Hide Article Text (OCR)
wwPEEPSPAST1LARLY AUSTRALIAN HISTORY.PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUSPICESOF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.NOTES AND QUERIES.“C.S,Opclied(AshFISHER’S GHOST.rHE GREAT CAMP8ELLTOWN MYSTERYNEWINGTO N COLLEJO E—ToGranville); Newington College was a 1»S3,PORT K A OQU AK1 EL—TO A.l 1.' .laid-); Tim article on Poft M*cqu«.rte will to published DUt tv-sek.THE SOPHIA JANE-lUgardltig thr Bo-hla Jana, the vessel which made the first iteam voyage to Australia, and concerning vhlcti Houii' interesting details with recently riven In Uijh column. Capitiln J, II Watson * rites curre-ctlng the popular Impression that hi* historic atoamer aus wrecked. “In 1*16, iuys our correspondent, the Sophia Jo.no ,vm» ownni by Mr. Bdy« Manning, who brokemr up, and a new steamer wn* built by Mr. rhowna to take her nrnehlnrry. This vessel ft-aa named Phoenix, and wet* launched on June fstfi, \ nevr boiler anil the machinery were placed In firr by Mr John Struth rhe Phoenix wan lost Ut the north hood ul ;hr Claraoce illver, 18S2.(BY C. T, BURFITT.)Few stories of early life In the AunLrallYituih have afford wl no much entertainment as be one having for its title Fisher's (fhout 'Tom boyhood onward 1 have heard the Ind-lent narrated with runny variations and dood-cunillLng embellishments. Bv the ramp ire. In the hut. and at ih« homestead, 'Fisher** Ghost him whiled away many tours, nnd lias provided historians nod wrlt-ira of fiction with mu tar bit for many chap-c-rsThe remarkable thing Is that the Btory ap-wars to have been gnnrraily accepted with* 'Ut quvjuin; at liny rnta, little attempt has i.*en made to show that it was merely the nvent)on of one who. If not nn accomplice of ho actuul murderer, knew well by whom th-rime was committed and how the victim's indy had been disposed of The following londensfid account l* baaed on the reports of he trial of Worrall tiiihllshrd: jn the Sydney Jaaette, 'The Australian/' and Monitor. n February. ilt;37.In IfeZC thare lived together at Campbell-own two person* who hud been transports 10 New' .South Wales, Frederick Fisher and leorft Worrall, the former of wham owned1 farm Bft-i some stock On the night of funs 17 In that year Ft»her was in Cgmpbell-■own, and left st puMlchouae them in com-rnny with other persons. Rome of these ihortJy afterwards returned and asiod for •’Isher, stating that they wanted to get money 'roni him to buy liquor Fisher was not af-.orwurds wen alive. Worrall accounted for Fisher's dtnappearnee by dMlna (hut he hadeft the colony to escape tv prMecuUon for 'ornery, and had anllcd In n Bhlp the name or which tor gave. Worrall further stated that Fisher had authorised him. In writing, to leal with hi* property, nnd ho ottered for qaie n hors*- and some timber he longing to thn mppossd absconder The written authority wus never produced, but a Aeournslit In reference to tba horse, and purport In* to b*-d*ntid by Flshsr, was shown, and It was at jnce seen thn.t the signature was a forgeryWorrell lost nn Urn* In fft.lng to Sydney to Mr T Cooper (of the Waterloo Ktores. George imrt Market streets). to whom Fisher was indebted, and offered to pay hi* frknd’s oc-OLD COLONISTS. EXECUTORS, AND0THER3Wtll Soil H to their to rewmirelnsU «ftkfre*#)!1* S*A*Ms bdw* diitnaia* *1«SwhiA g Ufa-0. tnall OnlUvtloai it Book*, Nunphtrix, UAbu*cri|rti.A.al«*riph teller*, badn U*iv 1 haru, tkeu-s** rjrtof** NiKnrl^^-iir Mibiw uinwj S’rofwrn., AjiUi3w«lm Cfciwi.TyrreJii Book SbopJJ* ‘(5S23SIS;' *£££:*count provided the deeds of Flshor'a farm, held by Cooper, were handed over to him. Cooper nut only r«fiirdt but cjtii'stkvncd iVur-rall v^ry closely alout Fisher's rliaapiwar-anc*, tuul. from the mtvnner In which tlvs quefitiaiiH went answered, stippectcil that thernissing man had bt’sri mado away with. Cooper had an Intimate knowledge of Fisher, and was BatiHflcd In his own mind that he hod no reason to Have the colony. It v.'na knowll, too, that thn nhlp ui Which It wansaid he had sidled had not been in Sydney Harbor. Cooper slid not express hip thoughts to WorrnU, but ho did bo to another pernon,who, when he told vv'orrniJ of the suspicion that was entertained about him. plainly saw how agitated the man became.In Di Loiter, four month* u-ft-r Fisher's din-appearance, the authorities thought It tie-eonsnry tu take some action. A reward wasoffered, mid Oanstable George Leelaod was instructed to search for the body. This he began to do at a spot about fifty rod* from WorroU's place, and 'vlitf- some hl'.nwlHLuJnti mark' d n fonr-e. Two aboriginal* were In the party, end one of them, earning to n watfThuki 111 the creek, wont Itt. and with a, nrtalxe leaf skimmed something off the eur-faea of the water, which he smelt, and having lasted declared wui white man's tut. Led by the native*, the party went to ms-01 tier ererlc. 