JOHN MILNER BOOTH, the son of William Booth and Mercy Milner was baptised 25 th. December, 1799, in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England. He married MARIA BRADLEY, daughter of Benjamin Bradley and Bessie Thorpe, in St. Peter’s, Huddersfield, 16 th. August, 1818. She was born 1800 in Huddersfield.
John and Maria had the following children, all baptised in Huddersfield:-
Maria, Edward and family, Benjamin and Ann arrived in Australia on the “Salem” 7 th May 1856. John and family and Benjamin’s family arrived 5 th. August, 1859 on the “Vater Smidt”. I am unsure how Sam arrived.
EDWARD COLLINGWOOD BOOTH.
Edward and Harriet had 2 children that I know of, both born Huddersfield and arrived on the “Salem” with their parents.
The Death Of Edward Collingwood Booth.
1389.
November 3rd. 1887.
PROCEEDINGS of inquiry held upon the body of Edward Booth at Creswick.
Received at the Crown Law Offices, 5th. November 1887.
G. Patterson J.P.
Re Edward Collingwood Booth.
Magisterial inquiry.
A magisterial inquiry was held by me, one of her majesty's Justices of the Peace, in and for the Southern Bailiwick of the colony of Victoria, on the 3rd. day of November, A.D. 1887, at Creswick in the said bailiwick, respecting the death of Edward Collingwood Booth, late of Creswick in the said colony, of no occupation.
Opinion.
I am of the opinion that, on the 2nd. day of November, 1887 at Creswick aforesaid, the said Edward Collingwood Booth died from loss of blood, result of wounds inflicted upon himself with a razor on the 31st. day of October, 1887, but that there is not sufficient evidence to enable me to determine what state of mind he was in at the time he inflicted the wounds.
G. Patterson J.P.
Martha Booth, sworn:
"I am the wife of John Booth, a miner living at White Flat, Creswick, the deceased Edward Collingwood Booth, was my husband's brother. He was a widower and boarded with my husband and myself. He had a cottage of his own, close to my husband's place in which he slept. I last saw Deceased where, at about half past six o'clock on Sunday evening, he was there walking up and down outside his own place. He was in our place for tea on Sunday evening, he then seemed all right. I next saw Deceased, in his own cottage, at about 12 o'clock on Monday. I was sent for by my daughter. I went in and found Deceased lying in a pool of blood with his throat cut. I spoke to Deceased but he never spoke back again and I went out and sent for a Policeman and a Doctor. Deceased has been living with me for about a year and eleven months. He came to me from Daylesford Hospital where he had been for eleven months suffering from cataract. Deceased, since he has been with me, has not shown signs of despondency and has apparently been in good health but he was nearly blind and could only see a shadow of sunshine occasionally. Deceased had no means and was entirely dependant on my husband and myself".
Martha Booth.
Taken and sworn before me at Creswick this 3rd. day of November 1887.
G. Patterson J.P.
Harriett Jane Booth, sworn:
"I am the daughter of the last witness. Deceased was my uncle and lived with my father and mother at Creswick. On Monday last, at about 12 noon, I went into my uncle's cottage. I found my uncle lying in his bed, undressed, in a pool of blood with his throat cut. He had nothing in his hand but on a chest of drawers, quite close to the head of his bed, was an open razor with blood on it. I did not speak to my uncle but ran out and called for my mother. I did not hear my uncle say anything. My uncle always seemed in good spirits and I was astonished when I went in and found him lying as he was".
Harriett Jane Booth.
Taken and sworn before me this 3rd. day of November 1887.
G. Patterson J.P.
Robert Charles Lindsay, sworn:
“I am a legally qualified medical practitioner, living in Creswick. I knew the deceased for some years. I have not attended him lately. He was about 68 years of age. He was suffering from atrophy of the optic nerve and had suicidal tendencies: about 10 or 12 years ago I was called in and found that he had used a large chandler’s knife and had severed some of the vessels in his arm. On Monday last, at about 11 o'clock in the forenoon, I was sent for and went to Deceased's house. I found, on arrival, that Deceased was lying on his bed, that the bed and floor were all bespattered with blood and that Deceased had his throat cut, almost from ear to ear. The windpipe was severed and also the muscles of the neck. I stitched up the wounds, dressed them and advised his removal to the hospital and believe he was sent there and died last night. Deceased said to me "I do not wish to live, do not bother, I do not wish to live". In my opinion the cause of death was loss of blood, the result of wounds self inflicted producing shock to the nervous system ending in general collapse. I have not the slightest doubt but that the wounds were self inflicted".
Robert Charles Lindsay.
Taken and sworn before me at Creswick this 3rd. day of November 1887.
