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Identification Made Easy
A hearing relating to a charge of assault came before the Criminal Court in Perth on 15 March 1906. No details were provided in the newspaper report but it nevertheless highlighted how a method of identification could be deemed inappropriate if carried out incorrectly. A crime was committed, the victim made a complaint and an…
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The Inimitable Mrs Tracey
From the 1870s onwards, Mrs Eliza Tracey was a serial litigant within the Western Australian Courts. Initially her husband, James, brought the cases but it is likely that he did so with the firm backing of his wife. By the 1880s the Traceys had mutually separated and Mrs Tracey continued to pursue her own lawsuits.…
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Christmas in 1899
[It matters little] …whether we make good cheer snugly within four walls and with closed windows, or beneath the verandah or spreading tree, or in the house with doors and windows open to the most welcome of guests, the breeze – Christmas is ever the same, the day when we give ourselves up to friendship,…
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The Captain’s Boots
For about fifteen years Phillip Duffield worked as the ‘landing waiter’ for customs in Geraldton. His job was to monitor all the people who arrived at the port and ensure that they were not bringing contraband to the town. Phillip took his job seriously. Such was his “surprising sagacity in diagnosing contraband and his incorruptible…
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A Lonely Death
While searching for timber about two miles north of the Darlot Road and opposite the 19-mile well, Edward ‘Old Ned’ Ashbury and his mate, Mr Scott, stumbled across the skeletal remains of a man. They returned to Lawlers and, on 5 May 1901, Edward reported what they had found to Sergeant George Pilkington.
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Peace! Peace! Peace!
An extract from The Daily News (12 November 1918; Page 6) describing the scenes in Perth as the armistice and the end of the war was announced to an awaiting crowd. Throughout the day the people had waited for its coming; waited with ever-growing expectancy. A few minutes after 6 p.m. the first message, received…
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The Cannington “Ghost”
In mid-November 1898 a ghost began haunting the Cannington cemetery at midnight on successive nights. The “ghost” was clearly a man and on 13 November concerned residents lodged a report with Perth police. They noted that he appeared to be wearing dark tights, was covered with a white cloth and had “large glaring eyes.“ Practical…
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Albany’s Gold
On 5 February 1867, an Albany correspondent for The Inquirer and Commercial News wrote a letter with information many people in Western Australia had been waiting to hear for some time. Gold has been found by a man named Butcher, a short distance from the town. It is in dust, and the Resident Magistrate has…
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The Mysterious Mr Brown
At 12:40 am on 1 December 1928, a man aged in his 20s was found lying unconscious on a street in Perth. He had severe injuries to his head and was taken to Perth Hospital for treatment. Several days later a trepanning operation was performed and, while it was successful, it may have caused him…
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Robbery at Day Dawn
Finally, after a busy day on Monday, 19 November 1906, the afternoon was quiet at the Day Dawn branch of the Western Australian Bank. The manager, Charles Jago, was the only person on the premises and was starting to close up when a man walked through the door at about 3 pm. He handed over…
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The Dusty Box 