This post is a work in progress ... publication of which occured to allow for linking from another post.
This post is an introduction to the characters and events that culminated in the murder of Rev William Hill, at the Pentridge Stockade on the 13th May 1869. I present this research as a summary in its own right, but also as an introduction to a poem by Zachariah Sutcliffe, which addresses the same matter.
The post about that poem can be found here.
Key dates mentioned in this post
27 Nov 1867 - The Protestant Hall Riot
24 Jun 1868 - Attempted murder of James Kinsella
31 Dec 1868 - Death of Lucy Mary Hill, wife of William Hill, due to ill health.
13 May 1869 - Murder of Rev William Hill
3 Aug 1869 - Execution of James Ritson
James Ritson the Murderer
The incident that led to Ritson being in the custody of the Pentridge Stockade is recounted thus in the Illustrated Sydney News of 11 July 1868.
A murderous outrage was committed at the Eastern Market on the 24th ult. About 6 a.m., Mr. James Kinsella, market inspector, was sitting inside his inner office, and hearing foot-steps approaching from the outside, he turned round in his seat to recognise his visitor. A young man, decently attired, immediately walked up to within a yard of Kinsella's seat, and deliberately presented a cocked pistol in front of him. The self possession evinced by the ruffian, coupled with the audacity of the proceeding, completely unnerved Kinsella, and before he could adopt any means to insure his safety, the pistol was discharged in his face. The report of firearms in such an unusual place attracted the attention of the people in the market. Mr. Robinson was the first person who entered the office, and was just in time to prevent the escape of the ruffian, who had reached the .street entrance, holding the pistol in his hand. He was instantly secured, and as soon as the facts of the outrage had been explained, he was conveyed to the lock-up. It was then ascertained that the injuries sustained by Kinsella were confined to a severe flesh wound on the nose, and a dangerous singing about the eyes. Search was instituted for traces of shot or ball, but no marks of any missile could be detected. When brought to the watchhouse, the ruffian gave the name of James Ritson, and described himself as a dealer, but refused to assign any motive for the perpetration of the attempted murder. He is personally unknown to Kinsella, as well as to many of the dealers frequenting the market. In his possession were found a double-barrel pocket-pistol, a flask of gunpowder, a box of percussion caps, and a number of roughly-cast bullets.
VICTORIA. (1868, July 11). Illustrated Sydney News (NSW : 1853 - 1872), p. 6. Retrieved June 2, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63514064
Ritson was 16 years of ages at the time of the shooting. Fortunately for Kinsella the weapon was not loaded properly and the injury was not fatal. However, the injury did require significant treatment, the timing of which delayed the trial of Ritson, until Kinsella was well enough to give evidence.
The Argus of 21 July 1868 Reported
The Eastern-market Shooting Case. James Ritson, a young roan, was brought up, on remand, charged with shooting and wounding. James Kinsella deposed, — I am assistant market inspector. At ten minutes to six on the morning of the 24th June I was in my office at the market. No one else was there. I was engaged looking over the morning's collections. I heard a footstep, but thinking that it was Mr. Robinson, the lessee, 1 did not take any notice. Hearing the step again, I looked up, and saw the prisoner standing beside me. He presented a pistol, and discharged it in my face. I was hit, and put my hand up to my cheek. The blood oozed out between my fingers. Prisoner waited till he saw that the shot had taken effect, then deliberately walked away. I got up and followed, and did not let him out of my sight until Mr. Robinson arrested him. I then cried out, " That is the man who shot me." I have since been under the care of Dr. Beany and an operation was performed on me by him, assisted by other medical gentlemen. I have known the prisoner for three or four years as a hawker. I have had to caution him two or three times in the course of my duty, for trying to evade the market dues. That was about two and a half years ago. I have also seen him since May last. He was then hawking, and I demanded the dues from him. He paid them without any words, but always doggedly and reluctantly. George Robinson, lessee of the market, proved seeing prisoner run out of the office on the occasion referred to. Witness stopped, and arrested him, A flask of powder was found upon him when he was searched at the watchhouse, together with several bullets, and the double-barrelled pistol produced. Mary Pickford stated that she had seen the prisoner walking up and down before Mr. Kinsella's office for about ten minutes before he went in. James George Beaney, surgeon, deposed that Kinsella had been under his treatment ever since the morning of the 24th June. Saw him first that morning at half-past eight. He was bleeding very much from the nose and throat. There was a wound on the left side of the nose — a circular wound. On probing the wound he found that the probe passed in about five inches, and he ascertained that the bone was smashed. On the 7th July he per-formed an operation. There was a distinct communication through the bone of the nose, thence to the jaw-bone and forward to the back of the throat. Witness and the other medical gentlemen who assisted at the opera-tion, had expected to find the bullet buried in the upper jaw, but after the operation they concluded that the bullet, having been spent, merely glided into the throat and into the stomach. There was no doubt that the wound was caused by a bullet. The patient was in a very dangerous state. Constable Rivers proved that after he had taken prisoner to the watchhouse, and duly cautioned him, he (prisoner) said that he shot Kinsella with a bullet similar to the one found on him, and added that he would have done it again if he had not been prevented. He was willing to bear the consequences of the act. He stated that his reason for doing it was that he had received an insult from Kinsella. This being the evidence against the prisoner, he was asked if he had anything to say. He replied in a determined tone, "No, sir, I have nothing to say at present." He was committed for trial.
Ritson was tried and sentenced to death and this was overturned on the basis of insanity.
Rev William Hill the victim
Hill, according to the National Portrait Gallery, was a …
Wesleyan minister, … thought to have spent time as a missionary in India before coming to Victoria around 1854. He worked in Melbourne, Castlemaine, Ballarat and Sandhurst (Bendigo) before becoming superintendent of the Collingwood circuit, in which role he attended to the spiritual needs of prisoners at Pentridge Gaol.
There is some speculation that a poor constitution led to his migrating to Australia, whether that ailment was the cause of the remarked on thin skull is difficult to determine.
He married, and sired five children via his wife, Lucy Mary Hill, who predeceased him after a short illness in December 1868. She was 35 years old.
Family Notices (1869, January 1). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 4. Retrieved May 25, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5820836
The murder
The transcript of the inquest held two days after the event can be found here … LINK
TLDR - Ritson smashed in Hill’s head with a 9 inch long iron hinge he had removed from his bed almost immediately upon entry into into the cell. Help arrived within minutes but it was too late for Hill.
The denouement.
The attack was premeditated, the commentary on the execution reveals that Ritson resented Hill’s determination to have him become contrite for his attempted murder of Kinsella.
I was not able to find a transcript of the trail, but Ritson’s execution on the 3 August 1869 was widely published and much commentary accompanied it. Some of which relates to the trial.
Prior to the execution a plea was made by xxx to have the death penalty removed on account of Ritson’s insanity. It can be found here
Link
Much of commentary was therefore attributes to portraying Ritson as both sane, an accepting
Perhaps the strangest part of this story (from my perspective) was that at the time of the trial a gory wax recreation of the event was available for street side viewing in Bourke St, Melbourne.
In 1921, The Smith Journal, rewrote the story of Hill’s murder, with a godless sympathy for Ritson’s having to endure the ministry of Rev. Hill. The retell was attributed to the pseudonym “The Man in the Mask” can be found here …
THE MAN WHO SLEW A SERMON (1921, February 5). Smith's Weekly (Sydney, NSW : 1919 - 1950), p. 15. Retrieved May 25, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article234271256
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