876 and died in Perth, 1933. Her husband was born in Kapunda, South Australia in 1867. He died in Perth in 1935.

William KELLY (more)

Cause of Death: Struck by Lightning

The deceased was in the camp of Mr. "Dixie" Scott, together with a man named J. M'Donough and Mr and Mrs. Scott, each of whom was sitting down. Suddenly, they received such a shock that they were thrown to the ground where they lay for about 10 minutes. Kelly, who was not killed outright, was the first to stand up. Although he could not speak, he made signs that he was in need of a drink. A water bag was handed to him and he took a drink and then died. The lightning struck through the end of the camp, which was composed of hessian, cutting a large piece of the latter material clean out. It was close to this that Kelly was sitting and it was miraculous that M'Donough, who was sitting only a couple of feet away, was not also killed, or at least more seriously injured. Kelly, who was a strong, healthy man, had not been long resident at Burtville, and was engaged in a tribute on a mine with Messrs. Scott and M'Donough. Messrs. Scott and M'Donough and Mrs. Scott, although they felt the effects of the shock for a while, were not seriously indisposed as a consequence. The deceased had been formerly at Yundamindera and Morgans.

William MASSEY (more)

Cause of Death: Fall of earth and explosion of a shot

It appears that the deceased, after lighting a charge, was making his exit from the shaft by climbing up by the timber, when the latter gave way. precipitating Massey some 10ft and jamming him against the wall close to the shot, which exploded and blew his left leg to pieces and also caused other injuries to the body. When found, he was conscious and said " For God's sake take me out of this. My leg's blown off." On being extricated, it was found that the left leg was simply blown to pieces. Medical assistance was sent for, but deceased only survived the shock for about 10 minutes during which time he suffered great agony. At the time of the accident, deceased was working alone. His wife and family are in Coolgardie. The deceased was well known in mining circles throughout Australia and was, at one time, manager of the Londonderry and other mines in the Coolgardie district.

Robert MCCRACKEN (more)

Cause of Death: Suicide by Dynamite

The deceased was Mine Manager of some of the leases being exploited by some English investors. He went some miles into the bush, carved his initials on a tree, took dynamite, and scattered his person to the wind, reminiscent of "The Savage Captain", Robert Archibald Grahame, at Burtville in 1905. Apparently the deceased had often said he would have a similar fate. In the early days of Coolgardie, McCracken was a notable figure among the many notable men who engineered the big boom and kept it going. He was the manager of the old Lady Loch Mine and was said to have stood behind £60,000 at one time. Interestingly, his name appeared in documents under the Bankruptcy Act for that mine in 1897. He then went to London and where he lost much of this money and became stranded. Later, he went to South Africa and returned to WA in about 1907. Returning to Laverton a few weeks before his death, McCracken was under instructions to take charge of the Carib mine at Burtvilie, which belonged to a London company. He had been drinking to excess for the previous few days. From what could be gleaned, he was missing from his camp on Friday morning and indications prompted the belief that something serious had happened. A search was instituted and in the evening his dead body was discovered about eight miles away, in the breakaways towards Mt. Weld. His head was partly blown off and the horrid deed had evidently been effected by dynamite. It was surmised that McCracken was in financial difficulties.

Hugh McLeod MCGREGOR (more)

Cause of Death: Fell Down A Mine Shaft

Hugh McGregor was found dead at the bottom of an unused shaft containing water. He had been there two days before his remains were found. He was found to be missing from his camp and a search revealed he had apparently fallen into the shaft during the night. At the Inquest held subsequently an open verdict was returned, but it was believed that McGregor accidentally fell into the shaft. The parents of the young fellow reside in Perth. Jessie and Hector were married on 14 March 1879 at Dunedin, New Zealand, and proceeded to build their family. Siblings for Hugh, who was the eldest, were: Mary Ann born 30 April 1882, who died in Bulong in 1899; Annie McLeod born 6 June 1884; and Angus born 25 November 1886. Jessie died, aged 62 years, in Mt Lawley, on 26 July 1912, just three months after the death of her son, Hugh. Hector was born 1847 in Ross-shire, Scotland, and died in 1943 at Belmont, Western Australia.

David John MURRAY (more)

Cause of Death: Natural Causes

The child died at McKade (Mikado) Mine and was buried in Burtville by JW Page and Michael Mannion (Roman Catholic Reader). Witnesses present at the burial were D Simpson and M Lynch. Miss Murray gave birth to a stillborn baby on 19 December 1907, which was buried at the McKade (Mikado) Goldmine, Burtville. It appears that the two children may have been twins. The Death Registration for the stillborn child being 29/1908. There was no registration of the births found for either of these children.

