Читать книгу Grand Deceptions - G. S. Willmott - Страница 18

Retirement

It’s not at what age you retire it’s when you have sufficient funds

Chapter 11

The decision was made to bury eight of the ten boxes in the cave, so it would be less conspicuous returning to town. When the first box was taken from the mine shaft and assayed, one of the Banshees would return for the next box this procedure would continue until all the gold had been legitimised by the Gold Commissioner. Mathew estimated it would take twelve months at least before all the booty had been assayed.

The Banshees resumed their street clothes, staggering their return over the next four hours. Mathew was the first to return to the hotel, carrying a strong box. He hid it in the stables until his two friends returned with the other box. They agreed to meet at the hotel the following night to discuss their plans for the future. John was quite shaken up by the shooting of the constable.

When Mathew went down to the breakfast room in the morning, the place was abuzz with talk about the robbery and how a policeman had been murdered.

The hotel proprietor agreed with his guests, condemning the vile act and suggesting that these murderous thieves should all be hanged.

The entire town of Ballarat was talking about the heinous crime including the diggers on the goldfields.

At 7 pm John and George arrived at the Golden Nugget and proceeded immediately to Mathew’s suite. It was a strange atmosphere. On the one hand, they were euphoric with the amount of gold they had amassed from the robbery and on the other hand they were distressed that Reilly had been killed.

‘Gentlemen we have obtained £47,467 (£47,467 equates to $4,000,000 in 2016) in the three bail ups we have conducted this year apart from George’s flesh wound we have all come out of our adventures unscathed,’ Mathew said. ‘My strong recommendation is we retire, disbanding the Banshees forever more. We will naturally launder the gold through the regular channel, and when that exercise is completed, we get on with our normal lives; all very wealthy men.’

‘I agree entirely. We quit while we are ahead,’ said George.

‘What about you, John? You seem very pensive,’ said Mathew.

‘I agree now is the time to call it quits. I’d like to donate £2,500 (£2,500 equates to $190,000) to the widow of Constable Reilly. At least it should help her raise her two children.’

‘I think we should all contribute, John. It wasn’t your fault,’ said Mathew.

An anonymous donation was made to Reilly’s widow via the Victorian Police.

George and John continued the charade of working the mine for the next twelve months. They had become known as the most successful gold miners on the Ballarat goldfields.

One night a week, usually Friday, John would partake in a poker game at the Golden Nugget. He continued his winning ways and although he did suffer some significant losses he was well up overall.

The Golden Nugget continued to prosper with Mathew being regarded as one of Ballarat’s most esteemed businessmen.

1 August 1858

Mathew was enjoying his dinner in the hotel’s dining room with a young woman, Elizabeth Gallbally, who was visiting from Melbourne. She came from one of Melbourne’s richest and distinguished families which had developed large cattle and sheep properties in the Gippsland area. Mathew had been introduced to Elizabeth by his good friend the Chief Magistrate of Victoria, Sir William Foster Stawell. The two men had met at a race meeting at Flemington Racecourse and later purchased a yearling filly together.

The publican heard a woman yelling in the reception area. He excused himself to determine what the fuss was all about.

‘Madam, what on earth is the matter?’

‘There’s a woman being attacked in the room next to mine! You need to save her or I’m sure she will be murdered.’

‘What room number are you in?’

‘I’m in 206 and she’s in 208.’

Mathew moved fast. ‘Harry, take this lady into the saloon bar and give her a drink to calm her down. Sam, come with me.’ He went to his office, opened the safe and took out his Hollis & Sheath pistols. He gave one to Sam, his senior porter. As they climbed the stairs to the second floor, they could both hear the screaming coming from room 208.

‘Open the door or we’ll break it down!’ yelled Mathew.

There was no response.

‘Sam, break down the door.’

Sam stepped back and took a flying leap at the hotel room door, hitting it hard. He was thrown back against the opposite wall. He got back up and was about to try again when Mathew stopped him. ‘You’ll never do it Sam I’ll shoot the lock.’

Mathew aimed the pistol and fired at the lock, shattering it and leaving the door ajar. The two men raced in, pistols drawn, only to find a young woman on the bed with two babies still connected by their umbilical cords.

