Murder or Suicide – that is the question.

A Mining Romance
An Abandoned Mine at Cue
A Checkered Career

The ‘Mystery’ a 9-acre lease, about two miles north north-west of Cue, W.A., on the road to Cuddingwarra, has had a somewhat checkered career, even for a mining property. It was first discovered two years ago by Mr. Robert Burdett, a well-known prospector of the Murchison, who had just previously been successful with an alluvial patch. He, however, tempted by a report, left his new find to go to Mount Magnet. The mine was then taken up by Charles Moss, records the Murchison Times, who dollied out 20oz. of gold by following the reef down about 10ft. He in turn chucked it up for an alluvial patch at Princess Royal, near the racecourse. Four or five hundred ounces were obtained there, and then Moss with his mate, Benson, took up a six-acre lease, which they have worked ever since, dollying sufficient gold from the reef to keep things going for the last twelve months.

Then H Hollingsworth and party came along and put on a couple of men to sink the shaft. They went down and struck the reef at 35ft, but had the bad luck to strike the reef at a point where the granite footwall bulged upwards and disturbed the even formation of the lode. Like many others, they thought the reef was not worth working on and did not persevere with it. The two wages men went out Dead Finish way and did well. Meanwhile, Burdett returned from Mount Magnet with the view of working on his original find, but in face of the extensive prospecting that he found had been done, and the unsatisfactory results achieved, he appeared to lose heart. He visited Day Dawn— then unpretentiously known as the Four Mile— had sundry drinks, and a day or two afterward

his mutilated body was found at the bottom of the shaft

on the mine he had originally discovered. His throat was cut, his two wrists were badly gashed across, and his neck was broken. The knife, an ordinary sheath one, was discovered in the shaft, but whether it was the act of suicide by a desperate and despairing man or a ghastly crime is to the present day a mystery. His body at present lies in a lonely grave in the Old Cue cemetery, he has no headstone.

Undeterred by the ill-success of other parties, Mr. B. Cahill, who had up till then been chiefly known by his connection with the Orient mine, at The Island, went over the property and discovered promising indications which induced him to make further investigations with the result that he drove along the course of the reef at the bottom of the shaft. In a foot or two, payable gold was discovered, and in driving along the reef the character of the stone greatly improved. The reef lost its rubbly character and was made into a solid body of stone. It is now averaging 4ft wide, at the 40ft level, having gradually increased in size from the commencement of the drive. A crushing of 100 tons is now being taken out for treatment at Cue public battery, 70 tons being already on the surface. An underlay shaft has been sunk, breaking into the vertical shaft at 40ft, stoping being carried on at that level to the surface, the reef averaging 4ft, and showing very nice gold throughout. Messrs. Cahill and party have beyond a doubt a very promising property- which we think they have appropriately named ‘The Mystery’. The history of the mine is romantic, but it serves also to show that mines should not be hastily abandoned — once again illustrating the value of stern dogged perseverance. The Bonnie Dundee, Richmond, Maori Chief, and a score of other good properties were taken up and dropped several times by over-anxious parties before their value was demonstrated.

Says the Victorian Express -Geraldton, 13 April 1894, page 3  “You will have heard ere this, of the shocking suicide of Robert Burdett, near Cue, who was found down a 25 -foot shaft, with his throat and both wrists cut, and his neck broken. One never sees a bungling attempt at suicide on the fields. The victims always make sure work of it.”
Was the death of Robert Burdett murder or Suicide, you decide!!!