G. Patterson J.P.
JOHN BOOTH.
John and Martha had the following children:-
BENJAMIN BOOTH.
Benjamin and Mary had the following Children:
ANN BOOTH.
Ann Booth married Edwin Pearson at Ballarat, Victoria on 2 nd. February, 1857. Edwin was born Stockport, Cheshire in 1833.
Child of Edwin and Ann Pearson:-
SAM BOOTH.
Sam Booth married Charlotte Robins, daughter of John Robins and Isabella Oakley, at Creswick on 23 rd. December, 1858. Charlotte was born c.1840 in Hobart, Tasmania.
Child of Sam and Charlotte:-
JOHN MILNER & BESSEY BOOTH.
The Death Of John Milner Booth.
24 July 1903.
Proceedings of Inquest held upon the body of
John Milner Booth.
Proceedings Before Coroners
INQUISITION.
VICTORIA
TO WIT.
An inquisition for our Sovereign Lord King Edward, taken at Lawrence (otherwise Wheeler's Bridge) in Victoria, the twenty fourth day of July A.D. 1903 in the - year of the reign of our said Lord the King, before me William Leader Gentleman, a coroner of our Lord the King for Victoria, upon the view of the body of John Milner Booth then and there lying dead, upon the oaths of:-
good and lawful men of Lawrence in Victoria, who being duly sworn and charged to inquire, upon the part of our Lord the King, when, where, how, and by what means the said John Milner Booth came by his death, do say upon their oaths that the said John Milner Booth was suffocated by a fall of earth in the mine of the Spring Hill and Central Leads Gold Mining Company No Liability at Lawrence on the 22nd. Day of July instant and also say that the fall of earth was caused by the neglect of the deceased in driving the lathes... in which he was at work too far without the necessary support -
This deponent Dodwell Henry Brown on his oath saith, I am the Mining Manager of the Spring Hill and Central Leads Gold Mining Company No Liability at Lawrence. The deceased John Milner Booth was a miner working at the above mentioned mine at No. 1 shoot No. 2 shaft in a panelling strip. He went below at Midnight on the 22nd. Instant along with his mate Fisher Mounsey. I was called by James Nolan the Braceman about 3 A.M. yesterday morning who told me that the deceased John Milner Booth had been covered up by a fall of earth. I immediately went below and on arriving at the top of the shoot I found that a rescue party had recovered the body of the deceased. As I thought it possible that respiration might be restored I at once adopted Dr. Marshall Hall's method and proceeded with the same assisted by some of the rescue party for about three quarters of an hour, but without success, and the body became cold. Meantime I had sent for Doctor Gordon who arrived about 8 A.M. and pronounced life to be extinct. The throat of deceased had been broken by the fall of earth.
Dodwell Henry Brown.
This deponent William Johnston Balfour on his oath saith, I am a miner residing at Lawrence and employed as a shift boss in the Spring Hill and Central Leads Gold Mining Company in their mine at Lawrence. On the night of the 22nd. Instant the deceased went to work with Fisher Mounsey in the No. 1 rise of the No. 2 balance shaft. I gave them their candles to go to work. I had not visited the strip where they went to work since the morning of the 22nd. At the coming off of the night shift I was within 200 feet of their strip when I heard a man call out "Booth is smothered come quick". I ran in at once and found William Ariss clearing the wash from the head of deceased Booth - Mounsey I believe had gone for help - Ariss was also blowing with his mouth into the face of the deceased. I put lathes into the place where the run of wash had come so as to protect deceased. The accident occurred about 2:25 A. M. And deceased must have been pinned there nearly 45 minutes before we got him out. We did all we possibly could to recover the body, but some timber was pinned on his neck and we had to saw some of it off. We took the body to the top of the shoot and tried to restore respiration without avail. We then brought the body to the surface. I had not given deceased any special instructions on that morning. Nothing had been brought under my notice at the previous change of shift. Deceased was an experienced alluvial miner. He had been employed in the mine nearly 10 months, and was a hard working and thoroughly reliable man. Had I been present when deceased and his mate began work that morning I should certainly have told them to work off the blocking strip and not off the ----- as that was -----,. After the accident I noticed the position of the lathes put in by deceased. I consider the back lathes had been driven too far in advance of the last panelling set to be safe. I think the lathes were on a decline and not on a level. I found a hammer in deceased's hand and he must have been driving the lathes in when the accident happened. I think deceased was at the tail of the lathes. I only saw one panelling set that was in the pitching set. I could not see the second set spoken of by the witness Mounsey. To the best of my belief there was none there. To Mr. Brown - Manager - It is usual in mining to let the miners use their own practical knowledge as to the easiest and most practical way of getting the ground out when it is cut up into panelling blocks, in the absence of the Captain of the Shift.
