The Strange Case of the Headless Calf.
In 1875, Mount
Gambier resident Mrs Buchan, over three nights, had strange dreams about her
daughter Mary, who had mysteriously disappeared.
 |
| Mary Buchan Photo: Les Hill Collection - Mount Gambier Library. |
The night after
her disappearance, Mary’s mother had a disturbing nightmare. In her dream, she
was looking over Hedley Park at Mount Gambier. (Hedley Park was bounded by
Sturt Street in the north, Bay Road in the east, and South Terrace in the
south, with Cemetery Road to its west.)
In the dream, Mrs Buchan could see a herd of cows standing in one corner of the field. She watched as a calf left the herd and walked across the field. It stopped about halfway across the field. Mrs Buchan watched the calf, and suddenly it dawned on her, that the calf that had just stopped, but had walked across the field, had no head!
Mrs Buchan woke up sweating and full of terror.
In the dream, Mrs Buchan could see a herd of cows standing in one corner of the field. She watched as a calf left the herd and walked across the field. It stopped about halfway across the field. Mrs Buchan watched the calf, and suddenly it dawned on her, that the calf that had just stopped, but had walked across the field, had no head!
Mrs Buchan woke up sweating and full of terror.
She told a close friend of the dream, and it was passed
off as a nightmare due to the stress of her
missing daughter. The following
night, Mrs Buchan had the exact same dream. Again, it was brushed off as a
nightmare caused by stress.
After the third night of having the exact same dream, Mrs Buchan could ignore it no longer. The following morning, she reported it to the police who ignored her claim. Mrs Buchan instead arranged with friends to plough the field. They found in the exact spot Mrs Buchan had seen the headless calf, the remains of her daughter, Mary. The police were called to confirm and investigate.
 |
| Mary Buchan 1870: SLSA: [16747] |
After the third night of having the exact same dream, Mrs Buchan could ignore it no longer. The following morning, she reported it to the police who ignored her claim. Mrs Buchan instead arranged with friends to plough the field. They found in the exact spot Mrs Buchan had seen the headless calf, the remains of her daughter, Mary. The police were called to confirm and investigate.
The spot where Mary Buchan’s lifeless body lay was
only 150 metres from a police station and even less from houses. If she had screamed, people most certainly would have heard her. The field had only
recently been ploughed, so her shallow grave was not noticeable to the naked
eye.
It was eventually revealed that William Page had murdered Mary Buchan by strangulation after she refused his sexual advances. Page was later hung at the Mount Gambier Gaol, which you can read about, and more details about the case, in a previous blog post here:
 |
| Mary Buchan's grave 1875 SLSA: [16748] |
Mary Julia Buchan is buried in Lake Terrace Cemetery, Mount Gambier, section G, plot 203. She was just 19 years old at the time of her murder. May she rest in peace. (her mother Mary Buchan is buried nearby in plot 236.)
Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019
Bibliography
'DREAMS OF DEATH', The
Mail, (9 November 1929), p. 3.
'THE HEDLEY PARK
TRAGEDY.', Border Watch, (7 August 1875), p. 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment