Benjamin WILSON [9177]

  General Notes:

Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954) Sat 27 Jun 1908 Page 13 COUNTRY WEDDING.
WILSON - ROSS - On 3rd June, at the residence of bride's' father, "Dairy Bend," Northwood, Mr Benjamin Wilson, of Diamond Creek, was married to Miss Jeannett Ross. "The Rev. E. H. Chapple-offlciated, and Mrs Whitton played the Wedding March. The bridal dress was of cream voile, with which a tulle veil was worn over a wreath of orange blossom. A bouquet of white roses and jessamine was carried. The bridegroom's gift was a diamond and ruby brooch. Miss Lily Ross and Miss Alice Mitchell, were bridesmaids. They, wore blue frocks "and carried crooks of everlastings and lilies of the valley tied with blue streamers. A party of sixty guests were afterwards entertained at tea, and later with dancing and cards.

West Gippsland Gazette (Warragul, Vic. : 1898 - 1930) Tue 24 Apr 1928 Page 2 A Child Drowned.
A Child Drowned.
EXTRAORDINARY CASE.
A very sad tragedy occurred at Vesper, half way between Noojee and Warburton, shortly after midnight on, Monday, 16th inst., when the discovery was made by Mr. Benjamin Wilson and his son that a daughter Gladys Margaret, aged 13 years, was drowned in an underground tank at the rear of their home. With the assistance of neighbors, who were living a mile away, an improvised grappling iron was made from a piece of stout wire, and with this the body of the child was brought to the surface.
The Neerim South and Warragul police were apprised of the tragedy, and on their arrival the mother was taken into the West Gippsland Hospital for medical examination. A Coronial inquiry was opened on Wednesday morning at the Warragul Court House, before Mr. J. W. Freeman, P.M., but only formal evidence by the father was taken. He stated that he had last seen his daughter alive as she was going to bed that night (Monday), and did not know of anything unusual until after midnight, when he and his son heard a strange noise They rose, and went outside, and soon afterwards made the dreadful discovery. On the application of Senior Constable Gunther, the inquiry was adjourned until May 4th.

