Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year

2013 is over in just a few hours, and a new year will be upon us! What an exciting and great year 2013 has been, we here at The Haunts of Adelaide wish for you to have a successful and fruitful 2014!

 Also, stay tuned in 2014 as Allen appears on Haunting: Australia in February on the Syfy Channel

 In the mean-time here are some photos from Adelaide's State Library showing crowds in the city at New Year celebrations from over the last few decades

New Years celebrations outside the Adelaide Town Hall December 31^st 1921

Adelaide 1923 New Years celebrations

CHRISTMAS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA 1880

CHRISTMAS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA 1880

Christmas Eve, tonight an excerpt from what Christmas was like in Adelaide back in 1880, taken from "The South Australian Register" - Monday 27 December 1880

Christchurch Kapunda 1895 - Christmas Eve

CHRISTMAS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Englishmen are proverbially conservative, and wherever they make their home they seem inclined to retain as far as possible the customs of their native land. In these Australian colonies, however, with the sun registering 100s Fahrenheit, or thereabouts, in the Sun, it would be simple folly to attempt to keep Christmas in the old-fashioned style — to the accompaniment of the blazing Yale-log, the steaming plum pudding, and the heated wassail bowl.

Instead of families gathering around the chimney-corner with the house doors closed and a large crackling fire in every room, the majority of the people of Adelaide seem to turn out on Christmas Eve to see the street decorations to purchase presents on behalf of the good Santa Claus, and to prepare for the outdoor recreation or the religious services of the morrow.

Whatever Australians do in regard to holiday-making they always do it heartily and well. There is no wonder, therefore, that Christmas time is ever with us a time of general rejoicing Old Father Christmas may not come to us in the same garb as he does to the dwellers in England, where fancy always invests him with holly branches and mistletoe and sees him surrounded by flakes of falling snow.

 When we know that we shall be introduced to him under a blazing sun, or with the thermometer registering 90° or 100° in the shade, we prepare to meet him at picnics, excursions by land or by sea, in garden parties, or in other outdoor scenes of recreation and reunion. But Christmas is none the less welcome because he comes unattended by fogs and snow and frost. The Christmas spirit is tho tame, and will be so long as the day is honoured, and as the human heart is moved by joys and sorrows.

Throughout this colony, as throughout the rest of the Christian world, Christmas Day is probably the gladdest day of the year. It is the day when men felt it a duty to be happy, and when that spirit which blesses him. That gives end him that receives is most largely exercised. The general rejoicing over flows in all directions, and for one day at least in the year the inmates of our hospitals, asylums, and prisons are made to feel that they are not entirely forgotten by the great world outside. On Christmas Eve and morning rarely do no carol singers parade the streets to bid'
“Christians awake, salute the happy morn.'

 No 'waits' go from door to door, arousing sleepers, and informing them the time by the clock and the kind of weather at the time. But instead of this on Christmas Eve the Town Hall bells ring out a merry peal to welcome merry Christmas in, and all night long the main thoroughfares are crowded by men, women, and children, who promenade the streets hour after hour gazing upon one another, making purchases, or seeking to catch the inspiration of the time. All vehicle traffic was stopped from east to west in the western half of Rundle-street on Friday evening last, the tramcars being of course allowed to go out to the eastern suburbs, and to return via Grenfell-street as usual. The street decorations were as profuse as we have ever known them before, branches of pines, of gums, and of other trees being need wherever possible, either on shop fronts or on verandah-posts.
 Any one looking down one of the main streets and seeing the abundant foliage might have been pardoned for adopting Macbeth's idea, if not his precise language, and asking what woods had come- there and wherefore had the; come.
 The ornamentation of individual shops was not as conspicuously excellent or as striking as we have seen some on previous occasions, bat a few of the grocers, butchers, fruiterers, and poulterers made good displays.
  The fruit shops were especially gay with the luscious-looking fruit offered for sale, and here, and in toy shops and drapers' establishments, there were crowds of people gathered all Friday evening. Two of the hotels—the York and the Imperial— had gas illuminations in front of their premises, and Chinese lanterns and many lesser lights were to be seen at intervals all along Rundle and Hindley streets.
 The effect was very pretty, and the pedestrians seemed as if they would never tire of promenading or of watching the Lightning Calculator and other wonder-workers who engaged the attention of large crowds of people in side streets and alleys off the main thoroughfares. To the eyes of a visitor from the old country, the decorations of the streets would create great surprise. Scarcely any holly is used, and the mistletoe is rarely seen.

