January 11, 1870

DEATH OF A CENTENARIAN. – One of the most aged, if not theoldest ... this district, died on Friday ....son’s residence, known as "Allison...." we refer to Mr. Francis ALLISON, born at Mansfield, Nottingham,... November, 1770, and consequently ... his 100th year at the timeof his ... The remains of Mr. ALLISON were ... in the Episcopal burial-ground of ... on Sunday afternoon. He came ... colony in 1820, with the Not...Party. – Journal

January 18, 1870

MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT. - A farmer in this division, Mr. N. VAN PLETSEN, in throwing a stone at a dog, missed his aim and hit his little daughter. The child has died from the effects of the blow. – Burghersdorp Gazette.

January 21, 1870

SUDDEN DEATH. – We hear that a few days ago, the wife of Mr. W.J. EARLY, a farmer, residing at “Sterkfontein” was suddenly attacked with a severe pain in her chest, and in a few minutes expired. Disease of the heart is said to have been the cause of death. – Cradock Register.

January 28, 1870

DEATH OF MR. R.H. BLAKEWAY

ANOTHER FASE OF THE LABOUR QUESTION. We deeply regret to announce that intelligence reached town on Thursday last of the death of Mr. R.H. BLAKEWAY, of the Gonubie, the result, it is said, of an altercation with his native servant, who is now in custody, pending an examination into the circumstances under which the deceased met his death. Dr. PETERS, on behalf of the District Surgeon, proceeded to the spot on Friday morning for the purpose of holding a post mortem on the body, and returned to town the same evening. Report says that on the morning of the day in question, the deceased finding something going wrong with the milking, or some unnecessary violence being used by the servant towards the calves, remonstrated with him about it; in answer to which the native is said to have spoken saucily and defiantly, upon which his master endeavoured to enforce compliance with his orders. Here-upon it is reported a scuffle ensued, during which the late Mr. BLAKEWAY received some severe injury, and on being conducted into the house he lay down and shortly afterwards expired. Another report made out that the deceased had been struck by the Kerrie of the native. In the absence of definite particulars it is of course difficult to come at the truth of the matter, but from a verbal statement of the surgeon who held the post mortem, it would appear that the deceased either received a terrible blow from some instrument in the region of the liver, or otherwise that immense pressure must have been brought to bear upon that part of Mr. BLAKEWAY’s body, for it is said that the deceased’s liver was forced right up above his lungs, which caused suffocation, from which, of course, death ensued. Such are the melancholy and confessedly meagre particulars which have reached us respecting the premature and violent death of the lamented gentlemen, who was, it is said, one of the gentlest and kindest of masters to his native servants. It now remains to be seen in how far the law will prove adequate to avenge his death. The character of the native who is alleged to have caused Mr. BLAKEWAY’s death is, according to what we hear, not one of the best. We are told that he was previously a contracted servant of Mr. Geo. GRAY, and on one or two occasions evinced a very vicious disposition towards his fellow domestics, besides behaving himself in other respects very contrarily, and for which his master was about to bring him to justice, but that he begged off, by promises of better behaviour in future. He rewarded his master for his kindness by taking the first opportunity to desert his service, and although the circumstance was, as it is said, reported to the police, he was never apprehended. Unfortunately he managed to get into the lamented Mr. BLAKEWAY’s employ, and now we have the result. We shall however, await fuller particulars before passing any stringent remarks upon the affair as bearing upon the labour and native questions, and the want of adequate protection by our isolated farmers. In the meantime we cannot but express our deep sympathy with the widow and afflicted family, who are thus suddenly deprived of a husband and father under such distressing circumstances. The deceased was a son of the aged Major BLACKEWAY, late of the Fort Beaufort district, but who, we believe, is at present living at the deceased’s farm. – Watchman.

February 1, 1870

DIED, at Queenstown, on the 27th January, 1870, Alison Maria, infant daughter of Mr. And Mrs. G.W. SCANDRETS, aged 8 months and 9 days.

We regret to hear that Mr. William MOIR, for some time residing in this town, met his death from drowning a few days since at Cradock.

