Lost Hotels: Crabb’s Old Accommodation House

William Crabb - circa 1872

Lost Hotels: Crabb’s Old Accommodation House

Blanchetown in the 1850s was a Murray River Port that was nothing much more than a few tents and a couple of small cottages. In 1841, The Protector of Aborigines, Edward John Eyre established the first European settlement on the Murray River 6 kilometres south at a place called ‘Moorundie’. Moorundie was the name of the local indigenous people.
Eyre’s site was subject to flooding, so another site further up the Murray was chosen to be surveyed for a township. In 1855, Governor Sir Richard Graves McDonnell named the new river port “Blanchetown” after his wife Lady Blanche McDonnell.

The first families in the region were the Brand family and Crabb family.

One of the first pastoral leases in the area was held by the Crabb family. The Crabb’s had emigrated to South Australia from Plymouth, Devon England on The Java. They arrived in Port Adelaide in 1840. They moved around South Australia to places like Angaston, Truro and North Rhyne, (now Keyneton) before settling in Blanchetown in the late 1850s.
The Crabb’s took to catching and taming wild horses in the area on Craig’s Plains below Accommodation Hill.

 Being close to the Blanchetown port allowed the Crabb's to export their goods and profit from their land. The Crabb’s also ran sheep, cattle and their own horses, with their boys growing up to be well-known boundary riders and stockmen in the region.
William and his wife Mary Anne (nee Chinner) had nine children. In time, those children married and the family grew. There were 18 members of the Crabb family living in Blanchetown in the 1870s, which made up a significant portion of the population of the then tiny town.

Crabb Reservoir - located halfway between Crabb's Old Accommodation House
and the Annadale Halfway House on the Sturt Highway.

Blanchetown became a centre of activity, as a port, and as a crossing point of the river of the road to Sydney NSW. Wool and other commodities would come down the river via paddle steamer, then get loaded onto bullock drays to head further south to Adelaide.

The 1865 drought killed much of the Crabb’s cattle stock and their property had to be sold. William Crabb instead built the first hotel in the area, known locally as Crabb’s Halfway House, and later as Crabb’s Old Accommodation House, which was located on the track from Truro to Blanchetown (now the Sturt Highway). His hotel was first licenced in 1865 and almost closed a year later when Crabb was late with his application to the Magistrates board.
He appeared in person to plead his case and stated that; “I did not send in my application in time because I had made up my mind to leave the house, but was afterwards induced to apply for a renewal of the licence in consideration of the accommodation the house afforded the public. I have kept it eight years and have sunk a considerable amount of money there.”
His license was renewed by the board.

William Crabb ran his hotel until 1873 when he decided to shut up shop and sell off all the internal furnishings. He then invested in the nearby station Roonka Roonka, and Hampton station. This investment proved profitable for the Crabb’s, with William beginning trade in wool-buying and wool-scouring, which was earning him over 1000 pounds a year.


In 1881, Crabb’s Halfway-House is mentioned in many local newspapers as the nearest point to a

Newspaper advertisement for the sale of goods from Crabb's Hotel

cliff fall of the banks of the Murray River. On the bend of the river nearby, A 250 feet section of the cliff face had come away from the ground around it via an explosion. Warnings were put in newspapers for steamboat Captains to avoid the fallen debris, and to avoid the large section of the cliff still dangling, ready to fall.
William and Mary had rushed from their home upon hearing the explosion and watched a 1.5 metres (5 foot) high tsunami travel across the Murray River and submerge a small island in their view. After inspecting the cliff, they discovered one massive 12-metre-tall (40-foot) tree over 3 metres (12 feet) away from where its roots sat.

The Crabb’s rented out their former hotel for a short time before it fell into the ruins that remain today.

William and Mary Crabb are buried in a little cemetery not far from Blanchetown. In the same cemetery are the final resting places of James Brand, James Rossiter and his wife.

During the 1960s 165 skeletons of indigenous human remains were found in the sand dunes on the Roonka Roonka station property which led to an archaeological dig in the area. The oldest remains have been carbon dates as 8,000 to 7,000 years B.P (B.P. meaning “Before Present” 1950)

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

References

1866 'BENCH OF MAGISTRATES.', The Adelaide Express (SA: 1863 - 1866), 11 September, p. 5. , viewed 03 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207679872

1874 'COUNTRY CORRESPONDENCE.', South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), 5 January, p. 7. , viewed 03 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article39814195

1881 'COUNTRY NEWS, COUNTRY LETTERS.', Adelaide Observer (SA: 1843 - 1904), 26 November, p. 37. , viewed 03 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article160151381

