2 Court cases; and more buildings in town.
Ipswich Queensland Times 30/10/77 in part
We are informed that the works on the Western Railway are in such an advanced state that there will be no difficulty in opening to Charley's Creek on the lst December. On Thursday last the rails were laid, and the ballast-engine ran as far as the hotel kept by "Tibbs, the Yankee," forty-seven miles and a half from Dalby, where the railway crosses the old Forest Road by a level crossing. The contractors, Messrs. Overend-who are doing all their work in an excellent manner-fully expect to have the rails laid to Charley's Creek by Saturday next. The new railway township, which is to be called Chinchilla, is pleasantly situated in open forest country on the banks of Charley's Creek, which has a fine supply of good water, fifty miles from Dalby, and promises to be a great improvement on that of Warra, where the accommodation for travellers is very bad.
Already there are five licensed houses, and two more applications are about to be made; and although brigalow saplings, canvas, and galvanised iron are the chief building materials at command, one or two of them are very creditable erections. Fronting the station is Morrisey's Royal Hotel, at the rear of which Messrs. Cobb and Co. are erecting their stables. Lower down is Mrs. Morgan's Railway Hotel, which should please the most fastidious, the beds being equal to any hotel in the colony so far as cleanliness and comfort go; the culinary arrangements are also well looked after. Next door is Conroy's store and post-office.
The station buildings will not be ready for the opening, as Mr. Piers, the contractor, has experienced great difficulty in getting timber owing to the drought. The majesty of the law is looked after by one sergeant and two constables, who, in their leisure time, are erecting a temporary stockade of brigalow saplings, said to be for refractory prisoners, who at present, sad to relate, have no accommodation.
The whole of the workmen and their families on this, as well as on Bashford's and Fountain's sections, are reported to be in good health ; but on the journey from Warra the melon-holes in the scrub--which, without doubt, caused the late sickness—are to be seen in great numbers.
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Dalby Herald, 24 Nov 1877
(in Part)
I understand that a Government official inspection of the balance of Messrs. Overend and Co.'s contract to Charley's Creek took place on Wednesday last, and that the line will, in a very short time, be open for general traffic. I suppose that many of the establishments at Cooranga will close in consequence, and multitudes of homeless fleas be thrown upon the wide wide world. I have been in many places where insects most do congregate, but never yet spent a night in any locality which equalled Cooranga for liveliness. Sleep, during the warm nights, 'is to a stranger utterly impossible', although the regular indwellers of the place appear to think as little of the annoyance, as eels are said to do of being skinned. It would not be very surprising, if the persevering little cusses finding their chances of gaining an honest livelihood at Cooranga lessened, were to ensconce themselves in a ballast train, evade the " heagle heye" of the energetic ticket porter, and emigrate en masse to Charley's Creek, where there would be a general "turn out" to receive them.
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Western Star and Roma Advertiser (Qld. : 1875 - 1948), Saturday 24 November 1877, page 3
Dalby.
[from our own. correspondent. ]
A case of aggravated assault came before the Bench on Tuesday which resulted in the prisoner, John Tobin, being committed for trial at the next sittings of the District Court, to be held on December 4. He was charged with assaulting one Joseph Miller at Charley's Creek on the 2nd instant, the particulars, in brief, being that on the evening of that day Miller was called in to O'Donnell's kitchen to have some supper, when prisoner, who was in the kitchen, a perfect stranger to Miller, called out not to give the "loafer" any supper, to which Miller replied he was not a loafer, and prisoner was a liar to call him one.
Prisoner then struck Miller in the eye and knocked him down, kicking him in the ribs and breaking his collar bone, which fracture might have been caused by the fall. Dr. Concannon deposed that Millar had been the Hospital under his charge since the row, and that owing to the fracture it would be four or five weeks yet before he would be able to use his arm. Due witness of the assault having been given the prisoner was committed, for trial as already stated.
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Brisbane Courier 26/11/77
In part …Tenders were called for the erection of a lockup , Charleys Creek.
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Dalby Herald 8/12/1877
James Hollingsworth alias Alien, was charged with having feloniously stolen and taken money to the value of £2, the property of Frederick Tibbs, at Charley's Creek.
The Crown prosecutor stated the case and called the following witnesses :
Frederick Tibbs deposed : I reside at the 48-mile camp; I had a store there; prisoner was in my employ, he had been about 6 weeks before Sept. 8, at £1 per – week; on Sept. 8, I arranged with him to take charge of the store during my absence until I returned ; I gave him, on that day, £2 in cash, for change ; he was to give no credit, except to those on the books; he was responsible for everything in my absence ; I returned on the 15th, prisoner was not there; the store was locked up, and I had to enter through the roof; a quantity of goods, value £30, were gone; prisoner has never accounted to me for what he sold, nor paid me any cash.
(To) Prisoner: You engaged with me on the Saturday before the 8th ; you said you had no tucker and were ill, and I said you might assist me in the store. I gave you order to pay the baker and butcher ; I left you £2, cash ; £1 worth of silver and two half-sovereigns.
(to) His Honor : I do not know whether he obtained bread and meat or not.
John Glover deposed : I remember seeing prisoner at Tibb's store between the 8th and 16th of Sept.; I bought of him tea, flour, potatoes, etc to the value of 4s 10d or 5s ; I paid him in silver.
By Prisoner . It was on a Saturday evening.
Duncan Clarke deposed:'- 1 know Tibbs' store at 48-mile camp; I was at his store on Sept. 7, I purchased goods on that day; I did not pay at the time; the amount was about 6 or 7s; I got some flour the day after Tibbs left ; I paid on the Monday, 9s 4d or 9s 10d two days after Tibbs departure, to prisoner; he read over the items to me.
By Prisoner : The last witness was the person I sent for the flour.
George Wakefield deposed : I know Tibbs' store ; I was thereabout the 8th to 16th of- Sept., prisoner was there ; I paid for goods about 8s or 9s ; I paid prisoner with a £5-note, and received change ; the following night the store was closed.
A number of irrelevant questions were asked by prisoner in cross-examination.
Prisoner made a rambling statement that he had been engaged to put up a building ; all the money left with him had gone to pay the butcher and baker.
His Honor summed up. Before convicting the prisoner, the jury must be satisfied that prisoner was in Tibbs' employ; the questions for their consideration were, whether he was in Tibbs employ; whether he received the money, and whether he accounted to Tibbs for it.
The jury retired, and in about twenty minutes brought in a verdict of guilty. His Honor, in summing up, said it was one of a very bad class of offences — to be placed in a situation of trust, and abuse the confidence reposed in him. He would be imprisoned in Brisbane gaol for 12 calendar months.
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