Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Friday 18 July 1851, page 3


GOULBURN.

July 14 -MOST MELANCHOLY AND FATAL AC-

CIDENTt. -Mr Thomas Brown, of Wingello, having gone to the diggings at Ophir, was re-turning home, and having come, last Tuesday evening, the 8th instant, as far as the crossing place at the Abercrombie, where the road is very mountainous, on endeavouring to get one of the horse teams up a hill, the loading shifted, he made an effort to draw it forward, laying hold either of his great coat or a tarpaulin, and forgetting that there was a loaded fowling piece lying under them, in the effort to draw the above articles towards the front of the dray, the hammer was brought down upon the cap, which caused it to go off, the mouth of the piece being pointed to him, he received the contents in his left arm pit, inclining towards the abdomen, shattering the shoulder blade, part of the charge coming quite through. A few of the slugs were carried into the hind quarter of the horse. We need hardly say that Mr Brown suffered very much; he was laid on the dray, and taken about two miles distant, to a sheep station of Mr Smith, where every attention was paid to him. Mr John Oakes hearing of the accident, hastened to where Mr Brown was lying, and a messenger was despatched for Dr Waugh, a distance of seventy-five miles, but before he arrived Mr

Brown ceased to live. Before he died, which was about nine o'clock on Wednesday evening, he gave Mr Oakes several instructions as to his body being taken to Wingello and other

matters he wished him to see carried into exe-

cution. Mr Oakes had the body removed to Kungallola, where a rough shell was made. Dr Waugh held an inquest at that place on Thursday, when it appeared that on Monday (the day previous to the accident) that one of the party loaded the piece for the purpose of being discharged at some native dogs, which were infesting their camping-place at Tuona. The piece was very heavily charged, and the man who loaded it proposed as they were leaving that place, to have it discharged in case of accidents, but Mr Brown objected, saying that he did not apprehend any danger, and the gun was laid by the side of the dray, where it was lying till the accident occurred. Mr Oakes, in carrying out the wish of Mr Brown, was the first to convey the melancholy tidings to his wife and family at Wingello,

where his remains were interred on

Sunday. Deceased had not long finished large and convenient premises for an inn, which, from his obliging manner was much frequented by travellers, when he was by the above acci-

dent taken away. He has left a wife and seven children to mourn their loss.

Public Court Committal -In our last communication from this we stated that the premises of the Rev W Sowerby were bur-glariously entered. At the time of the rob-bery there was about 2001bs of flour and a quantity of pork stolen. A search warrant having been executed in the hut occupied by one Thomas Johnson, a T.I. for this district, who lives at " the new line;" when a quantity of flour and pork was found , the bags in which the flour was found were identified by Mr Sowerby's servant; our chief constable having taken Johnson into custody, the matter was in-vestigated last Friday at the Police Court, when evidence as above was adduced, and he was committed to take his trial. Be-sides the articles found in Johnson s hut, and claimed as Mr Sowerby s property, Mr Mac-alister found a large pistol, and a black bag suitable to go over the head, having two eye holes therein , no doubt the disguise used in some of the mail or other recent robberies in this neighbourhood.

Pentonville Pet - Same day as Johnson was committed, a moustachioed smart-looking young man, calling himself Meadows, was brought before the Bench, Mr Macalister stated, that the prisoner arrived y> the Ran-dolph, that vessel which brought such a cargo of "Lord Grey's hopefuls," having obtained a pass to Goulburn on his way up he seems to have put up at Mr Willing's, innkeeper, Liverpool, where he obtained a horse, left the same at Green's, near Bargo, came on to Ber-ima, and from thence to Mr. Whittle's, at the Cross Roads, vvhere he passed a forged order; he then carne on to the neighbourhood of Goul-

burn, where he obtained another horse, riding it into town, and put up at one of the principal hotels and having lined his inner man, and enjoyed the good things of "mine host," he left the last horse he had obtained in the stable, and subsequently went on to Yass, where he was apprehended. Some further evidence being required, the prisoner was remanded.

THE GOLD PROSPECTORS. - We were misin-

formed as to Mr Davis' party going on to the Gundaroo ranges at the direction of Captain Hovell. We believe that on leaving the Dead Man's Creek, Mr Davis set out to explore

Reid's Creek, at the Third Breadalbane Plains, being satisfied that the indications there were favourable to their object , and on last Friday morning, he was for-tunate enough to find three grains of gold and two rubies, in the first cradle of earth washed at that place. Mr Davis having to leave for Goulburn, he intends to return again, and is confident that Reid's Creek will prove a gold field. The distance from Goulburn is twenty-two miles, and the spot is about three miles from the great southern road. Mr Davis has been to the Ophir diggings and from ex-perience and observation he fully expects to find the precious metal still nearer Goulburn.

THE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR-We are happy to be able to state, in reference to a paragraph which lately appeared in this journal with respect to the loss sustained by Mr. Lawrence, the contractor, on account of the great rise in the price of provisions, that the Executive have informed him that an al-lowance of 75 per cent. on the actual loss sus-tained will be made to him.