 Instead of these things, branches of eucalypti and other indigenous trees are used, and what the decorations lack in minuteness of detail and artistic finish they certainly make up in quantity. Cherries supply the place of holly berries and the rose takes the place of the mistletoe— for, as the Rev. Charles Clark used to say, Australian young ladies do not object to being kissed ' under the rose 'instead of beneath the mistletoe. The decorations are by no means confined to the main streets. If every house does not show its sprig of holly, every horse carries its bit of foliage, and every vehicle, from the tramcars to the perambulator, is more or less adorned by leaves, or sprigs, or branches of trees. Christmas Day is always observed as a dose holiday in Adelaide. No ordinary business is transacted, except, perhaps, by the owners of vehicles and the occupiers of public houses.

The publication of the daily newspapers even is suspended, either on Christmas or the following day and for twenty-four hours the news goes by word-of-mouth, as it did in the days before Dick Steele started his ' Tatler' and Addison began to show the follies of the society of his day. Bat Christmas Day is by no means generally observed as a day for religious worship. There are services at a few of the churches perhaps, and the South Australian Sunday-school Union assembles its children in the Town Hall for the usual Christmas morning service of song. But this begins at 9 o'clock and is over in an hour so that it shall not unduly interfere with the full enjoyment of a day of recreation.

 Mr Chief-Justice Way presided at the Sunday-school gathering in the Town Hall this year, and the Rev. W. K. Fletcher, ALA., delivered the address to the children. Special hymns were sung, as usual, each having some relation to the Natal Day of Him who was born in Bethlehem. In the evening a grand mass, composed by Mons. Meilhan was performed in the Town Hall, in the presence of a large audience.
The places of public amusement were closed on Christmas Day, but on the previous night, a new pantomime was produced at the Theatre Royal, while at the Academy of Music there were some special attractions in honour of the season. On Christmas Day, notwithstanding the intense heat, tens of thousands of people left the city either by the railways to the Bay and the Semaphore or to some of the shady nooks and glens among our ever-new and ever-beautiful Mount Lofty hills.

SA Christmas card - notice the  "West End" wheels :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

YOUNG CRIMINAL GANG IN MAKING

YOUNG CRIMINAL GANG IN MAKING

Port Adelaide, long has this seaside city been fraught with an image of being seedy and full of criminal activity. Just like most seaside ports, where the sailors from around the world would come from afar and cause a ruckus, sweet talk the ladies and fight any local willing to defend his ladies honour.

By 1934, Port Adelaide had changed dramatically, although it was still a shipping port, the crime rate had dropped off, people had become more refined, sailors more civilised and respectful, but there was always that criminal element,. And in 1934, that criminal element was a very young one!
Six boys, ranging from the ages of ten years old to fourteen years old were on a crime spree throughout the town.
The boys had scaled a six-foot barbed wire fence at the back of Mrs Dunn's shop on Military Road in Largs Bay. There they had stolen 4 glass half-gallon flagons valued at 2/6, they returned again later and stole four more bottles, this time empty ones valued at 4d. - Along with the bottles, they stole a syphon and other cool drink bottles, some of which had been stored in cupboards in the rear of the shop.

The boys would often be seen by Mrs Dunn, trying to sidle their way along the side of the shop to the rear fence without being seen, she would scare them off, and they would run away.
It was known that these young lads were the cause of other thefts and acts of vandalism in the Largs Bay area and when they were eventually caught by a plains clothes Constable, A.L. Mitchell, the prosecution was not lenient on the boys....or their parents, as you will see in the following excerpt from a newspaper story at the time:

