Grahamstown Journal 1851 - 3 - July to September
Saturday 5 July 1851
Mr. H.B. RUTHERFOORD (of the Firm H.E. RUTHERFOORD and Brother), being about to leave the Colony, has appointed Mr. Richard M. ROBERTS with Power of Attorney to act for him in Graham’s Town during his absence.
Graham’s Town, May 31 1851
REMOVAL
The undersigned is removing from Church Square to Bathurst Street
To premises occupied for years by the late Mr. JENNINGS
And solicits the continuance of favours from the inhabitants
W.C. SMITH, Bootmaker
Graham’s Town, July 5th 1851
Saturday 12 July 1851
DIED at Cradock on Saturday the 14th June 1851, Jacoba Wilhelmina, the beloved wife of J.G. VAN BUUREN Esq, aged 36 years, 4 months and 14 days, leaving a husband and eight children, with a large circle of relatives and friends, to deplore her loss. She was a believer in Jesus Christ and her end was peace.
DIED near Fort England on Monday 7th inst, after a brief illness of two days, Edward Henry, second son of Charles and Matilda POTE, aged 6 years
DIED at Graham’s Town on Wednesday 9th inst, after a short illness, Sarah Ellen, third daughter of Mr. R. WHITE, aged 2 years and 5 months
Saturday 19 July 1851
MARRIED on the 14th instant at St.George’s Church, by the Venerable the Archdeacon Merriman, Patrick ROBERTSON Esq, Cape M. Rifleman, second son of the Hon’ble Lord ROBERTSON, to Amelia Ann, third daughter of Charles MAYNARD Esq of Graham’s Town.
MARRIED at Salem on the 15th inst, by the Rev. E.D. Hepburn, James Paris FISHER to Margaret Ann Shaw PENNY, third daughter of Mr. C. PENNY, Salem Hall.
Saturday 26 July 1851
MARRIED in St.John’s Church, Fort Beaufort by the Rev E.T. Wilshire on Sunday the 21st July, Mr. John Andrew HOHNE, second son of Mr. P.D. HOHNE (late Lieutenant in the 6th Foot) to Jane Caroline, only daughter of Captain James Faunce LONSDALE (late 27th Inniskillins).
MARRIED at York, May 6, the Rev Albert Sydney WYLDE, Rector of Greatsford-with-Wilsthorpe, Lincolnshire, son of Sir John WYLDE, and nephew of the Lord Chancellor, to Laura Isabella, daughter of W.C. COLTMAN Esq, late of Aldborough Hall. – Atlas may 10.
DIED at Fort Beaufort on the 16th July, of fever, Caroline Elizabeth, the beloved wife of B.D. BELL, aged 34 years. Her end was peace.
DIED at Cape Town on the 8th instant, Emily Higgins, daughter of William and Rosella CANNELL, aged 10 months and 9 days.
Saturday 2 August 1851
MARRIED at Witney, Oxfordshire, England by the Rev. P.C. Horton on the 27th May, Nathaniel HOWSE, eldest son of James HOWSE Esq of Graham’s Town, to Sarah, second daughter of Richard EARLY Esq of the former place.
BIRTH at King William’s Town on 25th ult, Mrs. William KER of a daughter
DEATH – Killed on Wednesday the 23rd July 1851 by rebel Hottentots on the Koonap Heights, while travelling to Fort Beaufort from Graham’s Town, in company with the escort conveying the mail bags, Mr. Samuel Patton IMPEY, aged 23. The deceased was much respected, and has left a young widow and infant son, with a numerous circle of relatives and friends, to mourn over his untimely end. He had distinguished himself by his courage in all the affairs which have taken place at Fort Beaufort; was one of the first to repel the attack of Hermanus, and fought side by side with his younger brother at the capture of Fort Armstrong. His remains were interred at Fort Beaufort on Friday 25th July.
DEATH on Wednesday 23rd July 1851, Mr, John CURLEY (late of Galway, Ireland) aged 31 years and 5 months. Deceased was accompanying the mail escort on his return home to Fort Beaufort when on arriving at the Konap Heights he fell a victim to the rebel Hottentots and Kaffirs. Deceased has left a widow, two infant daughters and a large circle of friends and relations to mourn his untimely end.
