Joseph Hesketh

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Brian Wills-Johnson on 29th March 2014

Coban, an aboriginal native, charged with the murder of Joseph Hesketh in December 1861, at a sheep station, 30 miles from Albany. In this case, the circumstances were that the deceased had married a native woman Mary, who afterwards went away with the blacks, particularly the accused ; she returned to Hesketh, and was sleeping with him under a blanket, the accused lying at a fire outside the hut, from which direction a spear was thrown which took effect upon Hesketh just below the left hip, and he died from the injury on the following day. According to the deposition of Mary Hesketh, the prisoner told her he had thrown the spear intending to hit her, and that when he found he had speared Hesketh he was very sorry and cried like a child. It appeared however that from want of due formality the Crown could not put in that deposition as evidence, and the case broke down from want of evidence to affect the prisoner. The Perth Gazette, 9 October 1863, p. 3. Report on proceedings in the Supreme Court.

Joseph Hesketh was granted a 10 acre property on the Kalgan River ,East of Albany Western Australia,Plantagenet Location 84 as a Crown Grant. He cleared this property and grew vegetables for the town of Albany. His only access to the property was by boat across Oyster Harbourto the mouth of the Kalgan River. He was reputedly speard by aboriginals and is reputed to have married an aboriginal Lubra albany