“Six boys,, whose ages ranged from 10 to 14 years, admitted charges of larceny, and of having been unlawfully on premises, before Messrs. J. H. Richards and F. A. Elix, in the Port Adelaide Juvenile Court yesterday.
Plainclothes Constable A. L. Mitchell, who prosecuted, said that three of Of boys, aged 11, I2, and 14, were jointly charged with having, on January 21, Access to the spot was gained either through her shop or over a six-foot barb -wire fence. On one occasion she was attracted to the side of the premises by a noise, and she chased away four or five small boys.
 Constable J. Allen, of Largs Bay, said that he questioned all of the boys, who admitted the offences.
 Mr Richards said that the boys were members of a criminal gang in the making. The court wished to impress upon the parents that it was their duty to look after their boys.
 It was no good allowing them to be out at all hours of the night and day. The parents were still responsible, even when the children were out of sight. Parents who refrained from looking after their charges were assisting them to be the criminals of the future. 
The 14-year-old boy, who was regarded by Mr Richards as the ringleader of the gang, was ordered two years' detention at the Reformatory on two charges of larceny and one of having been unlawfully on the premises.
 The father of the 11-year-old boy, who had been bound over in a 12 months 'bond to be of good behaviour, in May 1933 for "having unlawfully used a bicycle", was ordered to enter into another bond of £20 for his son to be of good behaviour for a further 12 months. 
The parents of the other four boys were required to enter into bonds of £10 each for their sons to be of good behaviour for 12 months.” - The Advertiser - Thursday 1 February 1934

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Know the Law

Do you know the law?

This week we take a look at some of the weirder laws that still apply in South Australia, contained in the summary offences act of 1953 and available online through the SA Government law website
Summary Offences Act of 1953:

21—Permitting premises to be frequented by thieves etc
(1) A person who—
(a) is the occupier of premises frequented by reputed thieves, prostitutes, persons
without lawful means of support or persons of notoriously bad character; or
(b) is, without reasonable excuse, in premises frequented by any such persons,
is guilty of an offence.
Maximum penalty: $750.




47—Interference with homing pigeons
(1) A person who—
(a) without lawful authority, kills, injures or takes any homing pigeon; or (b) enters upon any land for the purpose of killing, injuring or taking any homing
pigeon without lawful authority,
is guilty of an offence.
Maximum penalty: $250.
(2) Upon the conviction of a person for an offence against subsection (1), the court may
order the convicted person to pay to the owner of the pigeon killed, injured or taken in
contravention of that subsection a sum equal to the value of that pigeon.
(3) It is a defence to a charge of killing, injuring or taking a homing pigeon contrary to
subsection (1) to prove that the defendant was the owner or occupier of improved or
cultivated land, or a person acting under the instructions of any such owner or
occupier, and killed, injured or took the pigeon while it was actually upon that land or
any building on that land.
(4) In this section—
homing pigeon means a pigeon having a ring affixed or attached to either or both legs;
take includes to ensnare or catch.

50—Unlawfully ringing doorbells
A person who, without reasonable excuse, disturbs another by wilfully pulling or
ringing the doorbell of a house or by knocking at the door of a house is guilty of an offence.
Maximum penalty: $250.





56—Depositing or leaving dead animals in streets etc
A person who deposits the carcass of an animal, or leaves the carcass of an animal,
belonging to the person upon—
(a) a street, road or another thoroughfare; or
(b) a public park or reserve; or
(c) land or premises abutting any such place as is mentioned in paragraph (a) or
(b),
to the annoyance of persons in any such place, land or premises is guilty of an offence.
Maximum penalty: $750.

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Ghosts of Kapunda: Copper Mines

Ghosts of Kapunda: Copper Mines

The Copper in the Kapunda Mines was first discovered by Francis Dutton in 1842. He began a partnership with Captain Bagot (Captain was a traditional Cornish term used for a

manager).and together they purchased about 80 acres of land. They paid 1 pound per acre of land.

The pair set about taking samples from the numerous green rocks. The samples were then sent off to England for testing, this would take almost two years before results would return to Australia. Upon the results reaching Australia, the business partners were astonished to find the copper was 22.5% pure, which at the time was the richest deposit found anywhere in the world.

Clare Castle Hotel bottom left corner circa 1860

The mine began small with Bagot employing labourers to dig the copper of the surface with shovels and picks. In their first year alone they removed 600 tons of ore, valued at about 7000 pounds.

Around December 1844, Cornish miners began to arrive on-site, and tunnelling and underground mining began in earnest.

Francis Dutton decided to sell his 25% share in the mine in 1846, earning him the vast sum (at the time) of 16000 pounds, Captain Bagot now had the controlling 55% of the ownership of the mine.

In its beginnings, the mine would transport its ore via bullock dray to port Adelaide, a journey of about 6 days, where it would be loaded onto ships and transported by vessels to Swansea in Wales, where it was smelted by the Welsh. Loads were sent at 2 tonnes per load, by 1850, the mine was producing 100 tones of copper ore per month.

