Constable Bradley was a man in the prime of manhood. It was surmised that he caught the fever prior to starting six weeks ago on important police duty to Mt. Margaret. He refused to give in, although his illness was noticed at an early stage of the journey; and when he returned twelve days later, his exhaustion was so complete that he could scarcely dismount from his camel. His temperature was taken at the time, and it registered 105.
Since then, Mr. Bradley has been carefully tended by a trained nurse, assisted by Mrs Tate, under the direction of Dr. Moore, and later on, of Dr. Corlis, but the disease had gained too strong a hold, and hope being abandoned days before, his death on Monday night was not unexpected.
Mr. Bradley came of a good family in Wales (later found to have been Ireland) and having, as a young man, inherited a competency, he saw a good deal of the world prior to joining an English cavalry regiment. After some vicissitudes, he arrived in Australia and joined the Victorian Permanent Artillery, finally settling down as instructor to the Ballarat Mounted Rifles. He was the possessor of several gold medals for swordsmanship and other military exercises, and also a gold shield and chain, presented as a mark of esteem by the Ballarat volunteers.
His wife and one child, a daughter, still resided in Ballarat.