William Johnston Balfour.
This deponent Fisher Mounsey on his oath saith, I am a miner residing at Clunes and have been employed in the Spring Hill and Central Leads Gold Mining Company in their mine at Lawrence. I went below with the deceased John Milner Booth at midnight on the 22nd. Instant to the No. 1 Shoot of the balance shaft No. 2 - We went to work panelling. We were working near to each other. I filled a truck and went to the flatsheet - while I was there two other men called out to me to run back and see if my mate was all right. I had heard a running of wash at the place where my mate and I had been working - I ran back and found the place filled up with wash and I could not see my mate - he was completely covered. I called out and the other two men ran in and we tried to uncover his face - we could see where the body lay. The wash ran the head again as soon as we uncovered it. We got the body out in about fifteen minutes and removed it to the surface in the cage.
Before that the manager Mr. Brown was present at the top of the shoot and we tried there to restore respiration for some time but the body became colder and we could do nothing more.
The accident happened about 3 A.M.. When I filled the truck and was leaving the shoot deceased came out and picked up a panelling prop and went back in to the strip. I do not know what he was going to do with it. I suppose he required it for some panelling. Deceased was the leading man of us two - my work was trucking and he did the facing. - this was the first shift I had worked with deceased, and there was ----. Deceased started this strip when we went to work on that morning. I heard no orders given and I knew of no orders as to the continuing of the panelling off the blocking strip and not turning off the panelling strip as we were doing. The boss of the shift, William Balfour, had not been to our strip on that morning. I have done blocking but never any panelling. I had been at work in this mine about a fortnight, but have been in alluvial mining some years. For myself I would rather have gone in from the blocking strip. I think it would have been safer. Deceased had put in one panelling set besides the set which we found. I helped deceased put the lath in. It was a full sized lath. The second set was about 2 feet from the pitching off set. Deceased had also driven lathes in within a foot of being driven the full length. I heard no knocking before I heard the fall of wash. The back lathes were about level and had no incline. No ground came down while we were ----.
Fisher Mounsey.
This deponent William Augustus Arris on his oath saith, I am a miner residing at Jerusalem. I was at work in the mine of the Spring Hill and Central Leads Gold Mining Company at Lawrence yesterday morning. About 2 A. M. I was in a strip near where deceased was at work and we had broken through when I saw the ground collapse on the side where deceased was at work - I called out to Fisher Mounsey to run and see if his mate was all right and I ran close behind him. Mounsey was just in front of me when he turned round and said Booth was smothered. He and my mate ran for help and I went to deceased. I put my hand in the wash and felt the body but I could not see the face of deceased. I got the dirt off his face and kept it clear until Balfour came. He told me to keep the face clear - I did so and blew on his face without any effect. I corroborate the previous witnesses. Everything possible was done to revive deceased without success. When I saw the collapse of ground it was some time after we had broke through. I had told him to leave off work while I put another panel in, and he stopped while I drove my lathes home, and he resumed work. As far as I can judge the back laths which deceased was putting in were level. Deceased must have fallen when the run overtook him, that was at the tail of the laths. I think deceased had not put any panelling up beyond the ---- set. I could see his strip through the hole we had broken through. I consider that deceased had not given his back lathes sufficient support to render them safe. It is necessary to be more than usually careful in taking out a last piece of ground.
Augustus Ariss
This deponent Charles Carling on his oath saith, I am a miner residing at Smeaton. I visited the mine where deceased Booth had been at work yesterday about 2 P.M. and I took particular notice of the strip where he had been at work. In my opinion there was but one panelling set under the lathes in that strip and that was the pitching set and I believe that the back lathes had been driven fully eighteen inches further than they should have been before the second panelling set was put in. I think that even in ordinary work the second set should have been put in but much more so when a last block is being taken out as in the present case. To the manager. In my judgement the back lathes were from 3 ft. To 3'6" ahead of the pitching set. I think the wash had been taken out for about half the distance between the opening and the points of the lathes, and not sufficiently far enough to allow of a second set to have been put in 2 ft. Ahead of the opening or pitching set. I speak from ----. I think that there was too great a weight on the opening set and in consequence it fell toward the face. I think that deceased was driving in back lathes and that it caused the pitching set to fall.
Charles Carling.
FREDERICK BEAUMONT BOOTH.
Frederick Beaumont Booth married Louisa Warren, daughter of John Warren and Sarah Elizabeth Irons, on 10 th. September, 1885 at Creswick. Louisa was born 9 th. May, 1866 in Maryborough, Victoria. They had the following children:-
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