‘My God, are you all right, madam?’

The woman gasped and tried to sit up. ‘I think so… how are my babies?’

‘Well, they’re crying; that’s a good sign.’ Mathew hoped that was right.

‘Can I see them, please?’

Mathew picked up one baby at a time, one boy, one girl and placed them on the young woman’s chest.

‘They’re beautiful, thank you.’

‘Sam will stay with you. I’ll go and get someone that will be able to help you. What’s your name?’

‘Annabelle.’

‘You’ve done very well Annabelle. I won’t be long.’

Mathew went downstairs and instructed one of the waitresses to call on Doctor Higgins to come quickly to check both the mother and her babies.

The doctor arrived thirty minutes later. He examined Annabelle first and then the twins. Having satisfied himself that all three were well, he severed the cords and cleaned the babies.

‘Well, young lady, where is the father?’ asked Doctor Higgins.

‘He died in a mining accident three months ago.’

‘Oh, I am sorry to hear that. How are you going to support these children?’

‘I can’t. I’m going to put them up for adoption.’

‘That is a shame but practical nonetheless. I can help you arrange the adoption if you like.’

‘Thank you, doctor; I’d appreciate your help.’

‘Why did you choose my hotel to give birth?’ asked Mathew.

‘I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I was evicted from my cottage two weeks ago.’

‘Did the landlord know you were about to give birth?’

‘He did, but I was four weeks in arrears.’

‘What’s his name?’

‘Stuart Spencer; do you know him?’

‘Yes, I know him, and somehow I’m not surprised at his callousness.’

Doctor Higgins arranged for his nurse to pay a visit to Annabelle and the twins and to bath all three and dress the mother in a clean nightie. The babies were wrapped in baby blankets.

Mathew and his good friend Doctor Higgins went downstairs to partake in one of Mathew’s fine malt whiskies.

‘Young Annabelle informed me her intention was to give the babies up for adoption as she has no means to support them,’ said the doctor.

‘That’s a shame. No mother would want to lose her child,’ said Mathew. ‘David, would it be possible for a single man to adopt a child?’

‘That depends on the man and his circumstances. Why do you ask, Mathew?

‘Looking at those babies and considering the lives they may have in an orphanage makes me wonder if I should adopt them.’

‘Well, with your background and wealth I don’t think the adoption agency would have too many objections, Mathew. Are you sure you would wish to adopt both of them?’

‘No, probably not. Just the girl. I don’t think I could manage with two. I would hire a full-time nanny to help take care of the child.’

‘Do you want me to approach the agency?’

‘Yes, if you could, David, that would be excellent.’

‘Leave it with me, Mathew. I’ll get back to you as soon as I know anything.’

David Higgins got back in touch with Mathew the following week.

‘I have good news! Although the agency is always reluctant to adopt a child to a single parent, they are willing to make an exception in your case.’

‘What do I need to do?’

‘You will need to sign the adoption papers as will Annabelle. They have also asked me if you would be willing to make a donation to the orphanage the boy will be going to.’

‘Yes, of course. Let me think about how much would be appropriate.’

Mathew placed an advertisement in the Ballarat Star the next day, hoping to find a suitable nanny quickly. He received ten responses and having interviewed six candidates, he chose a woman of twenty-five who had recently arrived in Australia from England. She came from Surrey, next to Kent where Mathew was born and raised. She had been a nanny to two children of the Guilford family for the previous five years and came with excellent references. Her name was Sarah Anderson and the fact she was pleasing to the eye had nothing to do with Mathew’s choice.

Mathew donated £2000 to the Ballarat and District Orphanage, a non-denominational institution managed by an independent board of management. It would be here where the boy would be placed. Mathew never inquired about the boy’s name. It was of no real interest to him.

The Ballarat and District Orphanage

Annabelle Huston moved to Bendigo where her family resided. She never saw her twins again. The last and only influence she had on the babies after the birth was naming them Emma and Gordon. Gordon was taken to the Ballarat and District Orphanage where he endured a life diametrically opposed to the privileged life Emma would enjoy.