The Wash from Gedney Drove End - birthplace of Amos Slight
The Tragic Death of Amos Slight
Sep 1866 Fensman Amos Slight died in a tree felling accident
17 Sep 1866 Brisbane Courier
A FATAL accident happened about eight miles from Brisbane, and beyond Bulimba, on Wednesday last. A man named Amos Slight went into the bush on that day to fell timber. His wife and a German went out afterwards to look for him, and they found him lying dead under a fallen tree. His skull was fractured, and his left leg and left arm broken. Other parts of his body were injured. The deceased was a resident of Bulimba, and had been about four years in the colony.
17 Sep 1866 Brisbane Courier
A FATAL accident happened about eight miles from Brisbane, and beyond Bulimba, on Wednesday last. A man named Amos Slight went into the bush on that day to fell timber. His wife and a German went out afterwards to look for him, and they found him lying dead under a fallen tree. His skull was fractured, and his left leg and left arm broken. Other parts of his body were injured. The deceased was a resident of Bulimba, and had been about four years in the colony.
September 1866 – Inquest into the Death of Amos Slight
Henry Bush being duly sworn deposed:
I am a farmer residing at Bulimba Creek. I have known a man named Amos Slight since he came to the same part of the country two months ago. He had come there down from the bush where he had been shepherding. He had bought a piece of ground at Bulimba Creek and built a bit of a humpy as a makeshift.
He was a married man. They had no children. He has lately been employed in clearing his own ground. My house is about ½ a mile from where he lived. A German named Christian Selar has a placer nearer to him than I am.
Yesterday the German came to me about sunset and told me that Amos Slight had been killed by a tree falling on him. I went straight to the humpy of the deceased. He was lying on his bed. His wife and some of the neighbours were there. He was lying on the bed draped in his working clothes. He was quite dead. He was cold and stiff.
I felt one of his legs, the right leg, and found it was broken above the knee. There was blood running out of his mouth.
Deceased had been falling a tree. It had lodged in another tree which he appeared to have been felling. The first tree somehow or other must have fallen upon deceased before he could get away. He was struck by a large branch which pinned him down to the ground. Nobody saw the accident - we can only guess how it happened. The tree he had been felling was 3 or 400 yards from his humpy.
When I have been at the place about a quarter of an hour, another neighbour, James Carter, came in having heard of the accident that had happened to the deceased.
Henry Bush
Taken and sworn before me etc this 18th Day of September 1866
HS Massie JP
I am a farmer residing at Bulimba Creek. I have known a man named Amos Slight since he came to the same part of the country two months ago. He had come there down from the bush where he had been shepherding. He had bought a piece of ground at Bulimba Creek and built a bit of a humpy as a makeshift.
He was a married man. They had no children. He has lately been employed in clearing his own ground. My house is about ½ a mile from where he lived. A German named Christian Selar has a placer nearer to him than I am.
Yesterday the German came to me about sunset and told me that Amos Slight had been killed by a tree falling on him. I went straight to the humpy of the deceased. He was lying on his bed. His wife and some of the neighbours were there. He was lying on the bed draped in his working clothes. He was quite dead. He was cold and stiff.
I felt one of his legs, the right leg, and found it was broken above the knee. There was blood running out of his mouth.
Deceased had been falling a tree. It had lodged in another tree which he appeared to have been felling. The first tree somehow or other must have fallen upon deceased before he could get away. He was struck by a large branch which pinned him down to the ground. Nobody saw the accident - we can only guess how it happened. The tree he had been felling was 3 or 400 yards from his humpy.
When I have been at the place about a quarter of an hour, another neighbour, James Carter, came in having heard of the accident that had happened to the deceased.
Henry Bush
Taken and sworn before me etc this 18th Day of September 1866
HS Massie JP
John Carter being duly sworn deposed:
I am a farmer on Bulimba Creek. I know the deceased Amos Slight. I have known him since he was a boy. We came from the same place of the County in Lincolnshire.
Deceased was a married man. He and his wife came out to this country about 4 ½ years ago.
He has been shepherding up the country. He bought a piece of land near us 12 months ago. He came down country 3 or 4 months ago intending to live upon his purchased land.
He put up a bit of a humpy and has been clearing his land. He did not employ anybody to work for him.
He was not well off. Deceased was at my place last Tuesday evening. He often used to visit me and vice versa. He returned home about 8 o’clock in the evening. That was the last time I ever saw him alive.
The next day (12th instant) I was told by persons that he had been killed by tree falling on him. I went straight to the place and found him lying dead in his bed. The wife of deceased, the farmer’s wife, Mary Bush and some others were in the place.
His wife was the person who found the deceased dead, lying under a tree that he had been felling. Nobody was present when the accident happened.
His wife and he were in the best of mates. They were a very happy couple. He was a very healthy man, no more than 26 years of age.