DEATH – Killed by rebel Hottentots in action near Fort Brown, David, eldest son of Mr. W. GRIFFITHS, Nantyglo, Monmouthshire, South Wales
[Transcriber’s Note: Morse Jones gives this death as being on 23 July at Koonap Hill, ie with those listed above]
DIED at the residence of her daughter at Graham’s Town on 24th July, Harriet JESSEMAN, aged 70 years.
John WILKS
Painter, Glazier and Paper Hanger
Wishes to inform the inhabitants of Graham’s Town that he has recommenced his business in the above lines, and hopes by strict attention and moderate charges to share in the public patronage, his former
Contracts for General Repairs Taken
Marble wash-stands repaired and cleaned &c
Chapel Street, near P.C. DANIELS, Jeweller
Stephen MUNDY has received ex ‘Susan Crisp’ a large addition to his general stock of fancy goods, Berlin wools &c
Also an assortment of Piano Forte Wires and Roman Violin Strings
DEATH BY DROWNING
We regret to say that a melancholy accident occurred at the Kowie River Mouth on the 29th ult, by which Mr. LAVIN, boat builder of that place, lost his life. It appears that deceased and two others were proceeding in a surf boat from the cove to the schooner Ceres, which is at present discharging cargo at the port for Messrs. CAWOOD, the Government contractors. He was standing on the deck of the boat when the warp in some manner struck and carried him overboard, and it is supposed inflicted some injury upon him, as although an excellent swimmer he appeared incapable of any attempt to reach the shore or the boat, or to lay hold of the ropes which were thrown out to him. Two hours after the accident the body washed up on the beach and was subsequently interred. Mr. LAVIN was ever ready to rank himself among the defenders of the country, and was wounded at the attack on the wagons of the Theopolis rebels.
Saturday 8 August 1851
BIRTH at Graham’s Town on the 25th July, the Lady of Dr. ATKINSON, 1st Class Staff Surgeon, of a daughter.
DIED at Graham’s Town on the 2nd August, Jane, the beloved wife of Mr. John HUTTON, aged 43 years, only daughter of the late Mr. Hezekiah SEPHTON. Her end was peace.
DIED at Graham’s town on the 4th August [rest of notice illegible]
DIED at the house of her Daughter, at Graham’s Town, on the[ 24th] July, Harriet [....MAN], aged [70] years.
Saturday 16 August 1851
DIED on Saturday 9 August 1851, Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles LEVEY. Aged 2 years and 3 months.
Mr. BOON, Catechist to the English Church, most respectfully acknowledges the receipt of sundry donations from the inhabitants of this town for the decent interment of James WARK, aged 51, by trade a mason, and late in the 72nd Regt, a native of Lanark, Scotland. The donations amount to £2:13. Where all have evinced such Christian consideration it would be invidious to mention names, but great praise is due to the police for their attendance at the funeral, and other attentions to this supposed case of distress. It has since been ascertained that the said James WARK has left considerable effects, more than will suffice to defray his funeral expenses, hence Mr. B suggests that these dues and all others appertaining thereto be charged to the estate of the said James WARK, and paid to the Rev. Wm. LONG, on account of the Board of Relief sitting at Graham’s Town, to aid those who are suffering from the war, in good will reminding the donor “it is better to give than to receive.”
PS All persons who may have any knowledge of the said property belonging to the aforesaid James WARK are requested to forward an account of the same to Mr. F. WATSON, Chief Constable of this town.
Graaff-Reinet, July 28 1851
Soup! Soup!! Soup!!!
The Rangers Hotel, High Street
D. McMASTER having removed from Hill Street to those commodious premises formerly known as Finlaysons Hotel, in returning thanks for the liberal support hitherto afforded him, trusts from long experience to receive a continuance of the same.