1881 'LANDSLIP ON THE MURRAY.', Adelaide Observer (SA: 1843 - 1904), 12 March, p. 15. , viewed 03 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article160142338

1881 'SANDLETON, November 16.', South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA: 1839 - 1900), 22 November, p. 2. (Supplement to the South Australian Register.), viewed 03 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47087005

1884 'ANNA. JUNE 23.', South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA: 1839 - 1900), 26 June, p. 3. , viewed 03 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43661923

1894 'No title', The Laura Standard (SA: 1889 - 1917), 23 November, p. 2. , viewed 03 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article191007579

1903 'OBITUARY.', Chronicle (Adelaide, SA: 1895 - 1954), 3 October, p. 35. , viewed 03 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article87871091

1939 'Blanchetown in the Seventies', Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record (Renmark, SA: 1913 - 1942), 14 December, p. 12. , viewed 03 Jan 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article109250178

Leadbeater B (1996) South Australian Shipping & Immigration, Family History SA, retrieved from http://www.familyhistorysa.info/shipping/passengerlists.html

Prokopec, Miroslav & L Pretty, Graeme & Smith, Patricia. (1994). Australian aboriginals: prehistoric South. Variab Evol. 4.

 The Tragedy at Towitta (Part 7) – The Trial of Mary Schippan

 The young and naïve Mary Schippan was very much out of place in the harsh environment of the Adelaide Gaol. Amongst thieves and prostitutes, there were no friendly faces, and being accused of murder, set her apart from the lower crimes, with the few women that were doing time, avoiding her as best they could. Mary’s only constant visitor was Father Eital from the Lutheran Church, who was consoling Mary about her upcoming trial and the possibility of being hung for the crime.

The date for her trial was set for Tuesday, 4 March 4 1902.

Whilst Mary sat in Adelaide Gaol, an exhumation of her sister, Bertha had begun in Sedan Cemetery for a re-examination of the body for missed clues. Both the prosecution and the defence were gathering evidence and statements for the upcoming trial in March.
 Meanwhile, the general public where whipped up into a frenzy over the whole case, looking for any bit of information about it they could get, and on March 4^th, a huge crowd of onlookers gathered in Victoria Square near the courthouse, a smaller crowd though, waited at the Adelaide Gaol to see if they could spot Mary as she was taken to the trial.

 The courthouse filled quickly that morning, but to the disappointment of the crowd the case against Mary was adjourned until the following morning.
 The following morning Mary was taken to the courthouse from the Adelaide Gaol, she sat and
 A few formalities were dealt with, and Mary was asked to offer her plea, of which she replied in a calm soft voice “I am not guilty Sir.”

waited in the Dock for Chief Justice Samuel Way to enter at precisely 10am.

 After the usual court hearing formalities, a jury was presented and the trial began. The Crown Solicitor Sinclair offered the opening argument about goings-on that night, which ended with the following statement.

“The suggestion that the prosecution makes is that the deed was either prompted by jealousy arising from an invitation from Nitschke to Bertha to accompany him to Adelaide, or by fear that the knowledge of Mary’s misbehaviour possessed by Bertha would be communicated to the Father upon his return home.

 I ask the jury not to allow sentiment to dictate their finding, and not to permit sympathy to dominate reason.”

 August and Wilhelm were called successively as witnesses for cross-examination, and gave almost matching accounts, the same as they had in the inquest earlier in January. The followed by Mary’s Mother Johanne who was asked about the girl’s clothing.
 The court adjourned at 6:30pm that evening.
Police had to use diversionary tactics to take Mary back to the Adelaide Gaol as the crowd had grown to over 1500 people around the courthouse, trying to get a glimpse of her.

 The next day saw members of the Lambert and Henkes families called forth to give witness and statement from Detective Fraser, Mounted Constable McArthur and Gustave Nitschke.

Gustave Nitschke was seen by the general public as a villain, and upon his leaving court that day, a large group of angry people began to follow him, as he sped up, they sped up too. It wasn’t until a police escort was presented that he was able to escape the angry crowd that looked as if it could riot at any minute.

On day 5 the defence mounted its case. Symon, for the defence, presented a well thought out and eloquent speech that lasted a full day. He detailed all events and possibilities that the prosecution had presented as motive and cause and defended Mary while destroying the reputation of Nitschke.