John Carter – his mark
Taken and sworn before me etc this 15th Day of September 1866
HS Massie JP
I am a farmer on Bulimba Creek. I know the deceased Amos Slight. I have known him since he was a boy. We came from the same place of the County in Lincolnshire.
Deceased was a married man. He and his wife came out to this country about 4 ½ years ago.
He has been shepherding up the country. He bought a piece of land near us 12 months ago. He came down country 3 or 4 months ago intending to live upon his purchased land.
He put up a bit of a humpy and has been clearing his land. He did not employ anybody to work for him.
He was not well off. Deceased was at my place last Tuesday evening. He often used to visit me and vice versa. He returned home about 8 o’clock in the evening. That was the last time I ever saw him alive.
The next day (12th instant) I was told by persons that he had been killed by tree falling on him. I went straight to the place and found him lying dead in his bed. The wife of deceased, the farmer’s wife, Mary Bush and some others were in the place.
His wife was the person who found the deceased dead, lying under a tree that he had been felling. Nobody was present when the accident happened.
His wife and he were in the best of mates. They were a very happy couple. He was a very healthy man, no more than 26 years of age.
John Carter – his mark
Taken and sworn before me etc this 15th Day of September 1866
HS Massie JP
John Christian Selar being duly sworn and deposed:
I am a farmer residing at Bulimba Creek. I know a man named Amos Slight. He was living on a piece of ground next to me.
Last Wednesday the 12th of September instant I was at work on my farm between 3 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
I heard this sound of a falling tree close by. I took no notice of it at the time. About an hour afterwards the wife of Amos Slight came running to me, crying and in a great way, saying that her husband was lying dead under a tree and asking me to go with her to assist in getting him from under the tree and taking him into their own place.
I went with her to where there was a recently felled tree. Amos Slight was lying on his left side and some branches of the fallen tree on top of him. They were thick branches and one of them was keeping the man fast down. I removed the branches and released the body. The body was very much bruised and one of his legs was broken. A thick piece of wood was under the left side of his head.
He was quite dead. But the body was warm. I carried the body on my back and laid him on the bed. My wife was there. I went straight off forth to a man named Bush and afterwards to a man named Carter, neighbours of mine. They both came and saw the deceased lying on the bed in my house.
A short time before I heard the crash of the falling tree I had seen the deceased cutting a tree down with an axe - not more than 30 or 40 yards from me. He was alone, nobody was with him. I would have noticed him. The wife of the deceased assisted me with carrying the body into the hut. She and my wife remained with the body while I went to call the neighbours.
John Christian Selar
Taken and sworn before me this 14th day of September 1866
HS Massie JP
I am a farmer residing at Bulimba Creek. I know a man named Amos Slight. He was living on a piece of ground next to me.
Last Wednesday the 12th of September instant I was at work on my farm between 3 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
I heard this sound of a falling tree close by. I took no notice of it at the time. About an hour afterwards the wife of Amos Slight came running to me, crying and in a great way, saying that her husband was lying dead under a tree and asking me to go with her to assist in getting him from under the tree and taking him into their own place.
I went with her to where there was a recently felled tree. Amos Slight was lying on his left side and some branches of the fallen tree on top of him. They were thick branches and one of them was keeping the man fast down. I removed the branches and released the body. The body was very much bruised and one of his legs was broken. A thick piece of wood was under the left side of his head.
He was quite dead. But the body was warm. I carried the body on my back and laid him on the bed. My wife was there. I went straight off forth to a man named Bush and afterwards to a man named Carter, neighbours of mine. They both came and saw the deceased lying on the bed in my house.
A short time before I heard the crash of the falling tree I had seen the deceased cutting a tree down with an axe - not more than 30 or 40 yards from me. He was alone, nobody was with him. I would have noticed him. The wife of the deceased assisted me with carrying the body into the hut. She and my wife remained with the body while I went to call the neighbours.
John Christian Selar
Taken and sworn before me this 14th day of September 1866
HS Massie JP
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CERTIFICATE OF PARTICULARS
I hereby certify that on the 13th and 14th Day September 1866, I held an inquest of Death At Brisbane – in the Fellow District of Bulimba and found the following particulars were therof disclosed:- Name of Deceased: Amos Slight Profession/calling: Labourer Height, colour of hair, clothing etc: Personally known to witnesses Where found and when: Bulimba Creek 12 September 1866 Date of Death: 12 September 1866 Supposed cause of death: Injuries received by the accidental falling of a tree |
Certificate of Particulars
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Person last seen in company of deceased: Was seen a short time before by one of his neighbours, John Christian Selar, in the act of felling the tree which … was fatal
Names of witnesses Henry Bush, farmer, John Carter, farmer, John Christian Selar ditto
Suspicious circumstances Nil
HS Massie
Coronor of Justice
Names of witnesses Henry Bush, farmer, John Carter, farmer, John Christian Selar ditto
Suspicious circumstances Nil
HS Massie
Coronor of Justice