West Gippsland Gazette (Warragul, Vic. : 1898 - 1930) Tue 8 May 1928 Page 3 Vesper Tragedy
Vesper Tragedy
GIRL DROWNED IN WELL
OPEN VERDICT RETURNED
The sad circumstances surrounding the death of Gladys Margaret Wilson, of Vesper, near Noojee, whose body was found in a well at the home of her parents on 17th April were ventilated at the adjourned coronial inquiry conducted at the 'Warragul court house on Friday last. The Bench was occupied by the Coroner, 'Mr. J. W. Freeman ,P.M., and Mrs. J. A. Mann, J.P. The inquiry was conducted by Superintendent J. D. Mackenzie and a number of witnesses were examined. The father and brother of the dead girl were present, but the mother is now an inmate at Mont Park and a certificate was produced stating that she was not in a fit condition to attend the court.
Senior Constable Gunther.
The first evidence taken was that of Senior-Constable H. F. Gunther, who stated that he had forwarded a report of the tragedy to the Superintendent of Police at Sale, stating that it would be necessary to have the attendance of Mrs Wilson, but a certificate had since been received from the Mont Park superintendent intimating that she would not be present. On the 20th April, at 7 p.m., witness said he saw Janet Wilson, the mother of the girl lying in bed at the West Gippsland Hospital, Warragul. He said to her, "Do you know me?" She replied that she did not. When asked her name, she replied, "Mrs Wilson." He then explained that he was Mr Gunther, but she said she did not know him. He then said to her, "Do you remember Monday night, April 17th," but she replied "No." When asked where she was on that night, she said "I don't know. I may have been home. I remember coming here to the hospital last Monday. They brought me in a car." He then questioned her about her home and asked "Who slept with you when you were at home." She answered. " I slept with Gladys." When asked where Gladys was at that moment she answered "At her home now." She stated she was not feeling too well and then shook hands with him and said "I am glad you called to see me.'
The Coroner: Was there anyone with you at this interview?
Senior-Constable Gunther: Yes, Dr. Trumpy and Mr. J. Cromie, J.P.
Continuing, witness said that on 20th April, he measured the top of an underground tank at the home of Mr Wilson. at Vesper, and it measured 26 1/2 inches. and there was 5 feet 11 inches of water in the tank. He was present when Constable Duke took five photographs showing different parts of the homestead, including the back yard and the underground tank. The house was of weatherboard with an iron roof, and had seven rooms. From Gladys' room to the kitchen door was 18 feet, and from her room to the underground tank was 45 feet. From the son's room to the tank was 32 feet and the father's room was 30 feet away from the tank. A broken lid over the top of the tank made of split palings was three feet square and the well was 12 feet deep.
Medical Evidence.
Dr. Oswald Robert Trumpy, medical practitioner, said he could corroborate what Senior-Constable Gunther had said in regard to the interview. On April 18th he conducted a postmortem examination on the body of Gladys Wilson. It was the body of a well developed girl, aged. about 13 years. There were no marks of external violence. In his opinion the cause of death was drowning . He admitted the mother, Janet Wilson, to the West Gippsland Hospital, about 5.30 a.m. on the previous day,
April 17th. The woman appeared very collapsed and mentally her condition was very poor. She could give absolutely no account of anything that had happened during the night, and she only complained of being unable to sleep. She could not give satisfactory answers to questions. Her condition remained much the same during her stay in the hospital. She was generally quiet, but at times she had hysterical outbursts. He gave a certificate that she was a fit subject for the receiving home.
Mr. Freeman: Have you examined Mrs. Wilson?
Dr. Trumpy: No, but from what she told him, he considered that she had been off for some time, particularly when she stated that she had not been able to sleep.
Father Gives Evidence.
Benjamin Wilson, on taking the oath, had read to him the statement he made at the original inquiry, and corroborated it. Wilson said he was a farmer, living at Vesper. His wife had resided with him up to April 17th. on the 16th April he retired to bed at 10.30 p.m. His wife and Gladys went to bed about an hour before him. That was the last time he saw Gladys alive. He had more than once seen his wife carrying Gladys, when asleep, from the parlor to her bedroom, but not within the last year or so. Mrs. Wilson and Gladys sleep in the same bed and he occupied another room by himself. He had slept in it for the past two years. He could not say whether his wife had slept in her night dress on that Monday night. They had lived happily together. About 11.50 p.m. he heard some noises and it sounded like cats fighting or a bull roaring in the distance. He heard the same noise on two occasions. He heard his son Willie speaking to his wife, but he did not hear what she said. He called out and said "What's that?" Willie replied., "Wasn't it you" and he answered "No." Then Willie replied that it must be a cat or something in the well and they both then went out to investigate. Looking out of the back door, it was noticed that the lid of the well was off. It could be fairly easily lifted off. The tank was 30 feet from the house. After going outside, they returned to his wife's room, and Willie said to his mother, "Where is Gladys?" She merely leaned over to one side, but did not appear to realise anything properly. They looked into the tank again but they could not see anything. He said to Willie, "There are splashes on the side of the tank," and then he got a rope (produced) and tied it to the pump, throwing the other end into the tank. When he saw the splashes he thought Gladys might be in the tank. Willie went for a ladder and put that in the tank also. After Willie had felt about the bottom of the tank with the ladder for the body, without result, he told him to go for assistance. Charles Catto, a neighbor, came over quickly, and he descended the ladder and recovered the body of Gladys. His wife appeared" to worry a good deal, the greatest worry he thought being the fact that they were not doing too well on the property. She also worried over the drowning in the same tank of her infant daughter, Sarah Anne, some four years ago. His wife's health had been good up to about last Christmas. Since then she has complained of not sleeping too well at night. On the Friday before the death of Gladys she had been a examined by Dr Ley. His wife did not have a religious belief known as Coneyite. She had said at the dinner time of the day of Gladys death that she thought she would soon be in Mont Park. His wife had been strange in her manner for some time.
