Tuesday 3 October 1893

DIED on the 1st October 1893, of typhoid fever, at Lombard’s Post, Southwell, Willie J.T. KEETON, aged 22 years and 8 months. [sic – his first names were William John Ford]

SAD DEATH
We have to record the sad death from typhoid fever of Mr. William KEETON, son of Mr. W. KEETON sen. of Southwell. Deceased was a promising athlete, and was only 22 years of age. We tender every sympathy to the bereaved family.

Mr. JOHN ATHERSTONE
We regret to learn that this old and respected citizen had a severe stroke of paralysis on Sunday last. The stroke seems to have affected the throat, as there is considerable difficulty in speaking and swallowing. We hear this morning that he is, however, slightly better. Mr. ATHERSTONE has reached the venerable age of seventy-four, and has lately been completely blind. We hope that he will soon recover from his attack/ The patient is attended by Dr. BEGG-ROBERTSON.

DOG DEVOURING A CHILD
A shocking event occurred on a farm near Alice last week. One of the cottages on the farm which is owned by Mr. AYGOTT was occupied by a young married couple named MEINTJES. About midday Mrs. MEINTJES left her only child – an infant two months old – alone in the house while she went down to the river to wash a few clothes, no danger being apprehended, as her husband was working in the garden only a short distance away. She quickly returned, and as she drew near to the house she heard a baby screaming. Rushing in, a horrible sight was witnessed. She saw a dog literally tearing the flesh off her child’s face. The dog had actually devoured the cheeks, lips and even a part of the tongue, while one eye was protruding from its socket. The child lingered for an hour in awful agony, until convulsions setting in, death relieved the little sufferer from its pain.

Thursday 5 October 1893

SEVERE BEREAVEMENTS
Mr. S. STRYDOM, of the district of Wodehouse, died on Wednesday last week. Deceased was a fine specimen of the colonial farmer, and universally respected. He was in his thirty-seventh year. On the Thursday morning Mrs. STRYDOM also passed away after a brief illness. Death in both instances resulted from inflammation of the lungs. Recently, too, the deceased couple had to mourn the loss of three of their children. Five deaths out of a household of seven within a brief space of time is indeed a terrible bereavement.

Tuesday 10 October 1893

DIED at Greenfountain, Kowie East, Saturday the 7th October 1893, Joseph WALKER, eldest son of the late Richard WALKER of Farmerfield, aged 79 years and 9 months. The deceased came out with the Settlers in 1820.

DIED on Friday 8th September 1893 at 7 Lower Mount Pleasant Avenue, Rathmines, Dublin, in the 86th year of her age, Agnes, relict of the late Richard Wm. NELSON, Surgeon, of Rutland-Street, Dublin.

KILLED BY AN ELEPHANT
A fine young Dutchman named P.J. VAN DER MERWE, a member of a good family in the Midland District, has met with his death, near [Massamedee], in a singular way. He left Humpata with some other young men to go elephant shooting. They had not gone far before they came within sight of a drove of elephants, two of which, bulls, charged the party. A monster elephant knocked VAN DER MERWE down and tramped him to death. What the rest of the party did is not recorded. Took to their heels perhaps.

Saturday 14 October 1893

BIRTH at the Railway Hotel, Grahamstown, on the 14th inst, the wife of Dr. Begg ROBERTSON M.B., C.M. Edin. (formerly of Bridge of Allan, Scotland) of a son.

AN EDITORIAL MISHAP
Mr. Thos. C. HALL, the Editor of the Bedford Enterprise, met with a severe accident on Monday morning. He was running in his yard when he slipped and fell, striking the knee-cap and breaking it. The shock was very great, and the Doctor says it will be weeks before he leaves his bed. He is now lying looking out from piles of bedclothes and newspapers, down but not beaten.

Tuesday 17 October 1893

DEATH OF MR. VERLOOP
Mr. VERLOOP, Chief Manager of the Netherlands Railway Company, died on the 12th at Pretoria from the effects of malarial fever, contracted at Delagoa Bay last month. Deceased, though not exactly popular with the public, was a most conscientious and hard-working official, and especially lately had been overworked. There is a great deal of illness in that town.

DISTRESSING FATALITY
On Sunday morning last Mr. D. MACPHERSON, a young Scotchman, who has but recently come out from home to take up a position as cutter at Messrs. Muirhead & Gowie’s stores, was found lying in the Wesleyan Cemetery in an unconscious state. It is conjectured that the poor young fellow must have fallen while climbing over the wall, and injured his back, as he was so severely injured as to necessitate his being taken to the Albany General Hospital, where he expired at 12:30am this morning. We believe Mr. MACPHERSON left a wife and children in Scotland, to whom he had just written to come out and join him. The funeral will take place this afternoon.

Thursday 19 October 1893

BIRTH at Goodwin’s Kloof, Oct 17th, the wife of E. COCKCROFT of a son.

MARRIED at St.Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral, on Oct 12th 1893, by the Rev. J. Fitzhenry, Albert Duncan CHINNER, of Kimberley, to Alice HARTIG of this City.

Thursday 26 October 1893

DROWNED AT EAST LONDON
Last week a butcher named SHEPPERD was drowned whilst bathing on the beach. It is stated that he had been seized with cramp. The deceased had been in East London only a short time, and his wife and family are in England.

A SETTLER OF 1892 [sic]
Another Settler of 1820 is found to be still surviving in the person of Mrs. EATON, who was born in 1796 at Lydd in Kent. Her maiden name was LEPPER and she was married to a gentleman named LOFTUS [sic – should be LOFTIE], who changed his name to EATON in order to inherit certain property. She came out in 1820 on the good ship British Alliance [sic] with Watson’s Party [sic]. Mrs. EATON, notwithstanding her 97 years of age, eats and sleeps well, taking a keen interest in all local matters, and exercises a very happy and cheerful influence. She has five sons and two daughters, who are all married with families, and also attends church regularly. Mrs. EATON is now residing with a Dutchman named VANDELEUR, near Rokeby Park, in Lower Albany, about two hours from town.

KILLED BY A PYTHON
We hear hat a telegram has been received from Durban, Natal, by a citizen of this town, stating that Mr. WILDE, who was for some time taxidermist of the Albany Museum, and was well known in town, went out shooting the other day in Natal and saw a python, which he shot at, and, as he though, killed it. On going up to the snake it suddenly seized him and crushed him to death. We have not seen this rumour confirmed by the Natal papers, and so we can only give it as a rumour, which we hope and trust is not true.

Tuesday 31 October 1893

BIRTH at Stone’s Hill, Grahamstown, on the 30th inst, the wife of A.C. BAIN of a son.