The Hill End Tragedy and the aftermath:

Hill End Fire Tragedy.

Inquest on the Victims

Mr. A. J. Evans, acting coroner, and a jury consisting of Messrs F. Mitchell (chairman), J. Matthews and W. V. Lee, inquest held into the cause of the death of the three little boys Lee, who were burnt to death on January 8 when their parents house at Hill End was reduced to ashes.
Sergeant Moore conducted the inquiry on behalf of the police. Dr Foreshaw, resident medical officer at the Kalgoorlie Government Hospital, deposed that on the night of the 8th, Ernest Albert Lee was brought to the hospital about 12 o’clock. He was severely burnt on the back of the head and on all his limbs. He was in a condition of collapse. He died about 3 o’clock next morning from shock, the result of burns. The boy’s wounds were dressed by a doctor before he was sent to the hospital. It would not have made any difference had a hospital been nearer.

Matilda Lee (nee DRESSEN), the mother of the deceased boys, deposed that at 10.30 on the night of the 8th inst, she was lying on the foot of her bed with one of her children who was ill. She was fully dressed. There were three girls and a baby five weeks old in the room. Her husband was sleeping in the front room, and the three boys were sleeping in the back room. She was just getting up to prepare her husband’s supper when she noticed flames at the corner of the house near the. window.

She called her eldest girl, and then her husband, and he came at once. He pushed her and the baby out of the room, and the eldest girl took one of the young girls. The fire had by this time got a good hold. She remembered asking her husband to save the boys and then she became hysterical. She had seen the three boys go into their room, and she was talking to them while she was lying down. She had a candle alight in the room, on a dressing-table near the window, which was open. There were a green blind and lace curtains on the window. Frederick Lee, the husband, deposed that at the time of the outbreak he was lying asleep in the front room when he heard his wife call out, “Fred Fred!” He saw that the house was on fire and he called to his wife to get out. She ran out and then ran back again. He picked up the baby and put it in her arms and then pushed her out of the room. She had lost her head.
He saw his eldest girl take a child out, but he did not know which one. He asked if all the children were saved and someone outside said, “Yes, they’re all here.” His wife called out, “Save my big box, Fred!” He made an attempt, but in the next breath she called out, “Fred, save the boys!” He opened the door, and went in through the fire, but he got so badly burnt that be could not get to the beds.

He came out of the room, and he lost his way in the fire and smoke. He groped his way out and ran round to the window. He broke it open – and reached through, but the draft made the flames come out so strongly that he could not get in. He ran into the house  and there he found his boy Ernest Albert staggering through the back door. The boy’s clothes were all on fire but the hands of the father were so badly burnt that it was useless,  so he was unable to hold the boy up and pull the clothes off him, he called for help, and two men came to his assistance. A few seconds after the roof fell in.

Frederick Lee went to sleep about 7 o’clock that night, and when he was roused he thought he had been asleep only a few minutes, and that the boys were outside at play. The house was of canvas sides, with iron roof and hessian ceiling. Dr. Bridgeford deposed that he was called to the scene of the fire and on arrival he found the boy Ernest Albert very badly burnt. The father was also severely burnt about the head and face. He dressed the wounds of both, and ordered their removal to the hospital. He then attended to the mother. He saw two charred masses taken from the fire and he examined them next morning. They were human remains. Even had a hospital been close by, it would not have been possible to save Ernest’s life.
Lilian Lee, a girl of about 11 gave a very vivid description of they fire, which bore out the evidence of her father and mother. Mary Clark, a neighbor, deposed that she attended to Mrs. Lee and the boy Ernest Albert prior to his removal to the hospital. The boy was conscious. She went into the hospital with him. He told her that he ran out of the fire, but his brothers were burnt. The jury found that the boys’ deaths had been due to an accident, and that no blame could be attributed to anyone. They desired to place on record an appreciation of the courage and self possession displayed by the girl Lilian Lee in returning to the burning room and saving her sister. They also added a rider to the effect that a casualty ward should be provided for Boulder, or arrangements made for the admission of urgent cases to the private hospitals.

