The murder-suicide tragedy of Nurse Elizabeth Gold and Kenneth Snodgrass, is a tale quite widely known about but I have not before told the story on the Outback Family History Blog.
In Coolgardie in the 1890’s, Elizabeth Gold, Kenneth Snodgrass, and Charles Gold were living in Coolgardie. As with many tragedies, the interest lies within the lives and characters of those involved, the events that brought them together and culminated in their final actions.
At the untimely death of Elizabeth Gold in the Western Australian Goldfields in 1898. There was little known about her earlier life and what is known is based solely on newspaper reports written after her murder, birth, deaths, and marriage records and tales in the years since, of her ghost !!!
Elizabeth Emma Grainger FARRELL — was born in September 1865, in Woodend, Victoria. Her mother, Elizabeth Day nee GRAINGER, was a “widow” when her third daughter was born. However, it is possible that her real father was her mother’s second husband, John Andrew Farrell.
Elizabeth was a 28-year-old dressmaker living in Balaclava, a suburb of Melbourne, when she married Charles Yarbrough Gold, a 54-year-old “widower” on May 19, 1894. She was his fifth (known) wife and though there is no record of the Gold’s having a child together, Charles Gold had at least fourteen children by his other wives. Gold died in Coolgardie in May, 1897, at the age of fifty-seven. Prior to Charles Gold’s death, Kenneth Snodgrass had boarded with the Gold’s and, on his death, Kenneth Snodgrass undertook the funeral arrangements and also managed the meager estate for Elizabeth.
A short while after her husband’s death, Elizabeth took on the role of a housekeeper at Kenneth Snodgrass’s Bungalow Dining Rooms. A month later, Mrs. Snodgrass and their seven children arrived in Coolgardie. The Bungalow Dining Rooms failed after only eight weeks.
Five months before her death, in an effort to support herself, Elizabeth was engaged as a probationer nurse at Coolgardie Government Hospital. Elizabeth worked with and shared her tent (or camp) with Janet Snodgrass, the daughter of Kenneth. Also, the matron at the hospital, Rosa Snodgrass, was Kenneth’s cousin.
On the last day of autumn, May 31, 1898, the weather was unseasonably humid and oppressive, but the off-duty nurses were looking forward to the Cinderella Ball at the Mechanic’s Institute that evening. Elizabeth was one of the nurses preparing for the Ball and wearing a white dress, when Kenneth Snodgrass, armed with a revolver, called at the nurse’s camp.
By half-past seven Elizabeth, aged thirty-two, was dead.
This was the most sensational tragedy at the Government Hospital. which had ever taken place since Coolgardie was discovered by Bayley and Ford. As soon as the news became known about town, it created great excitement, as those connected with the terrible affair were well-known in Coolgardie society. There has been before the murder of Tagh Mahomet and the Six-Mile ‘accident,’ but never before had such a sensational and tragic occurrence disturbed the peaceful inhabitants of Coolgardie.
Shocking Tragedy At The Hospital
Wednesday, June 1, 1898
The story of the tragedy is very simple. It appears that Mrs Gold, a nurse at the hospital, intended going to the Cinderella Ball which was to take place at the Mechanics Institute, and had assumed her evening dress for the occasion, when she was visited at her camp at the rear of the hospital by Mr Kenneth Snodgrass. How long he had been there or what took place is not known, but about 7.45 p.m. three shots were heard, both by the passers-by and the wardens and secretary. Mr. A. McIntyre, formerly one of the warders, was passing the spot when the shots were fired and was on the scene within a very few seconds. When he arrived both
Nurse Gold and Mr. Snodgrass were quite dead.
Mr. George McPhee, the secretary of the hospital, at the time was sitting on the verandah in front of his office when he heard the shots fired. Immediately one of the yardmen ran to the secretary’s office, and without waiting for anything more the secretary rushed round to the scene of the tragedy. What he saw positively shocked him, as both Nurse Gold and her visitor were dead. Mr. McPhee then went back to his office and rang up Dr. McNeil (who arrived on horseback about five minutes afterward), and the police (who were almost as quickly on the scene). Warden Finnerty was also rung up and nothing was touched till the bodies had been examined.
McPhee and McIntyre considered that both must have died instantaneously, as they were on the scene a few seconds after the shots were fired, and on feeling the pulses of Nurse Gold and Snodgrass, discovered that both were quite dead. The revolver used in the tragedy was found about three feet from Snodgrass’s hand. It was a five-chambered one, three chambers of which were found to be discharged.
In connection with this revolver, it may be stated that Snodgrass yesterday afternoon asked a friend for the loan of a revolver, as he was desirous of shooting some cats, which were a nuisance to him. The friend in question suggested that poison would be a more effective means of getting rid of the felines, but Snodgrass replied that he had tried that and the poison had only succeeded in killing some valuable dogs.