 In fact on the evening of day 5 of the hearing, the gathered crowd had become so angry towards the man, there was a good chance he would be lynched in the street. As he made his way down King William Street, the crowd turned angry, and he was struck in the face by two men. Nitschke ran to a nearby cab-rank for help, but they ignored him, so he ran to the Prince of Wales Hotel, where he was quickly turned away by the publican. Nitschke ran down the street dodging blows until police, hearing his screams, rescued him and escorted him away from the crowd, thus saving his life.

 Day 6, the courtroom was full, as were the streets outside. There was tension in the air as proceedings began again at 10am. Chief Justice Way then went about condensing the previous 5 days statements and evidence before conceding to the Jury for their verdict.
 Statements were made by both the prosecution and defence, and before retiring at 6:10pm to gather for their verdict, the jury asked for some of the clothing and the bedclothes to be delivered to them while they came to their conclusion.

The Jury returned to the courtroom at 8:06 pm that evening. The eerie glow of the now lit gas lamps and the total silence of everyone in the room led to an electric atmosphere. Mary sat in the witness box, quietly awaiting her fate.

Mary stood, grim and silent, as she waited for the Jury foreman to come forward and read out loud the verdict.
 When asked by the Crown if Mary Schippan was guilty of not guilty, John Bradley, the Jury foreman uttered “Not Guilty” in a nervous voice. Instantly the crowd erupted in applause and cheers, and outside the 3000 people gathered also began to cheer as the news spread through the crowd. Popular opinion was that Mary was innocent of the crime, and this was the outcome the public hoped for.

Meanwhile back in the courtroom, Chief Justice Way was shouting for order and trying to control the celebrations.

 Mary was reunited with her parents, and ushered out into a police cab, for 100 meters down King William Street people cheered for her, however, some of the crowd hung back at the courthouse, waiting to see Nitschke, and hurling abuse towards him.

Police had been prepared for this and had set up a number of diversions to distract the crowd, secreting Nitschke out of the area and away to safety.

NEXT WEEK: The Tragedy at Towitta (Part 8) – The Aftermath of a Famous Trial

The Tragedy at Towitta (Part 6) –What the Inquest Found

 Towitta could not handle the influx of people who had come to hear the slightest bit of news from the inquest, Sedan was overrun, and even Angaston’s overnight lodgings were full.

 August was the first to be called to the inquest, which was being overseen by Coroner Mulligan, with Detective Fraser taking the depositions and Detective Priest acting as Clerk. Wilhelm followed August – as the boys gave their statements, Mary and her Mother, Johanne, waited in the kitchen of the family home.
 The boys stories differed slightly from that of Mary’s original story, they stated, they had come home and the girls were already in bed, so they helped themselves to cake, before retiring themselves, Mary’s statement said she had cut the cut for the boys, before they had retired to bed.

 Dr Steel was next to be questioned, and his statements proved to be quite damning for Mary. After describing his initial examination of Bertha’s body as she lay dead on the floor, he then described the port-mortem examination and the findings there, but, it was his examination of Mary, on the morning after the murder that proved most news-worthy.

 Dr Steel stated that some the strips of clothing found near Bertha’s bod were missing from Mary’s night clothing, Mary also had scratched on her arms, bruising on her knees and upper thighs, but perhaps the most damning was Mary had complained of a sore neck, Dr Steel discovered Mary’s hair had not been pulled or was even out of place, and that the back of her neck had been recently washed.

 Matthes and Johanne were called upon next, but offered no new clues, or a clear motive for the attack. The inquest went on well into the night and was only adjourned until the next day because there was enough light to allow the clerk to take notes.

The next day the inquest began again at 8am. Mary was called to the witness chair at 10:20am. She wore a brown dress and white apron and was sworn in, something that wasn’t normally done at an inquest.
 An argument then broke out between the two solicitors over Mary giving evidence that may or may not incriminate her, and both men argued the point to the Coroner. Detective Fraser then told Mary she does not need to say anything she thinks may incriminate her.

 Mary answered all the questions asked of her for the next four and half hours, never wavering and never showing much emotion. Her story had not changed, but one piece of evidence was about to be brought forward that would change the case, and cause the biggest media sensation South Australia had ever seen at the time.

 Mary revealed she had been having relations with a man named “Gustave Nitschke”. The Police Solicitor jumped on this as a possible motive for the killing of Bertha, who, as it turned out, had known of Mary’s Trist with then older man.
 Gustave Nitschke was called to the inquest to give evidence, and spoke of having sex with Mary on a t least three occasions, one time on the Schippans parents bed, with Bertha in the room next door, possible watching through the cracks in the door. This of course in 1902 would have been scandalous, an unwed woman and man having sex and secret meetings.