40 yards further away, when one of the folarkn drove :m iron rod Into a tcarahy aiiut and culled out Hint there was somcthir* thrre. The pliuv ww* dug, and {ho body of Fisher unesrtitod. At the In-ijuuNt the Jury returned a verdict or wilful murder against feme person or poisons un-known.Worrall nnd two other men worn aubvo-qurntly apprehended, but only Worrall was put upi^n his trial, and upon purely circum-dbuYtial evidence bo was ranvlcLed. 8en-lenee of death was pro noun, red rm Friday,February .1, 1827, and the execution was carried out on the Monday- murnlng following. Worrall confss»ed to I he K.-v. Wm Cowp^r Hiat l«s had killed Fisher by mlwdvenluii His story wras that while he and the «Je-C6a*elt;l \v»t« driving a home uut of the corn-th:ld h* aimed n Hluw' with a paling tat the hers* arid n eel dentally striking 1-1 u her killed him. Hr* further ntnted that feliTiflg Unit he should he Accused of murder ha hid the h-ofly in the nods where it waa found.The eitim* became celebrated through the story that il supernatural Tnjuilfealutlon led to the discovery of the murder, it wait *u-port«U ih*i on'- Farley, shortly uftar leaving Camp hell town one night, return ed In a stats of eidtemenl and ildcisM that h*had seen the «h'*t of Fiaher. aitd that It Was pointing in the direction of the water* hoi* on the maroh where tlio body »m *ub-soquently found Another ventlnn wtm to the effect that I'Mrley approached I he Connwhich he rwQgmlsoiJ uu that or FJshisr, uiid that H retreated to the waterholo and then dleappearod.it has been suggested that the story of the ghost hftYlng bec-n »cr*n tit all was n mythical growth of a Inter day. On the other hand, one who was Intimately ounnectert with the officer In charge of the police in the district when the murder was committed usHurted that Porky1* utory actually did suggf-Bi the warcSi for th* body la thecreinlL I un lerstund that the story first appeared in print In an aJmanac publlohr'l In the colony, and wjjs written by a Mr, Kerr, who was «l or about ths time of the trkgtfdy a tutor in the family of Mr. Howe, of Qltnlee la it not reasonable to aupftOBC that Farley, knowing of I.U» rnurdur, and where the body was buried, but being Afraid to openly Inform the police, Invented thu Btory about having seen the ghost? lit »HI« way hrt wiic Abb* to Mttlafy ids it*sire that th*- crime should he discovered, and to avoid the odium of being branded by hi* aaao-ctutes as an Infornicr.PILES QUICKLY RELIEVED ATHOME.INSTANT AND PERMANENT KELIEP. TIllAL. PACKAGE MAILED FREE UPONAPPLICATION.Plies are a fearful disease, hut easy to treat, If you go at it rltflitAn operation with the knife ip dangerous, cruel, humiliating, iflil unncccsaitry.There 1* Just oim utht-r sure way t*»• he relieved. pnlnie**, sub*, and in the privacy of your own home—H is lAriXtinn,W* iuall a trial package free to ali who write.It will give you instant relief, show you Lh* honDl^A [uinlBflfl nature of this irnat remedy. and *L«rt you well on the way inward u perfect, cure.Then you cam get a full-atupd pot from anydruggist f»r I/d tr a/, ajnl fi«n one pot curn* The relief begins at one,, +uui ccntlnm-a rapidly uifttl it I* compkrte and pt-rrnanrtiu Vou can go rigUI ahr-ml with your work, and he ea-vy and com fori i.ble all thu time.U Is well worth trying.Wtile fur it free sampla to tenma Propriu-ttwry Ctunpaoy, 16 0'Conn*U-dtro*L eydnwy, MAW*hbhbmhui”r-kj.a
Newspaper Details
Sydney Sun
Sydney, New South Wales, AU
Tue, Jul 30, 1912
Page 10
Full Page
Clipped by
Ms H.
AU 27 Sep 2019
Other Publications Near Sydney, New South Wales
Sydney Society
Sydney Smiths Weekly
Sydney Saturday Referee and the Arrow
Sydney Party Builder
Sydney Party
