Page 8 - eMuse Vol.9 No.06_Classical

Red Jack

Part II

by Athony Hammill

A larger than life wild west Queensland Woman

The inquest into the death “After being married we
by suicide of Thomas Doyle on went to Wallal for a week and
28 January 1891 at Adavale, from there to Dillalah Station
held on 29 January 1891 before where my husband was em-
D. Macneill J.P., paints a sorry ployed as a boundary rider.
picture of the relationship. Han-
nah’s evidence is the only occa- “I lived with my husband for
sion we hear from her person- a fortnight and then quarrelled
ally, and is accompanied by her with him. He said another man
signature. was the father of the child I was
carrying. I then left him.
I see no reason to doubt her “Previous to my leaving my A sketch of Red Jack
word as to what transpired. husband at Dillalah he threat-
Here is Hannah’s story in her ened to poison himself. I saw stant. Before I left him this last time On 22 September 1893 in
own words. him with a bottle of strychnine. he several times struck me on the the Blackall district north of
head with a brush. I never struck my
Charleville Hannah gave birth
“I am the widow of the de- I saw him shake some of it on a husband.” to a son, naming him George
ceased Thomas Doyle. I remem- piece of pudding and put it to his Henry Glennon. The mother is
ber the 27th instant at about mouth saying he would poison him- Hannah gave birth to an- listed as Hannah Glennon, and
one o’clock pm. I was standing self. He did not eat it but put it in his other daughter, Mary, on 10 the father is unnamed.
in front of the Blackwater ho- pocket. July 1891. On both occasions
tel when I heard the report of “About three days after this I left Thomas Doyle is listed as the Hannah then headed south
a gun. him and went to Cunnamulla. About father. Hannah was now calling to Cunnamulla where her sis-
“A short time after I heard three months after this I returned to herself Annie Glennon. ter Mary Ann and her partner
James Brown lived. On 22 No-
Mrs Shepherd cry out ‘Doyle my husband at Dillalah (around Feb- Now boundary riding is vember 1894 she there married
has shot himself.’ I then saw ruary 1890) and lived with him till the probably not the best occupa- a Robert Watson, and gave her
two men carry my husband into 3rd instant (January 1891) when tion for a man who has doubts name as Annie Doyle. Her age
the dining room. “I again left him as he made the about his wife’s fidelity. Leaving is listed on the certificate as 24,
Hannah behind for weeks on
“As the deceased was being same accusation as he did when I left end while he mended fences though she was in fact 22.
carried into the room he called him before. I came to the Blackwater must have weighed heavily on Hannah was recorded as a
out ‘Don’t go; please Hannah, Hotel in the third instant, and my hus- Thomas’ mind, and soon left widow born Toowoomba, her
come to me.’ band followed me and asked me to him with other fences to mend. occupation as laundress, her
go back to live with him and I refused.
“I went to him sometime af- Thomas clearly thought he place of residence Cunnamulla,
ter and he would not speak to “He then got on his horse and was being cuckolded on both and her father’s occupation
me. Afterwards I said to him rode away. My husband came back occasions she fell pregnant, bullock driver.
‘Tom what made you shoot again on the 21st instant and asked but a check of the birth dates The witnesses were Mary
yourself?’ He said, ‘It was all me to live with him again and I again will show that the first child was Wise and C. Macarthur.
through you Hannah.’ refused. I heard my husband say that probably conceived just before
if I did not go back to live with him his Robert Watson was record-
“I was married to deceased life would not be long in this world. their wedding, and the second ed as a bachelor aged 26, a
at Charleville over twelve when Hannah was nominally liv- labourer living in Cunnamulla,
months ago, in the Church of “I often heard him say this. I was ing with him. born Mitcham, South Australia.
England. It was sometime in Oc- with my husband when he died at Was it simply jealousy and
tober 1889. a quarter to four am on the 28th in- possessiveness on his part, or This too appears to have
did he have some additional in- been a brief marriage, as noth-
formation (twice!) to which we ing more is heard of Watson.
are not privy? One thing is fairly The pair separated, but
certain, however: a man who when this occurred we may
threatens and carries out self- never know. I have searched
harm and harm to his partner is the death records and there is
mentally unbalanced. no record of the death of a Rob-
ert Watson whose parents were
8 eMuse May 2020