Page 33 - rigneymaster

One Man’s Goldfield: the story of the Horseshoe Bend Diggings, William Rigney and Somebody’s Darling

just purchased some cattle from Messrs Greeves and Dunn, Clyde. He was in the act
of swimming them across the river; on his way home, by some means his horse got off
a sand bar which exists at the mouth of the creek. The exertions made by the animal
to regain its footing threw the rider who was immediately carried off by the current."
53
[link to original record in Papers Past]

The Appendix to the House of Representatives Return of Persons Drowned records
54
Feb 17 1865 as the date that the body of Charles Alm’s was found. [link to original
record in National Library of New Zealand]

A body was discovered at Rag Beach on the seventh of February 1865 by Robert
Harrison a miner who lived near the Mount Benger Hotel.

The inquest into the death was held at the Horse Shoe Hotel on the 22nd of February
1865 [note the written record states the year as 1864]. Evidence was taken at the
Inquest from Harrison, who discovered the body, Richard Owens, who knew Alms,
and Sergeant McClusky from the Teviot Police Station.

Harrison reported that "The body when I found it had about its waist a belt, around its
neck a handkerchief. The body lay on its face embedded in the sand at least the face
arms and legs to above the knees were so. I observed no property lying about where
the body lay.”

Richard Owens, a ferryman from the Teviot concluded "from an examination of the
clothing or remnants of clothing about the body now before the jury I have every
reason to believe it is the body of one Charlie a butcher residing at the Nevis Diggings
who crossed the River Clutha at the Dunstan Ferry in the later part of January [1865]
and who was reported to me two hours after he had crossed as having drowned in the
Clutha down opposite Mutton Town Creek [near Clyde] between the Dunstan and the
Manuherikia. In particular I came to the conclusion that it is the body of Charlie from
my recollection of the boots pants and spurs he wore on the day he was reported
drowned. I have every reason to know the deceased and observe his clothing as he
used to frequently cross the River on the Dunstan Ferry."

Owens evidence was supported by that of the Police Sergeant. "In the later part of
the month of January last [1865] I received from the Dunstan Police Station the
description of a man named Charles Alms a butcher... the following is the description
given " Age 26 height 4' 5'' [likely to be an error in the inquest report as Owens refers
to his height as 5' 4''] complexion fair as also whiskers and moustache dressed in dark
tweed pants dark grey shirt a blue necktie and [illegible] boots" I have carefully
examined the body of the deceased but cannot identify it with the description it is so
decomposed unless the height which corresponds but so far as the clothing from the
remnants thereof about the body and the boot spur and necktie they seem to be the
55
same as those described indeed answer exactly." [link to copy of inquest]

This is the only reference found to a body being located in that area of the Clutha at
around that time. The fact that the loss of Alms was recorded by the Otago Daily

53 Report "Dunstan. From the daily times correspondent" Otago Witness , Issue 688, 3 February 1865, Page 7; Sourced from Papers Past; National
Library of New Zealand
54 AJHR 1870 National Library of New Zealand
55 Inquest Report, person name unknown but supposed to be one Charles Alms. Otago Provincial Council. 22.2.1865

© Jeff Robertson 33