In the coming years the mine would expand significantly, and so would the town. Many jobs were created, and it seemed in this era that certain cultural backgrounds provided expertise in differing areas, with Welsh men coming to south Australia to operate smelters, the Cornish, who were expert miners, and the Germans who began to cut down trees needed to power the furnaces of the smelters, and began farms to feed the vast amount of workers. Then there were the Irish who began as labourers, and to drive the Bullock teams to Port Adelaide

Kapunda never had one distinct mine instead there were at least five or six

distinct copper lodes in close proximity, which were mined from as many as ten

separate shafts over time: Wheal Bagot, Wheal Charlotte, Wheal Truscott,

Wheal Lanyon, Wheal Harris, Wheal Major. There is no trace of any of them

today, as they have all been obliterated by later workings of the mine (wheal being a cornish mining term of phrase)

In 1849, Smelters made in Germany arrived in South Australia, reducing the need to ship ore overseas, however, the ships now brought back Coal from England for the smelters

by 1851, Kapunda had a population of over 2000 people

In 1850, the mines had reached about 80 feet down and had started to go below the water table, a steam engine was brought in to pump the water out of the mine. At its deepest point, the mine reached about 480 feet, or 150 metres.

In 1852, the Goldrush in Victoria began, this had a huge effect on Kapunda and its surrounds, many men left to try their luck at finding a quick fortune. For almost three years the production rate at Kapunda dropped to a minimal amount, however by 1857, production was at full speed again producing upwards of 4104 tonnes of ore

A sign in the Bagot mining Museum in Kapunda states that in 1861 the mine employed

43 miners - mostly Cornish

106 pitmen

23 children - mostly Cornish

82 labourers - mainly Irish

13 boys - mainly Irish

36 smelters and furnacemen - mainly Welsh

The mine at this time was employing 302 men and 36 boys.

2nd draft house engine room

The Kapunda mines importance declined with the discovery of copper at Burra, with a lode four times greater than Kapunda, but even Burra couldn’t compete with Moonta, which had a lode almost 4 times greater than Burra's!

By 1863 the majority of the high-grade ore had been mined out, the mine was now a low grade ore mine – soon it became an open cut mine.

The mine closed in 1878 and all the equipment was sold

However, it did reopen again and continued until 1912 on a smaller scale. During this time 12,800 tonnes or copper ore were mined

Now, in 2013 the Copper mine stands as a tourist attraction at Kapunda Southern End dominated by the large stone chimney that was used to provide air for the engine boilers below. The mine is the favourite place of artists who love the deep green hues of the water that fills the open cut mine.

looking into one of the open shafts 2010

The mine has an appeal for Paranormal investigators in the area due to stories of a paranormal nature that have appeared on the internet and through the rumour of townsfolk, these include the sightings of a “hairy ape like man” thought to be the “Kapunda Yeti”, to sightings of strange “lamp” lights near the mine, disembodied voices, people being “slapped” across the face and full bodied apparitions of miners, wearing clothes from a different era, in the surrounding area.

Our research has uncovered a few deaths involving miners, a few grizzly events. Such as miners losing limbs, a boy almost drowning in a waste water tank, could these events have scared the interior of the mines with emotions that resonate today, or is it people reaching a state of hypersensitivity due to the scary desolate feeling of the mine interior, and thus scaring themselves into believing a ghost is present?

Whatever is happening within the mine, it still remains a place of historical significance and should be treated as such, this is also a terribly dangerous place to enter, with open mine shafts, large pieces of steel jutting out of rock formations and other unseen dangers, we do not recommend going into the mine at all to anyone as its pitfalls are numerous.

Time Line:

1842 Copper ore discovered

1844 Mine opened

1845 Horse whim installed

Mine Square Cottages built

1846 Dutton sold his share

Captain John Richards appointed

1848 Draft engine purchased

1849 Draft engine at work

Smelter built

1851 Buhl engine installed

Mine closed by Victorian gold rush

1855 Mine re-opened

1859 Captain Bagot retired

1860 Kapunda Mining Company formed in London

Subsidence in workings

Railway reached Kapunda

1861 Draft Engine re-located

1862 East Kapunda mines opened

1863 Mines operated at a loss

1865 Scottish company took over mines

1867 Henderson Plant in production

Captain Osborne appointed

Opencut extraction

1877 Crash in copper price

1879 Mines closed

1880 Hillside mine opened

1912 Tributers finished up

1938 Matthews Gravel Quarry on Block 19 opened

1949 Matthews Gravel Quarry on Block 19 closed

1962 Council acquired Block 24

1972 Council acquired Block 21

Plaque placed on smokestack

Charlotte opencut used as Council dump

1986 Jubilee 150 signage erected

1987 Site entered in SA Heritage Register

2008 Preparation of Conservation Management Plan for the site

Please Remember this is a dangerous site to explore, all signs and restrictions put in place by the local council should be adhered too