The three Lee boys were originally buried in the Boulder Pioneer Cemetery which was to close for burials in the April of the same year. The boys were subsequently exhumed and re buried in the current Boulder Cemetery. They are in the Anglican section R Grave 455.

Ernest Albert LEE age 7yrs – born Carlton VIC
Frederick William LEE age 10yrs born Lismore NSW
Percy Henry LEE age 6 – born Black Flag WA

Lee Headstone in the Boulder Cemetery – photo Danelle Warnock

The surviving children were Lillian May LEE (11), Dulcie Irene LEE and Ruby Edna LEE. The parents went on to have one more daughter, Doris Hilda LEE born in Kalgoorlie in 1905.

Also buried with the three little boys is their little sister who was the baby mentioned as saved in the fire tragedy. Her name was Ruby Edna LEE and she was buried on the 21 May 1904. Its not known her cause of death.

The Sun Sunday 22 May 1904, page 4

In 1906 the Lee family was to have their last child, a boy born 20 Oct 1906 in Kalgoorlie, Walter Charles LEE. What happened to this little one is hard to comprehend.

Fate was not finished with this family as you will see:

Sunday Times Perth – Sunday 28 April 1907, page 5

“The following example of official barbarity would be almost beyond belief were it not supported by names and undoubted, facts. On Oct 20th 1906, Mrs Lee, wife of  a well known resident of Brownhill, gave birth to a child, Walter Charles Lee. The babe was sickly and was treated for some weeks in the Kalgoorlie hospital. and a few weeks ago Mrs, Lee came to Cottesloe with her children. But the infant did not get any better, and on Wednesday, the 6th instant it was admitted to Perth hospital. Two day afterwards, the mother called the hospital, and was left under the impression that her child was. getting along well. On the Saturday morning Mrs. Lee telephoned up from Cottesloe to inquire how the child was, The reply she got was that “it was much improved, and was getting much better” On Sunday she came personally to the hospital to learn the condition of the babe. And what was to her amazement and consternation to be apprised  that the infant was no more; it was dead and buried.

Note: Matilda Lee spent 36 days in hospital after the birth of Walter suffering from puerperal sepsis  She was lucky to survive this childbirth related complication.

It transpires. that death took place on Friday, shortly after the mother left the hospital and at the very time Mrs. Lee was told it was “much improved and getting better,” the dead  body of the four months child was being conveyed to Karakatta cemetery, where,it was buried along with three other children as a pauper.

A telegram was sent to the father of the child who caught the first train he could get to Perth. His first action on arrival was to cause the poor little body to be disinterred and buried again in the Church of England portion of the cemetery. His next step was to seek satisfaction at the hospital. All he could get was an assurance that the matter would be ‘inquired into’,it wasn’t clear who gave the order for burial or why the mother was informed that the babe was doing well  and whether it is the custom pt the hospital to regard every patient as a pauper.The general feeling at the hospital appears to be one of blank indifference.

Mr Lee took his complaint to the highest authority, the Colonial Secretary. That his interview with Secretary Connolly took place six weeks ago, yet from that day to this, Lee has never received so much as a line from Colonial Secretary Connolly, either by post or telegraph. He was promised a reply in a week; he is still waiting for one at the end of six.

It is not known if any compensation or satisfactory explanation was given to the Lee family, however it is noted that the little baby Walter Charles Lee was to be later joined in the same grave by both his parents. Frederick died aged 68yrs and was buried on the 13 April 1926 and Matilda died aged 74yrs and was buried on the 31 Mar 1938.

This should be an end to this sorry tale, but I have since found that the grave Number 241 in Sec D in the Anglican Section of the Karakatta Cemetery has been ‘resumed’ and will be used for future burials. There is no peace to be had for the Lee family it seems.