Foreign wines, spirits &c of the best quality
Good stabling with a constant supply of forage
A letter from Mr. J. CARLISLE of Belmont, two miles from Graham’s Town, received this morning, states: We must get away as much as possible of our forage TODAY, or it will be burnt by Kaffirs. The Kaffirs have taken away 6 oxen that I was feeding on forage. There is the spoor of a large number of Kaffirs and the same crooked foot as before. The grass in Grobbelaar’s Kloof is on fire from end to end. These miscreants should be rooted out. It is evident they are meditating something more than stealing a few miserable oxen.
Saturday 23 August 1851
DIED suddenly on the night of the 15th inst at her father’s residence, Emma Dorothea, the beloved daughter of G.F. STOKES of Baviaan’s River, aged 13 years and 4 months
DISSOLUTION OF PARTNERSHIP
The undersigned hereby give notice that the partnership hitherto carried on under the style and firm of
MARCUS & BENJAMIN
Will dissolve on the 31st instant on account of the expiration of their partnership.
All claims against the said firm will be settled by Mr. M.H. BENJAMIN, to whom all outstanding claims are in future to be paid, and it is requested that all persons having claims upon the said firm will send them in forthwith for adjustment.
Jas. MARCUS
Michael Henry BENJAMIN
Graaff-Reinet 15th Aug 1851
Whole of the Business of MARCUS & BENJAMIN
The same will be carried on by him on and after the 1st September for his own account under the style of
M.H. BENJAMIN
At his store in Market Square
M.H. BENJAMIN
Graaff-Reinet
Mr. James MARCUS being about to leave the Colony for Europe requests all persons having claims against him to send them in for settlement forthwith.
Saturday 30 August 1851
Peter HILL
Practical Tailor
Late with Mr. John WILLIAMS
In returning thanks to his friends who have already favoured him with their orders, begs leave to intimate to all his friends and the public generally that he carries on business solely on his own account in
Market Square (East)
Near the two little windmills
Where by diligent attention to his profession he hopes to merit a share of their patronage.
PH has on hand a select stock of beautiful
Broad Cloths and Doeskins.
Parties providing their own cloth may depend upon it being made up in a tradesmanlike manner.
Graham’s Town, August 16 1851
Saturday 6 September 1851
It is our melancholy task to record today the death of Mr. Thos. SCANLEN, who has fallen in the very prime of life, another victim to Hottentot treachery and rebellion. The deceased ranked foremost amongst those who have distinguished themselves as the intrepid defenders of the frontier. He and his only brother, Mr. C. SCANLEN of Cradock, have exhibited a devotedness to the country of their adoption, which has given them a just claim to the gratitude of the entire community. Mr. Thos. SCANLEN, for the first few months of the present war, did excellent service in STUBBS’ Mounted Rangers, amongst whom he was held in great repute as a brave, willing and active man, always ready at the call of duty to confront dangers, however imminent, and to take service, however arduous. Latterly he accepted the temporary commission of Lieut. in the Fingoe Levy, in which he acquitted himself with his wonted zeal, intelligence and gallantry. It was while thus serving that he met with his death wound. He had command of the cattle guard at the Government Contractors kraals and in an attack on these on the night of the 11th of August he was shot by a rebel Hottentot, and conveyed into town at midnight in a state of the greatest exhaustion. He lingered in intense agony, the wound having exposed the lungs, until the night of Thursday last, when death terminated his suffering, leaving a wife and four interesting children, together with his parents, 80 years of age and quite helpless, to mourn his untimely fate. We need only add that society has lost in him a faithful member. He discharged his duty to it nobly, and it would be an eternal disgrace were it not to repay the debt which is thereby owing to the bereaved family. That family is now left destitute and the Colony cannot, without dishonour, withhold that reasonable provision to which it is so justly entitled.
BIRTH on Sunday 31st August at East London, Buffalo Mouth, the wife of the Rev. Francis FLEMING, Military Chaplain and Minister of King William’s Town, of a son and heir.
