In Coolgardie in 1894 there was an influx of British nobility and for a time there were more Lords, Dukes, Baronets and others in Coolgardie than had or ever has been, in any one Australian town at the same time.
These Britishers packed more guns than any Yankee film hero and regular revolver practice was one of their past times, having been told by Carr-Boyd and David Lindsay that when they had to use a gun the need would be urgent and straight shooting would be called for.
At one of these shooting practice sessions, when most were already loaded with Charlie Sommer’s whiskey, they used an empty case in a stack in the backyard of Kennedy’s hotel on which a ring had been made with billiard chalk.
The marker was a ticket-of-leave man, and on one occasion after a few shots had been fired without any announcement from the marker, they investigated and found him lying across an empty box with a little round hole in his forehead.
At the subsequent inquest, medical evidence surprisingly stated the unfortunate man had died of heart failure and the bullet in his skull in no way contributed to his death and no blame was attached to everyone.
Moya Sharp
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Many thanks, Moya, for this story. My mystery grandfather John(Jack) Gray came there from London around this time and the scene in Coolgardie gets a little clearer after reading this.
Thanks for the interesting history Moya. Just makes you want to be a fly on the wall when all this was happening. Regards Graeme.