 During Nitschke’s evidence he stated he had previously “spooned with Bertha, whilst another man spooned with Mary, and had often joked with Bertha about whisking her away to the city with him.
 It came to light that Nitschke had had sex with Mary on the night her parents had left for Flaxman’s Valley, December 17^th 1901, just a few days before Bertha’s murder, but he had witnesses to prove he had been in Adelaide at the time of the murder.

 More witnesses were called during the afternoon, including Mary’s Mother and Dr Smith, the jury retired at 5 to 6pm and returned an hour later with their verdict on the matter.

At about 7pm that night the Jury’s verdict was read aloud by Coroner Mulligan:

 “We, the Jury, are all of the opinion that Johanne “Bertha” Elizabeth Schippan met her death on the first night of January, 1902, by having her throat cut by Mary Augusta Schippan.”

The room was silent.

Mary was called before Mr Mulligan and the murder charge was read out loud to her, and everyone present. She was then ordered to be arrested and to be transported to the Adelaide Gaol, where she would await trial for murder, a sentence that carried the weight of being hung if found guilty.

 Mary’s Mother embraced her daughter, and refused the police to take her away, all the while Mary pleaded with her mother that she had not done the crime.

 The Police put Mary in a horse trap, and took her to the Angaston police cells where she was kept until the next morning, they then took her to Freeling train station and awaited the Kapunda train.

 The Police officer knew word was travelling, and a crowd had gathered at Gawler to get sight of Mary, a larger crowd was now gathering at the Adelaide Railway Station as the news of the young girl who had killed her sister made its way into Adelaide.
 The officer in charge of transporting Mary had other ideas to beat the crowd, and he disembarked from the train at North Adelaide, taking Mary straight to Adelaide Gaol.

NEXT WEEK: The Tragedy at Towitta (Part 7) –The Trial of Mary Schippan

The Tragedy at Towitta (Part 5) –The Inquest Begins

 News travels fast in the country and the tragic circumstance around the Towitta murder spread like wildfire through South Australia. Mounted Constable Mowbray secured the crime scene and started documenting the evidence, only to have Matthes and Johanne return home at 1pm that day from Flaxman’s Valley. Heinrich, one of the other brothers also made his way home from where he was working as soon as heard what had happened.

 Dr Steel had arrived from Angaston and had dutifully recorded the cause of death, assisted by Mounted Constable Mowbray and Police Constable Rumble. Matthes was soon approached to identify his daughter’s body, and did so with little outward emotion.
 Soon the Coroner arrived, Mr William Mulligan who almost immediately set in motion an inquest into the event gathering known facts and assessing the situation.
 

 The night, as neighbours gathered to console the grieving Schippans, two other neighbours prepared Bertha’s body for burial – It was a hot summer, and unlike today there were not electric refrigerated morgues, so a quick turnaround time to burial was considered essential.

Mary Schippan

 On Friday the 3^rd of January 1902, families gathered at the Schippan family home and sang hymns as they mourned over the body of Bertha. After the short service, the families of mourners followed the body of Bertha to the Sedan Cemetery where she was laid to rest.

 On the same day a number of Police Troopers, Detectives, and Aboriginal Tracker and a Sergeant descended on lonely Towitta, bringing the investigate force to 15 men. Detective Priest ran the investigation and set up an office in the family kitchen. Meanwhile, the Schippans began to live their lives in the shed the boys shared, using another outbuilding for their kitchen and food preparation.
 Soon the media arrived in the town, and began enquiring of the Schippans, who answered every question thrown at them, and allowed numerous photographs to be taken. The Media also asked questions of every single person they encountered in the town of Sedan, looking for that one important scoop. In fact, as the inquest really took hold, and the publics greed for news about the Schippan story took centre stage, three people had to be added to the Angaston telegram exchange to get the news back to the newspapers.

  Soon the real inquest into the matter begun, and the Adelaide City Coroner, Dr William Smith came to Towitta as a witness, this was because he had been asked, as a Doctor to assist in the identification of bloodstains on the girls' clothes. Two Solicitors arrived, MR J Sinclair from Adelaide, acting for the Police, and MR A Foster of Kapunda acting on behalf of the Schippans.
 A jury soon arrived consisting of 8 men. The entire consort of people, and the Schippans all went into one of the outbuildings of which would become the main place for the inquest to be held. Just outside of the building a number of photographers and journalist’s waited for information, and behind them, in the field, were families, some with picnic baskets, waiting for sort of information they could get about the gruesome goings-on at the Schippan House

NEXT WEEK: The Tragedy at Towitta (Part 6) –What the Inquest Found