BIRTH at King William’s Town on the 1st inst, Mrs. J. AYLIFF of a son
DIED on the evening of the 4th inst, Thomas Ross SCANLEN, aged 39 years, after several weeks of excruciating suffering, caused by a gunshot wound, received from Rebel Hottentots while on duty at Messrs. CAWOOD’s farm on the evening of the 11th of August last, leaving a wife and four children to lament his untimely end.
Saturday 13 September 1851
BIRTH at Zout Pan’s Drift on the 19th July, Mrs. Joshua TROLLIP of a daughter
DIED on the 6th August at Watkin’s Hotel, Graaff-Reinet, in sick leave on his way to England, Captain F.P. GLUBB, CM Rifles, aged 38 years.
Saturday 20 September 1851
DIED at the residence of his brother in Graham’s Town, on the 17th instant, Mr. George WEDDERBURN, aged 42 years, after lingering in great suffering for eight months from the effects of severe wounds received in a conflict with Kaffirs a short distance from Salem. Deceased bore his acute and protracted sufferings with the patience and hope of a Christian. He has left a wife and family of young children to deplore their irreparable loss.
DIED at Dagaboers Neck on Saturday 6th September 1851, Carel Frederick Henry, aged 3 years and 3 months, eldest son of Mr. Frederick William POHL of Gideon’s Hoek, Kaga.
We have this week to deplore the loss of another of our most useful citizens, cut down in his prime, a victim to the ferocity of the Kaffir enemy. We refer to Mr. G. WEDDERBURN, who many of our readers will recollect was severely wounded, with two or three others, at an early period of the war. The lamented subject of this notice was not expected at the time to survive the injuries he received, and yet to the surprise of all who knew him he so far recovered as to be able to move out, though incurably deaf from injuries of the head, and helplessly lame from gun shot wounds in the leg. Still he had so far recovered that hope was indulged of his being spared to his family, at least for some years. This expectation has not been fulfilled, a relapse took place, and exhausted nature sunk under its wasting effects. Mr. G. WEDDERBURN was the son of one of the original Settlers of 1820. He grew up amongst us and claimed by his deportment to be ranked amongst the most valuable of our Frontier settlers. As brave as he was upright and intelligent, he was amongst the foremost to stand forth in the defence of the country, and fell a victim to his patriotism in the very prime of life, and when his family had the greatest need of his paternal regard. The name of George WEDDERBURN stands enrolled in the list of those whose lives have been sacrificed in securing the safety and promoting the interests of this country.
Tuesday 23 September 1851 (Supplement)
Tuesday: Information has come in of an attack yesterday afternoon by Hottentot banditti on the cattle on Mr. GOLDSWAIN’s farm of Burnt Kraal. These bandits, computed at about 40 strong, are described as being all dressed in levy clothing. They made their appearance about 5 o clock, and succeeded in getting off with some 50 or 60 oxen, after wounding severely two Europeans who, with a party of 18 or 19 Fingoes, endeavoured to defend the property. All these bandits were armed with guns and kept up a very heavy fire. Their haunt is supposed to be the noted Kingo, which will soon be cleared when Col. EYRE gets into work in this neighbourhood.
LOWER ALBANY
A gallant affair took place on the night of the 18th inst, at the Hope Farm, the property of Mr. W. WAKEFORD, adjoining Cuylerville in Lower Albany. About 20 young English Settlers have formed a laager there for the sake of pasture for their almost famished cattle, chiefly working oxen. On the night in question a band of Kaffirs, supposed by the spoor to number about as many as the English, crept up very near their fires and poured a volley into them, but fortunately without hitting anyone. They (the English) immediately rushed to the cattle kraal, judging that it would be the immediate object of attack, and they were quite right in this conjecture, as the marauders quickly began to remove the fence, but were as speedily driven off by a volley, for which they were hardly prepared. On discovering the customers they had to deal with they instantly decamped, leaving two of their number shot dead, and. As supposed by the blood spoor, some others severely wounded. None of our men were hurt, nor was a single head of cattle taken.
Saturday 27 September 1851
DIED at Cradock on the 7th instant at the residence of Mr. W. VICARY, Henry D. MAYTUM, native of Maidstone, England, aged 25 years.