To the Coroner: His wife was always kind and considerate to Gladys and he would say she was very attached to her.
Mentally Unstrung.
Dr Conrad Lee, medical practitioner, stated that he had examined Mrs. Janet Wilson-on April 13th. The general state of health was good, but she was certainly unstrung mentally. She complained of various conditions which were not present.
To the Coroner: She made no reference to any persons at all, other than herself.
Brother Heard a Noise.
William Benjamin Wilson, a brother of deceased. 18 years of age, said he resided with his parents at Vesper. On the night of the tragedy he went to bed at 10.45 p.m., but at 11.45 p.m. he heard a noise. He heard what sounded like someone walking in their bare feet from the back door past his bedroom. His bedroom was between the back door and his mother's room. He called out to his mother, "What are you doing?" and she answered "Nothing." He heard the noise again, it getting louder and louder, and then died away. He realised it could not be his father, and he called out to him. When they eventually got to the tank,they found the lid lying against the top of the tank. He pointed out the splashes and then he departed to get assistance. He went to Green's about half a mile away and asked him to go and look for Gladys. He also went to Mr Adams and returned with him to his home. On arrival they saw Mr Catto lifting Gladys out of the tank.
To the Coroner: His mother had never mentioned anything about the underground tank so far as he knew. Since the death of his sister, he thought his mother had forgotten about the tank.
The Body Recovered.
Charles Victor Catto, of Vesper, Country Roads Board engine driver, said he was asked to come and look for the girl, Gladys. He went to the well at the back of the house and saw the lid was off. He made a hook of a piece of strong of strong fencing wire and attached it to a hoe handle. He descended the well. on the ladder to the surface of the tank. He caught the body almost immediately, and brought it to the surface. It was taken into the house, and they tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the girl, who was dressed in a night-gown, with some thick woolen garment underneath.
Bush Nurse Gives Evidence.
Katherine Beatrice Rafferty, bush nurse at Noojee, stated that she was called to Mr Wilson's home at Vesper about 2 a.m. on April 17th. She saw Mrs Wilson, who was partly dressed, but had no night dress. The woman constantly repeated the word "'Bub," and was trembling violently, while her pulse was almost gone. She applied the usual remedies to Mrs Wilson, who appeared to be waking out of a trance or a deep sleep. She asked Mr Wilson how long Mrs Wilson had been in that state, and he said "Ever since she done----" He did not finish the sentence. Mrs Wilson recovered and then asked why she (witness) was there. She told her she was the nurse from Noojee, and that she had had a bad turn. Mrs Wilson then said, "Oh, I have been dreadful. I know I have." She asked where Gladys was and they told her they had taken her to another room. She said she had been ill for a long time. She told witness she had been to a doctor, but that she thought she had been worse since she was under treatment. Mrs Wilson, on being told they were going to take her to hospital, said, "What shall I do with Gladys." I never leave her alone. Let me take her with you, will you?" They told her they had taken Gladys to a neighbor's house. Witness said to her, "You would not like Gladys to see you as you are now, would you," and she answered, "No, I would not." Mrs Wilson was being dressed by her during this time and said she could not remember where she put any thing. She stated to witness that she had not slept for such a long time." When asked why she had not sought her (Nurse Rafferty's) aid before, Mrs Wilson said, "I told the men, but they only laughed at me. You know what men are." Later Mrs Wilson said, "'The house haunts me, I have been lonely for months." Witness stated that she then left Mrs Wilson for a few minutes and then told her they were ready to leave the house. Mrs Wilson said, "Let me say good-bye to Gladys," but she told her they could not keep the car waiting. As she was getting her clothes together, Mrs. Wilson said, "Leave that comb for Gladys to do her hair with." She made Mrs Wilson's bed, and noticed that there was a slight amount of dust at the foot of the bed clothes. She accompanied her to the West Gippsland Hospital. She was in a state ,of collapse.
To the Coroner:Mrs Wilson had her stockings on.
Constable Aldous.
Constable WV. H.. Aldous gave evidence of having gone to Vesper at 1.30 a.m. on the 17th April.in response to a telephone message from Mrs Adams, at Vesper post office. They arrived at 2.15 a.m. at the Wilson's home, where they saw Wilson and his son, and the body of the child Gladys in another room. The girl's night dress was wet, as was also her hair, but there appeared .to be' no: marks of violence on the body, excepting some parallel lines on the back which could have been caused by the hook. The mother was in the room, and was trembling violently. He had the body of the girl conveyed to the mortuary at the Warragul Hospital Open Verdict Returned.
After hearing the evidence, Mr. Freeman returned a finding that Gladys Margaret Wilson, of Vesper met her death as the result of drowning in an underground tank and that there was not sufficient evidence to show how or by what means she came to be in the tank.

Benjamin married Jeanett ROSS [9196] [MRIN: 2993], daughter of John ROSS [9200] and Margaret PAGAN [9201], in 1908 in , Victoria, Australia. (Jeanett ROSS [9196] was born in 1882 in Seymour, Vic, Australia and died in 1934 in Sunbury, Vic, Australia.)