I was recently sent this photograph of H Cramer and Co, Saddle, Collar and Harness Maker. I was asked to find out a bit more about the business. I started to search and this sad tale unfolded.
H Cramer Saddle and Harness Maker, Ford Street Coolgardie 1903
In Kalgoorlie in 1901, a young couple married, Margaret Theresa ANGUS and Henry Timothy CRAMER, they were both from Victoria. They moved to Coolgardie where Henry was to set up a thriving business on Ford Street, as seen in the above photograph.
In 1902 they were to welcome their first child, a boy called George Henry. All seemed well and the little family was soon to grow when Margaret was again expecting the birth of their second child which was due in Feb 1905.
Sadly on the 19th December, Margaret went into premature labour at 7 months and both she and the child she carried were to die. Margret’s cause of death was ‘Premature Birth at 7 months, Exhaustion’. She was only 29 yrs old and they had only been married for less than three years.
Margaret is buried in the Coolgardie Cemetery with no headstone but Henry was to place the following heartfelt verse in the newspaper-
Coolgardie Miner 16 December 1904, page 2
IN MEMORIAM: CRAMER—In sad and loving memory of my dear wife,
who died December 19th, 1903
Henry Timothy Cramer, Coolgardie.
A faithful wife, true and kind,
She proved to be, in heart and mind,
A loving mother, too, as well,
While she on earth with us did dwell.
Worthy of true respect was she
From those she left behind,
A better mother never lived,
Nor true, nor yet more kind
Margaret Theresa CRAMER Age 29 Daughter of Henry ANGUS and Margaret nee Dean from Victoria. It’s not known what became of Henry Cramer and his young son but not long after the death of his beloved wife his business was declared bankrupt and everything was sold off.
Coolgardie Miner 14 Jan 1904
He seems to have gone downhill from this point and in 1907 the following article appeared in the Kalgoorlie Miner:-
A Peculiar Case. — Before Messrs. J. H. Cummins and R. G. Ardagh, JP’s. in the Kalgoorlie Police Court yesterday morning, Henry Timothy Cramer, a saddler, was charged with having been disorderly in Hannan street by making use of obscene language. The accused did not seem to realise his position, and when asked to plead did not make any reply, but after a lot of persuasions, said in a whisper that he was not guilty.
The evidence showed that late on Saturday night the accused was using bad language in a loud voice opposite the Commercial Bank and that when arrested he stopped to argue and explain why he had used the words. Corporal Edmondson said he did not know what to make of the accused, who seemed half demented. He was now working at the All Nations Hotel. Detective Sergeant Kavanagh said that he had known the accused at Coolgardie for 10 years. He had been a respectable man, and he is not in a fit condition to look after himself. “Was he like this in Coolgardie, Sergeant?’ Detective Sergeant Kavanagh said ‘No, he was always right at Coolgardie.’ The bench decided to remand the. accused till today to permit enquiries in the meantime. Note: The charges were discharged.
Henry was to be admitted to the Fremantle Asylum where he died on the 3 Oct 1945 and he is buried at Karakatta Cemetery. His son married in Geraldton WA in 1930 to Dorothy Budgeman ANDERSON. He stated his occupation as Farm Manager on his enlistment records.
Moya Sharp
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Hi Moya, I was wondering if you could look into a police matter from Menzies in 1910. There was a big write up about it in the newspapers titled ‘Sableberg’ case. It involved a man called Sableberg who was accused of having relations with a Miss Emily Bath (aged 14yrs). The accuser was a Mr Albert ‘Bert’ Heil. He was my great grandfather. I would like to know what happened after the case was closed as it was mentioned it was actually my great grandfather who was the culprit! He went on to having children with Emily who was in fact his wife’s younger sister.
Any information or photos would be much appreciated
Kind regards
Lisa
Hi Lisa I will see what I can find. Im sure this happened a lot, I have often seen babies born with mothers that age. Im not sure what the age of consent was back then. Im sure there will be something in the paper.
Thanks – there was a big write up on the case. But I wanted to see if there was any other information on or about Alber Heil – the man in question
My great great Aunt was involved in a sexual scandal in 1895 age 15 ata hotel in Guildford with an 19 year ld male and a 13 year old boy. The 18 year old was charged with sexual relations with a person under 16 years of age. He was acquitted by the jury because they did not want him to have a criminal record.. My great great aunt was sent to the Subiaco Industrial School asa morally corrupt .female. The Industrial School is now the Women’s Medical Museum at the back of KEMH After two year she ran away and set herself up asa prostitute but had hardly got started when the policeman who arrested her proposed marriage and made her a respectable woman. The moved to Sydney to escape her past. They had a happy but short marriage as a respectable couple and she did remarry and died in 1940. So it seems 16 was the age of sexual consent at least from when WA was no longer a Colony
Hi Maureen Yes I thought it must be 16 but quite a few must have slipped through unnoticed if they ‘made an honest woman’ of her. How sad is it that it seems to be the woman who is considered ‘guilty’ so to speak? Im glad your aunts story had a reasonably happy ending