Shot of Spirits: Episode 5: Angaston Hotel

 

Shot of Spirits: Episode 4: Angaston Hotel

The Angaston Hotel, in the Barossa Valley, is allegedly haunted by spirits that display poltergeist type activity.

Ghosts of the Barossa (edited) - Allen Tiller - Barossa History Fair 2021

Ghosts of the Barossa (edited) 

 Barossa History Fair 2021

Paranormal historian Allen Tiller discusses ghosts and hauntings in the Barossa Valley at the 2021 Barossa History Fair at Angaston.

Ghosts of the Barossa Valley: Old Freemason's Lodge

Ghosts of the Barossa Valley: Old Freemason's Lodge

 Angaston’s first public library was founded in 1856. Due to its small size, it was found inadequate by locals who needed space to read and learn. A meeting was held in town, and it was decided a Mechanics Institute would be built. The local Oddfellow’s society of the ‘Loyal Park Lodge, Manchester Unity of Oddfellows’ (founded in Angaston on Dec 14, 1855) was also in need of bigger premises. The Oddfellow’s put a motion forward that they would like to pool their monies with that of the Mechanic Institute and build one large building to meet the needs of everyone.

A ‘Mechanic’s Institute’ is an archaic term used to describe a ‘working-class’ place of learning. In the late 1700s, early 1800’s, “mechanic” was anyone who worked as a tradesperson, craftsperson, artisan, and was generally working-class people. They were dubbed ‘poor man’s universities’ and later became known as trade-schools.

Mr G.F. Angas donated land, and a large two-story building was erected. It contained a library, a reading room on the upper floor, a school in the basement and a large room on the ground floor for the Oddfellow’s Lodge, and a large institute hall. The building was officially opened by J.H. Angas in 1870.

Over time, the library moved from the top floor into the basement. Other sections of the building were used as a Sunday School. Balls were held in the hall, the basement was used for meetings, flower shows, weekly dancing and elocution recitals. An upstairs room was utilised by local barber Tom Dawson, after losing his premises in a fire.

 In 1905, The Barossa Masonic Lodge No. 49 received its official warrant, and in 1907, raised the funds to buy the entire building. The Loyal Park Lodge Oddfellow’s, under a previous agreement, reserved its right to use its original lodge room. The front of the building was redesigned by the Freemason, and a new inscription applied which read “Masonic Hall 1910”.

Today the old Freemason Lodge is a bed and breakfast.

 There has long been a rumour that this building is haunted, but the story is a very weak one with almost no evidence. It contains just two lines which were dug out from a very old book no longer in print:

“It has been noted that a figure is often seen leaving the Hall and crossing the street, simply disappearing before spectators’ eyes as his feet hit the pavement on the other side of the road”

 Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

Bibliography

Chinner, B., & Berry, P., ‘Angaston sketchbook’, (Rigby Adelaide 1976).

Baragwanath, P., ‘Mechanics’ Institutes role in Australia’s history’, The Guardian: The Worker’s Weekly, Vol.1526, (9 November 2011), https://www.cpa.org.au/guardian/2011/1526/12-mechanics-institutes.html, accessed 18 April 2019.

1936, Angaston and Nuriootpa: centenary souvenir, 1936, The Leader, Angaston viewed 18 April 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-21483483

Barossa Elephant Walk

Barossa Elephant Walk

1933, world travelling Wirth Brothers Circus had just finished shows in Adelaide and Gawler, and July 7th scheduled shows for Angaston in the Barossa Valley.

During the Gawler show of the circus, spectators commented on how the elephants didn’t seem to wander far from the circus troop, and how, if they did, they could cause significant damage to a small town. These statements may have foretold future events!

The following week, while Wirth’s Circus was in Angaston, one of the elephants decided he would go for a walk through the town. The lone elephant found himself in the garden of Mr Hentschke. It knocked over Mr Hentschke’s fences, then pulled up some of his roses. The elephant, not content with his destruction, then pulled a much-prized plum tree from the ground.
The elephant stomped its way through Hentschke’s prized garden, and once it had finished its rampage, took one of Hentschke’s wicker chairs from the front veranda and obliterated it, throwing it, in tiny pieces, across the front yard.
After its outing, the elephant returned to the circus.

One has to wonder if the same elephant was the cause of destruction in nearby Tanunda, where a number of grapevines were pulled from the ground. This elephant was shooed away by workers and returned to its circus!

Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2019

References:

1933 'ELEPHANT WANDERS OFF', Leader (Angaston, SA: 1918 - 1954), 20 July, p. 2. , viewed 25 Mar 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article165695371

1933 'Wirth Bros. Ltd. Circus', Leader (Angaston, SA: 1918 - 1954), 13 July, p. 1. , viewed 25 Mar 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article165695979

1933 '1-ELEPHANT POWER.', Bunyip (Gawler, SA: 1863 - 1954), 28 July, p. 4. , viewed 25 Mar 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article96651993

 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 2) – Johanne Schippan and Her Family

 Johanne Schippan had come to Australia as a nine-year-old girl from Prussia. She had emigrated with her parents and her brother. The family first lived in Victoria, but later moved to the larger German community that had settled in the Valleys north of Adelaide.

 These areas were settled by the Germans who missed out on the lad around Hahndorf and other Germanic settlements, but in the mid-north and Long Plains, these settlers would find areas much akin to their homelands and start settlements like Ebenezer, Bethel and Bethany.