February 5, 1870

ACCIDENTAL DEATH. – A rumour has reached Queenstown to the effect that Mr. Montague CARLISLE, brother of the Deputy Sheriff of Grahamstown, has been drowned while crossing a river. The young man had recently joined theFrontier Police.

February 22, 1870

ThE body of an European named Elam for some time a corporal in the F.A.M. Police, has been found in the Tambookie location. The cause of death is said to have bee heart disease, accelerated by exposure.

A SETTLER’S SON. – For some time past a poor man, afflicted with St. Vitus’s dance, has been domiciled in the hospital ward of the trunk for want of a better place in which to locate him. He walks out at his leisure into the grove. But it is only within the last few days that it has transpired that he is the very Jimmy MOUNSEY, whose father was the head of one of the parties of the original settlers. He has distant relatives to whom, surely, it needs to be known where he is, and they ... at once do something for him –Advocate – [Could not something be done at the... for a care such as this. – EdF.P.]

February 25, 1870

SUDDEN DEATH. – Mr PFEIFFER, tailor, residing in Shortmarket-street, Capetown, died on Thursday evening. Mr. PFEIFFER was in his shop till late that day, when he complained of being cold, and before medical assistance could be had he was a corpse. For some time past he had been a severe sufferer fram neuralgia in the head.

March 11, 1870

SAD OCCURRENCE. – Very heavy rains have fallen at Jansenville lately. Owing to the swollen state of the rivers, a very sad accident happened. A correspondent of the Uitenhage Times thus describes it: - “The people at Jansenville had just said good bye to Mrs SLABBERT and the family. They saw the wagon enter the drift of Brak River, which is a tributary to the Sunday’s River. The wagon was full of people, amongst them Mrs SLABBERT and five children their ages form 1 to 8. The river was not full when they entered but the oxen got wrong and Mr SLABBERT was adjusting the riems when the river came down, washing away Mrs SLABBERT and the children. A brave lad, 19 years of age,named Piet FOURIE plunged in and swam to the rescue, bringing out two children. Mr SLABBERT was rescued from his perilous position by two Hottentots. Young FOURIE having landed these two little ones, swam to the rescue of Mrs SLABBERT who caught hold of his shirt sleeve, and they were both whirled away together, and she being a stout, heavy woman, the shirt gave way and she was borne down by the torrent. The accident occurred about 10 o’clock on Monday morning. Poor SLABBERT is quite distracted. But a few minutes before, Mrs SLABBERT, full of health, had said good bye to her pastor, Mr SEYTLER and many of her friends. Her body was found on Wednesday on the farm of Mr Isaac GROBELAAR, 18 miles down the river, caught by her hair to a tree.

March 25, 1870

MARRIED by Special License at St. Michael’s Church, Queenstown, on the 22nd March, 1870, by the Rev. Canon ST. LEGER, Charles Edward, eldest son of George John NICHOLLS, Esq., of Capetown, to Caroline Elizabeth, eldest daughter of B.H. LEACH, Esq., of Queenstown.

BIRTH, at Kaierslantern Villa Queenstown, on the 20thMarch, 1870, the wife of Charles SONNENBERG, Esq., of a son.

March 29, 1870

MELANCHOLY DEATH. – We regret to announce the death of Mr. A. BRAUER, many years carrying on business at Honde Neck, in thisdivision. Deceased was German by birth, and formerly held a very honorable position in Berlin, as editor of one the leading newspapers. Deceased on Friday last, after using a pistol in the morning, was busied in cleaning it in theafternoon, and it is said by those first arriving at the residence, that while in the act of examining the chambers, the weapon must have exploded. No one was in the room at the time, but theconclusion was arrived at from the position of the body, and the fact that thehammer of the pistol had not struck in its proper place, resting half stuck on the stop and half on the nipple: neither had the chamber revolved as it should. We give these facts as given to us. Much sympathy is felt for the sorrowing widow, who at the moment was on a visit to a friend, and arrived a short time afterwards to find her husband dying of his wound.