1908 – William Turner, 16, accidentally shot himself through the brain with an “ever-dreaded’’ pea-rifle while hunting ducks.
The incident took place west of Cairns at Evelyn Station, where Turner had been working for the past eight months. Evelyn Station was an important part of the Herberton region’s early history, with grazing land on one side of the Wild River, and cedar along its banks.
The local publication, the Wild River Times, quite eloquently described the event in a submission to the Charters Towers’ Evening Telegraph in the overstated vernacular of the era.
“The bright young life was suddenly brought to an untimely end on Saturday morning last per medium of the ever-dreaded pea-rifle.”
WILd river times
“On Saturday morning in company with another lad, Jack Miller, young Willie Turner (who was a fine, healthy lad, and just turned sixteen) set out duck-shooting on the Station, carrying a rifle. Miller had shot a bird, and left Turner to retrieve it. He was about 20 yards away when he heard a shot and turned around to see Turner fall to the ground.”
The projectile had entered just beneath Turner’s right eye. An Aboriginal stockman, Mr Perrott, rode in advance and told the station’s owner William Mazlin what had happened, and Mr Mazlin “broke the sad news to the lad’s parents at their home.’’
“The news spread like wildfire. And the whole of Herberton felt shocked at the terrible calamity.” A portion of the bullet was extracted at the post mortem held at the parents’ home.
At the Requiem service held at Herberton’s Grace Street Methodist church, Reverend Webster, spoke of the many accidents from pea-rifles and warned parents against them.
But only a week later and about 26 kilometres away, an 18-year old, John Cotter, died when a 13-year-old’s finger slipped on the trigger of a pea-rifle as he rose to take a shot at a tree.
From the Herberton Church “a large concourse of women and children joined the cortege which wended its way to the cemetery, where the burial service was read, and the grief-strlcken parent, sisters, and brothers bade farewell to one they held dear in life, yet hope to meet in Heaven above”.
William was the third eldest son of his parents John and Mary, and was one of nine children. His parents, who lived into old age, are buried in the adjacent plot at the Herberton Cemetery.
Pea-rifle deaths occured regularly all over Australia. The State of Victoria banned anyone under the age of 18 from using guns such as pea rifles, which shot a small ball cartridge, in 1912. New South Wales introduced similar legislation in 1936.
Sources: Cairns Morning Post, Saturday 22 August 1908, p3
Daily Mercury, Monday 31 August 1908 , p3
The Evening Telegraph, Monday 17 August 1908, p3 Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald
Victorian Historic Acts: Pea rifles and Saloon Guns Act 1912 viewed at
https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/hist_act/prasga1912246/
Way to go Australia 