  Johanne was the matriarch of the family, and as was done at the time, always asked her husband’s opinion on all matters. The opposite of Matthes, Johanne was much loved in the Towitta area for her hospitality.  Johanne was the one the children would go to when they needed encouragement, support or parental love, as Matthes, like most men of his period, was somewhat disconnected to his children and only really gave them attention when they had to learn something or he was dispensing punishment.

 Johanne witnessed her husband’s shooting charges, and probably issued a sigh of relief when he was acquitted, 7 children to raise on her own would have been a nightmare. Only three years after her husband’s trial, she would see her oldest daughter, Pauline, die of tuberculosis in 1899.

The Schippans: Gustave, Matthes, Mary, Johanne and Wilhelm

 In 1899, some of the older children in the family had moved on, and found work in other areas. Heinrich was working on a farm near Keyneton, and Fritz was working in another town in the Barossa Valley.
The two other boys, August and Wilhelm, still lived at home, and barely ventured out into the community, both boys were considered uneducated, and somewhat mentally disadvantaged.

 Mary and Bertha worked together in a local cannery. Other workers often commented on the fact they didn’t seem like sisters, but more like Mother and Daughter. Mary was a tall young woman with deep brown eyes, attractive, quiet and somewhat quiet. She was nervous and next never left home at night.
 Bertha on the other hand was an outgoing young lady, about to become a young woman. She was strong and of strong will, and was by far Matthes favourite child. She had her Dad wrapped neatly around her finger and could easily subdue his anger with a quick smile and a batter of her eyelashes.

 The two Schippan girls worked hard in the nearby town of Angaston, inside the Yalumba fruit canning factory.

 The Schippan family lived in a primitive house, with a number of sheds surrounding it, It had two large underground water tanks, and a partially underground dairy. The men of the house was slowly building a new house for the family, but for now, the Parents and daughters all lived within the main house, and boys all shared a large shed a few meters out the back of the house

In 1902 Matthes Schippan had been in the area for 27 years and had cultivated a 65ha farm whose settlements included a cottage with a kitchen garden and substantial farm buildings. Matthes had recently built a ‘new’ house to replace the crumbling pug and pine, and this house was built to last – along with two huge underground water tanks and a cool underground dairy.

Next Week: The Tragedy at Towitta (Part 3) – Intruder

The Tragedy at Towitta (Part 1) – Matthes Schippan

Towitta, a tiny township located on the Long Plain, about 5kms north-west of Sedan, is a remote village consisting of just a few houses. The original settlement was put in place in 1877 due to an excellent water resource in the area, used to sustain stock travelling through the region to interstate destinations.
 It is most probable you have never heard of this town, nor of what unfolded within in it in 1902, an event that would mark the area, the people and annuals of South Australian Law for all time.

Matthes Schippan was born in 1853 in Germany. Legend has it that after his mother died, his father became a raging alcoholic and his brother was killed and eaten by a wolf.

 His Father moved him to Australia at three years of age. His future wife, Johanna Dohnt, was born in Kotbus, Prussia on the 9^th of April 1844, and had moved to Australia with her 1854 to Victoria, to later move to the wine regions of South Australia, where her father worked around Eden Valley, the Barossa Valley and Flaxman's Valley.

The Schippan family first came into the region when Matthes Schippan acquired land on the 18^th of August 1873 through a Government lease. Matthes purchased the property at the end of the lease in 1888 and built the family home - a pug and pine construction.

The couple had seven children; The oldest being Pauline Auguste, born in 1875, followed by Maria Auguste, born in 1877 in Towitta (known in the family as Mary), then followed Fritz Carl Martin in 1879, Heinrich Johann Gustav in 1881, August Wilhelm in 1883, Wilhelm Johann Gottleib in 1886 and the youngest, Johanne Elizabeth in 1888, who was known in the family as “Bertha.”

Although many identified the Schippans as German, they were actually of Wendish descent, a people with their own language and customs, distinctly different to their neighboring German cousins. A large Wendish community can be found in the Barossa Valley in the town of Ebenezer.

 The Wendish were often regarded by Germans as a strange group, due to being prone to superstition and belief in witchcraft, which put them offside with God Fearing Lutherans.

 Matthes was a man of little emotion, except anger – he fired up to a rage very easily and was a strict disciplinarian to his children. Everyone in Towitta knew Matthes, but few called him friend, in fact most people avoided the bearded grizzly looking man if they could.

 In 1896, Matthes found himself in a world of trouble. On his way to a neighbour’s home one Sunday evening to collect two of his children and bring them home, Matthes came across three young men,  Karl Hartwig, his brother Hermann and their friend William Radomi. The three men young, all around 20 years of age began to taunt Matthes, who was walking the road to his neighbours, carrying only his rifle.
 The three young men tried to get Matthes to fire his rifle in their direction, one of them started throwing stones at the older man, goading him into firing the rifle. Matthew warned them to stop.

 They continued their taunts until finally, Matthes fired his gun into the ground.
The three young men rushed at Matthes and pushed him, then began to sprint away, Matthes anger drew up, he fired his gun into the ground again, but this time the bullet ricocheted and hit Karl Hartwig in the calf, wounding him.

 Matthes Schippan was arrested for his crime and later released on bail. He appeared in the Adelaide Supreme Court, but the case was soon dropped when the prosecutor dropped the charges. However, Justice Boucat did caution Matthes about firing his rifle in the manner he had and warned him the young man might have been killed if circumstances were different, and this could have seen him hung in Adelaide Gaol.

 After this event, Matthes was avoided even more so than usual in and around Towitta, and he became much more withdrawn from society and his family, finding it hard to trust anyone.

Next Week: The Tragedy at Towitta (Part 2) – Johanne Schippan and Her Family