BURNT KRAAL
Mr. GOLDSWAIN has supplied the following particulars of the attack upon his premises on the 22nd inst, alluded to in our Extra of Tuesday last:
Our herd of trek oxen was attacked on Monday afternoon about 5 o clock. The cattle were grazing about a mile from the house, between Burnt Kraal and Cawood’s Farm, guarded by six Englishmen and two Hottentot herdsmen. The attacking party consisted of upwards of 40 men, mostly Hottentots, clad in the levy dress of drab duffle jackets and moleskin trousers. The leader was a Hottentot wearing a dark green jacket and Cape Corps cap, being recognised as the same who led on the attack upon our sheep and goats three weeks ago. As soon as the enemy was seen the Hottentot herdsmen were ordered by the guard to drive the cattle up from the river. The enemy at this opened so severe a fire that the guard was forced to take up a position of defence, and thus left the oxen to the two herdsmen. The guard returned the fire and saw that four of the enemy were wounded, two of whom were led away by four of their comrades, and the other two getting out of fire by aid of their guns used as walking sticks. The guard expected at the moment to be able to keep the enemy at bay until assistance could be procured from the Fingoe Levy stationed at the homestead. I had just returned from Graham’s Town, and went to warn the levy, and found them already on their way to assist the guard, but it was too late. The enemy twice gave way, as the English guard fought desperately; indeed they began to have hopes of victory when unfortunately two of them received gunshot wounds, John MEADE being wounded in the foot very severely and Geo. CHITTY through the thigh. The enemy seeing their advantage drove off the oxen, 48 of mine and 35 of Mr. J. HONEY’s, in all 83 head. I at once went in pursuit with 12 of the levy and two of the guard. Two others assisted the wounded men to the house. Before we got in sight of the plunderers they had got over Botha’s River, about two miles below the old Fort Brown road, and had divided the oxen in four lots, and had an advance guard of 11 men on the ridge; six others were driving the first lot of cattle, seven the second, five the third, another detachment the fourth, and a rear guard of 12 men. On coming within shot we immediately attacked and drove in the rear, and took seven oxen from them, with which we returned home, as it was now getting dark, and the Fingoes complained that their ammunition was short. On Tuesday morning at 9 o clock we went on patrol across the ground where Monday’s skirmish took place and found much blood, cartridge papers saturated with it, part of a Wesleyan Sunday School hymn book, a piece of a Graham’s Town Journal of August 1851, a lock screw, a diaper towel &c &c
Before this attack took place the levy had reported to Major BURNABY that I wished them to be cattle guard; they would not go where I ordered them; had they obeyed my orders my cattle would not have been taken.
After we returned home on Tuesday, a little past sunset, we heard firing, and with two of my sons and the levy I was soon on the way. We saw Commandant STUBBS, who stated that the firing was from some of his Rangers, who were with him. They had come across a Kaffir and a Hottentot and shot both. The body of the Hottentot was recognised as that of a man who was seen at the Graham’s Town Brewery last week, and one of my sons saw him standing at Mr. POTE’s corner in High Street. We saw 32 fresh spoors whilst on patrol, and the remains of seven fires. Kaffirs had been to my house on four several nights before this attack, and were heard calling to the dogs to endeavour to silence them.
We have but 1 ox left, and I find by the answer to the farmers’ memorial that if captured cattle are not branded, or there be not someone at King William’s Town to claim them, they cannot be recovered. Why not send them to Graham’s Town to be claimed? The 37 head we lost a short time ago were branded WG, but those we lost on Monday have no brands, as we had just purchased them. My losses now come to more than £2,000. I hope something will be done for us poor ruined farmers.
John MEADE, one of the Englishmen mentioned above, died of his wounds yesterday. The ball had carried away the right heel, it being incised by striking against the bone. The sufferer was carefully and skillfully attended by Dr. ATHERSTONE Sen, but mortification having ensued, human skill was unavailing. Four hours before the poor fellow’s death he stated himself to be free from pain. His remains were interred at Graham’s Town this morning.
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