Charles Friedrich SCHROEDER (more)

Cause of Death: Brake Failure on the Winch

Known as Charley. The late Mr. Schroeder, who was a partner in the Golden Bell Gold Mine at Burtville, was employed on the night shift underground. At 4 o'clock, as was the usual custom, he proceeded to the surface with the intention of partaking of "crib.' Ascension was made by means of a kibble drawn by a winch. Everything went well until the deceased reached the mouth of the shaft when, before he had time to land, something went wrong with a bolt in the winch and, the brakes refusing to work, poor Schroeder was precipitated about 200ft and, without the slightest warning, hurled into eternity. The netherlimbs and lower portions of the body were frightfully mutilated but the face, which bore its usual cheerful expression, was almost unscratched. Burtville lost a resident of ten years' standing and one who was highly thought of for the many good qualities of a man he possessed. At the coronial enquiry held on 25 October at Burtville, before Mr H. Gaston, J.P. a verdict was returned that the deceased came by his death owing to the breaking of one of the holding down bolts of the plumber blocks, which displaced the drum and threw the brake out of position, causing the bucket on which deceased was riding to fall to the bottom of the shaft, thereby causing his death, and that no blame was attachable to anyone. Charley Schroeder had lived in South Australia for 7 years before arriving in Western Australia.

John THOMAS (more)

Cause of Death: Suicide by Dynamite

John Thomas committed suicide by blowing his head off with dynamite. The deceased had been in the district for about two and a half years and was working on one of the leases held by C. W. Scott, near the Mikado. An inquest was held on Saturday evening. The enquiry was adjourned for eight days and an order for burial given. The funeral took place on Sunday. Constable O'Loughlin was informed that John Thomas was missing from his camp at the Mikado Gold Mine. He went in search of him and eventually found him lying in a bough shed with his head blown off. The deceased's head was practically severed from his body. Constable O'Loughlin traced the footprints of the deceased to a magazine in an underlay shaft about 6ft deep and back to the bough shed. He made every inquiry and did not find anything suspicious about the deceased's death. During the Christmas holidays, the deceased had been drinking but had been at work for several days after that. After hearing the evidence, the jury brought in a verdict that the deceased, John Thomas, came to his death on the 8th January, 1909, by placing dynamite in his mouth and exploding it while temporarily insane.

Nicholas Moreton TREDINNICK (more)

Cause of Death: Suicide by Dynamite

Residents at Burtville were shocked on hearing an explosion in the early hours of the morning and finding that the deceased had determinedly carried out the destruction of his own life with the aid of a detonator and dynamite. A returned soldier, the deceased had not enjoyed good health for some time. He enlisted at Kellerberrin on 29th November 1916. In the 16th Battalion, he was listed as being 5 feet 10 inches tall, of dark complexion with blue eyes and fair hair. Frequently sick with scabies and myalgia, his discharge papers noted that he was of sallow complexion. He applied for discharge from the army on 19 July 1919 to take up a mining position in Cornwall, where his wife and her mother were living. It was during his time with the A.I.F. that he married Maria Rowe White. He was aged 40 years, she was 42 years at the time. There were reports of good gold results by Tredennick and Partners at Burtville in late December 1931. In February 1931, Tredinnick had sent a crushing of 12 tons or more of ore down by rail. In March 1932, it was again reported that "N. Tredinnick is also on good stone at Burtville". Suicide by blowing his head off with dynamite, was the Verdict of the Coroner. Tredinnick's parents were married in Cornwall in 1875 and had a family of at least three children. The others were John Argall born 1875, Charlotte born September Quarter, 1878. Ellen Moreton died in Western Australia (possibly Boulder) on 16 August 1905 (Death Registration188/1905). Her husband predeceased her 27 March 1895 in Maryborough, Victoria. Nicholas' wife, Maria, died 9 July 1930 in Victoria Park. She was aged 52 years.

Oswald Heinrich WIESE (more)

Cause of Death: Fell down an Abandoned Mineshaft

It appears that Wiese was lost on the night of Sunday 17 January and apparently climbed onto the dump of an abandoned shaft to look for the lights of the town. He probably stumbled and fell head first down the shaft, which was only 20 feet deep. The result was a fractured skull, a broken neck and other injuries. About 100 men were searching the bush for miles around until the Thursday morning, when he was found in the shaft close to town. He was buried the same day.