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

John Hill

John Hill 

Mr Hill served as boatswain (The Foreman of the “unlicensed” crew) in His Majesty, King William's Ship, The Buffalo. [1]

John Hill was born on the 3rd of June 1808 in Cheshurst, Hertfordshire England. Mr Hill was a skilled thatcher before serving for his King in the English Navy.

John Hill's most notable mark in South Australian history, other than coming to our fine shores aboard the Buffalo, under the soon to be Governor of South Australia, Captain John Hindmarsh, was to unfurl the flag at proclamation day ceremonies at Glenelg.

As the proclamation, declaring South Australia a British colony was read aloud to the gathered sailors and dignitaries, John Hill raised the British Flag, thus marking his place in South Australian history for all time. He was aged 29 at the time.

Mr Hill was soon engaged to thatch roofs for the newly colonised State, the only skilled Roof thatcher available he was very busy and was summoned to thatch the roof of the Governor's house.

Mr Hill lived much of his middle years in Wilpena before settling in Kapunda with his family, where he died at the age of 77, after fighting an illness for four months. Mr Hill died on the 2nd of April 1885 and was interred in The Clare Road Cemetery. 

Mr Hill's Wife and Family were very proud of the fact that their Husband and Father hoisted the flag on proclamation day and marked the significance upon his tombstone.

His grave also features a very distinct and different marking. It features as the centrepiece the “British Standard” with Gum tree carved into Headstone.

Mr Hills obituary appears in the South Australian Register on page 2, April 11th 1885 and reads:

Deaths of Pioneers.— Our Kapunda correspondent mentions that bluff, hearty old John Hill the boatswain of the Buffalo, who hoisted the flag at Glenelg when the colony was proclaimed, died on Thursday evening, after an illness of four months. He was 77 years of age, and during his life enjoyed the very best of health until recently, when he was attacked by bronchitis. During his illness he suffered a great deal. He leaves  a widow, who is somewhat older than himself 

[1] The “Buffalo” was originally named “The Hindostand” in 1813 when it was built it was sold in that same year to the United Kingdom Navy and renamed “The Buffalo” where it began to ship mast timbers across the globe. It eventually was used to ship English female prisoners to Sydney (187) then travelled to South Africa. The ship was recommissioned in 1835 where it was fitted to house emigrants for transport to Australian Colonies.

Please note, this post was originally made on a short-lived blog I wrote about Kapunda, due to the amount of time spent researching the paranormal, the Kapunda blog suffered a severe lack of posts - rather than lose the blog into the depths of Internet obscurity, I am reposting some of the research back onto this blog as much of it contains, History, Mystery and the Paranormal.

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Macksad Murder

Macksad Murder

Adelaide municipal golf links, a serene location, low rolling hills, trees and flower beds, but in May 1933, the links became home to a homicide crime scene when the body of 38-year-old unemployed fitter, Richard Joseph Supple, was found on the grounds.

Supple had been shot three times and badly beaten around his head with a large blunt object.
Mr Supple's death remained one of Adelaide’s great mysteries at the time. Police searched relentlessly for clues and evidence. There were gaps in the whereabouts of Supple on the day of his death from 3:30pm on Wednesday the 16th of May onwards.


The absence of facts in their enquiries baffled them, how can a man disappear so thoroughly, surely someone must have seen this moderately well-known man about Adelaide.

Detectives Corell, McGrath and Strangways, and a plain-clothed Constable, Sharoe, covered large areas of ground in their enquiries after the finding of Mr Supples body on a Thursday morning, they visited all his known hangouts, his home, his family and his friends, and eventually, some luck came there way when a car with blood on the running boards was found.
The blood was sampled and taken away to pathology for testing.

