Hillgrove tragedy
Saturday 3 February 1912, The Sydney Morning Herald
ARMIDALE, Friday.
The inquest in connection with the death of Samuel Watson, who was killed at Hillgrove on January 22, was resumed yesterday.
Dr. Harold Martell, Government Medical Officer, Hillgrove, said that on January 23 he made a post-mortem examination of the body of Watson. Witness described the injuries deceased had received. He was of opinion that the causes of death were: First, shock; second, hemorrhage; and third, probably blows deceased had received on the head. The first two would be quite sufficient to cause death. The blows on the back of the head might have been caused by blows from a rifle. Witness tested 22 and 32 calibre bullets on a sheep’s head, and from the result held that the wound on deceased’s head corresponded with 22 calibre bullets. After being wounded the deceased would probably have scrambled out of his cart, and defended himself, though the injury would have completely blinded him. Deceased was a remarkably strong man.
Ernest Pullen stated that the broken portions of a rifle produced in the court resembled Skinner’s rifle.
Old news from Armidale and New England 
Thank you so much for this information. Sad as it was at the time, for me it has shed further light on the story of my great grandfather’s murder.
Judith
December 5, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Samuel Watson Was My Great Great Grandfather
Barbara
June 30, 2015 at 5:18 pm
Barbara would you be interested in family history? You can can contact me through my public site on ancestry.com.au Cheers
Judith Figucio
June 30, 2015 at 6:38 pm