What was thought to be bullet holes in Mr Supple's body were found to be holes caused by a garden rake. An argument between Supple, his wife, and neighbour, Salem Macksad had broken out. Macksad had used the rake to assault Supple.

An inspection of Macksads Gilbert Street shop revealed pools of blood on his floor. Macksad was taken into custody. Police revealed they had a motive for the murder, but would not lay charges until the blood test result confirmed their suspicions.
Salem Macksad was charged with the first-degree murder of Richard Joseph Supple.


It was revealed that Mrs Supple had an affair with Macksad, her neighbour. They would stop under the trees on Memorial Drive to engage in their carnal desires, and sometimes in the botanic park; but always after she finished her shift working on North Terrace at around 6:30pm – her husband had no knowledge of the affair.

Richard had come home one night and found his wife in the kitchen of Macksad, which angered him greatly. That night he fought with his wife and struck her, giving her a black eye, and from that time on, knowing his wife was cheating on him, he began to drink heavily and make a nuisance of himself upon her.

It would seem during a heated exchange with Macksad one evening, Macksad grabbed a three-pronged hoe-rake and struck Supple in the head, causing three bullet-like puncture wounds, which the police would later think were bullet holes.

Mr Macksad who had a shop right next door to the Supple family home on Gilbert Street, and Mrs Supple were in the trists of a secret affair that Richard had stumbled upon it... and within a couple of weeks, he was dead.

Salem Macksad was duly sentenced to twelve years of hard labour in Adelaide Gaol

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Remembrance Day 2013

Remembrance Day 2013

Today is Remembrance Day (Also known as Armistice Day), a day that marks the anniversary of the armistice which ended the First World War (1914–18). Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month,".

Each year Australians (and most countries of the Commonwealth) observe one-minute silence at 11 am on 11 November, in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts.

I thought, as my Great Grandfather fought in this war that I would honour him by offering this weeks blog a day early and devoting it to him, a man I never met, but a man I will always respected, like so many other Australians who go to war, to give us the freedoms we have today.

Sadly, I only have two photos of my Great-Grandfather during his service period.

The man on the left with the "X" marked on him is my Great Grandfather Harold James Buckingham Tremaine. He is pictured here with the 6th Cavalry Brigade (Adelaide): , 9th, Light Horse Regiment

This picture was taken in Cairo as far as I am aware, There is no story attached to it that I know of, unfortunately, my Grandmother, had past-on before she could relay the story to me.

Harold James Buckingham Tremaine

Born in Kapunda 1882 - died in Kapunda 1967
(enrolment register)

                                     Service Number: 1613

Rank: Private

Roll title: 9 LHR [Light Horse Regiment] - 11 to 14 Reinforcements (October 1915 - February 1916)

Conflict: First World War, 1914-1918

Date of embarkation: 18 November 1915

Place of embarkation: Adelaide

Ship embarked on: HMAT Geelong A2

(Discharge Register)

http://cedunaworldwar1.weebly.com/t.html

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

A Mysterious Letter - The Torrens Drowning Case

A Mysterious Letter

Mysterious letters began to turn up at the local Adelaide police station in December 1931 and the home of the Lawson family in Hilton, after the body of 17-year-old James Charles Lawson was found at the bottom of the Torrens Weir in Adelaide.
The letters, sent anonymously, appeared to be made by someone lacking in literacy or trying to disguise themselves as appearing so.
The letter received by James' Mother, was signed “I am one who knows” and contained a number of insinuations toward the Mother that she may have had a hand in the boy's death. The letter also alluded to the boy running away from home regularly, and that the reason for this was known by the letter writer, insinuating it was caused by harsh treatment of James by his Mother.

One line in the letter stated “If an inquest is going to be held, I am going to make myself known”, a thinly veiled threat that this anonymous writer knew something more about the boys death and would come forward as a witness to provide possible evidence that could lead to a murder trial – the letter was signed by “A Mother”.



The police issued a statement urging this Mother to come forward and state the facts she knew. They assigned an officer, one they thought would be approachable, for the anonymous writer to come forward too. Constable E. J. Davis, a plainclothes officer.  'Mother' never came forward.

As is law, an inquest was held into the death of young James, and hoping that the anonymous writer would be brave enough to come forth, a young court orderly was sent into the hallway and doorways of the building and told to announce in his loudest voice “That if anyone wished to give further evidence, he, or she, should come forward now and be heard!”
No-one stepped forward.

It was found by the inquest that James died from drowning, Dr. A F Lynch, who conducted the post mortem examination added to the testimony stating that James had eaten a very heavy meal shortly before he entered the water and that, due to this, it was probable that a sudden chill on top of a full stomach had resulted in his losing consciousness and drowning.

Do you believe the verdict of the inquest, or do you think something more sinister happened to young James?

© 2013 Allen Tiller

www.eidolonparanormal.com.au

Happy Halloween 2013

Happy Halloween 2013

This week I want to do something different and focus on Halloween, I know there will be plenty of readers that will go "Oh, American rubbish", but Halloween isn't American, it's origins and celebrations pre-date the discovery of the America's and actually comes from Europe, where in some places like, Scotland, it is still celebrated in its traditional form!

You may not believe it, but Halloween has been celebrated in little old Adelaide almost since the inception of the city. The Caledonian Club held an annual Halloween celebration and many references to it can be found in old newspapers.

 In the picture above U.S. servicemen celebrate Halloween in Australia by bobbing for apples

This skeleton tap dancing photo is from the State Library

I could go on and on about Halloween, and how much I love it, it's origins and its celebration, but I think this weeks blog will be short and sweet as I am working on editing some videos for a project that will become public very soon!

so until next week - enjoy Halloween and happy ghost hunting!

One Year of The Haunts of Adelaide

One Year of The Haunts of Adelaide

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of this blog “The Haunts of Adelaide”, and our long standing look into Adelaide (and South Australia's) History, Mystery and the Paranormal.

What a year it has been, for the blog, and for me personally.

The inspiration for this blog came from a few sources, one including my friend Liam at The Haunts of Brisbane. I had long thought about writing a blog on the History of Adelaide, with a slant towards mysteries, paranormal events and the darker side of Adelaide, with a little push from Liam, the blog was born. (thank you Liam!! :) )

Early on an employee of the State Library of South Australia took an interest in the research and stories I was exploring, and put the blog forward for the National Library of Australia's “Pandora “ Archive.

“PANDORA is a digital archive dedicated to the preservation of and long term access to Australian online electronic publications of national significance.” - from the Pandora website www.pandora.nla.gov.au” 

This inclusion was a huge, an unexpected, honour for me, and was the second inclusion of my teams work, with the Eidolon Paranormal website at www.eidolonparanormal.net being included in the Pandora Archive back in 2011.

Also this year, I went away to film a television show, “Haunting: Australia”, where I got to investigate alongside two friends Gaurav Tiwari from Indian Paranormal Society and Robb Demarest from Ghost Hunters International, as well as some new friends, Ian Lawman from Most Haunted, Rayleen Kable from Psychic TV, and the one and only Ray Jorden, from The Paranormal 5.

The cast of Haunting: Australia

We had some great adventures, and caught some great evidence...you'll have to watch the show when it comes out to see where we went and what we gathered...It was an amazing, eye opening experience to be involved in something like this.

TV was never a goal of mine (I was always more interested in making documentaries), but who would say no to Robb??

I can tell you I learnt a great deal from working with the cast, and also a great deal from the crew (looking at you Mick Eady ;) )! So all round it was a vast learning experience that will add new ideas to how I approach my own videos in the future, and how I approach our own paranormal investigations

Back to writing, Whilst the Eidolon blog takes a little break while I freshen it up a little, The Haunts of Adelaide will keep pressing forward, there is so much history in Adelaide, a lot of it untouched, forgotten or distorted from the facts, the blog could go on for years!

Also this year I got married. Yes it should probably be further up the page, but this post is supposed to be about the blog, not me...but

then, I write the blog, so I guess the blog, in some ways, is about me? Right?
 Anyhoo, I would like to thank my lovely Wife, Karen (who I met in a cemetery – and no she isn't dead!) for putting up with me as I research, explore and write, sometimes well into the wee hours, when I could be spending more time with her – Without Karens unending support and tolerance, this blog probably wouldn't have survived its first month!!

I would also like to thank each and every one of you who takes a little bite out of your day once a week to read my humble little blog, I hope it brings back memories for some, teaches others, inspires yet others, to investigate and research themselves, but most of all I hope you, the reader, enjoy the journey of discovering Adelaide, and South Australia's past with me.

Thank you for reading The Haunts of Adelaide

- Allen Tiller