His friend then referred him to another gentleman, and upon the latter being afforded an explanation of why the revolver was required, it was immediately lent. This took place about five o’clock in the afternoon, and as the tragedy was not consummated till nearly 8 o’clock, the above facts will show that the crime was premeditated, and not done in the heat of the moment.
When the bodies were examined, it was found that Mrs Gold had two wounds, one below the chin and the other in the left breast. The latter must have been the first shot. Snodgrass, after murdering the woman, deliberately put the revolver under his right jaw and fired, the bullet coming out through his temple. Both must have died instantaneously, Snodgrass making no mistake.
It is not, perhaps, difficult to discover the motive for the crime, which is ascribed to jealousy. It appears that Snodgrass was in the habit of visiting Nurse Gold about once a week, but nobody at the hospital ever saw anything untoward in their conduct, and not a breath of suspicion ever sullied either of their names. Nevertheless, jealousy is thought to have had a great deal to do with it, and we can only assume on the evidence before us that Snodgrass did not wish Nurse Gold to go to the Cinderella ball that evening, while she insisted on attending. Then Snodgrass, who had provided himself with the revolver, as mentioned before probably allowed his jealous passion to get the better of him, with the result detailed above. Nurse gold was shot about 3ft from the door of her camp, while Snodgras’s body was found about 8ft away.
Mrs Elizabeth Yarburgh-Gold — the murdered woman, was thirty-three years of age. She was much esteemed in Coolgardie and had a wide circle of friends. It was only a year ago that she was left a widow. During her husband’s life here she resided in a cottage at East Toorak, and as her neighbors had, Mr. and Mrs. Snodgrass. After Captain Gold’s demise, she appears to have become a close friend of Mrs. Snodgrass, and when Snodgrass took on the Bungalow Dining Rooms, in Hunt street, she accompanied the family there. Subsequently Mrs. Gold proceeded to Perth, and it was there she engaged as a probationer for the Coolgardie Government Hospital, entering upon her duties about five months ago. The deceased lady was the wife of Captain Yarburgh-Gold, who died in Coolgardie on May 27, 1897.
Captain Gold was a conspicuous figure in the British army and fought through the New Zealand war. He landed in Maoriland as far back as 1845, with the 65th Regiment, of which his father was a colonel. He was twice wounded while leading assaults on the enemy’s rifle pits. He came of a family highly distinguished for its military services. Mrs. Gold had a stepson holding a commission in the Army, and a step-daughter married in New Zealand.
Kenneth John MacKenzie Snodgrass – Ancestry.com
Kenneth John MacKenzie Snodgrass — the murderer, was well known in Coolgardie, having been here for upwards of three years. He came from a good Melbourne family and was about fifty-five years of age. In the early days, he engaged entirely in mining, but when the bad times commenced he entered business as an accountant and mining agent. He was for a considerable period an auditor of the Coolgardie Council and only retired from the position upon being defeated at the last election. When the Roads Board was instituted Snodgrass obtained the secretaryship, and as an instance of the relations between himself and Captain Gold, it may be stated that the latter took over the duties of the secretaryship during the absence of Snodgrass on a holiday in the eastern colonies at the beginning of last year.
About ten months ago Snodgrass took the Bungalow Dining-rooms, in Hunt street, but failing to make a success of the venture he retired after some eight weeks tenancy. Since then he had again devoted himself exclusively to mining business and was interested in several claims at Kanowna. He was the sone of the Hon Peter Snodgrass MLA and Charlotte Agnes nee COTTON.
The inquest on the bodies of Snodgrass and Mrs Gold will be held on the 1 June at 10 o’clock.
WA Post Office Directory Advertisement 1898
Thursday, June 2, 1898
Further Particulars
Inexplicable as the tragedy that occurred at the Government Hospital on Tuesday night appeared, during the first hours of excitement, careful investigation yesterday only deepened the mystery surrounding the terrible deed. In the absence of a motive for the crime, and from the circumstances of the affair, it was not unnaturally concluded that jealousy prompted the murderer. It now transpires that Mrs Snodgrass only came to Coolgardie about seven months ago. She then arrived to assist her husband, who had a month before entered upon the occupation of the Bungalow Dining Rooms. Before the death of Captain Yarburgh-Gold, Kenneth Snodgrass boarded with him and his wife at their residence at East Toorak. Both men manifested a common friendship for one another, and those who knew their relations say that Snodgrass, in his consideration for the older soldier, displayed more the attention of a son than an acquaintance.
When death removed Captain Gold, Snodgrass undertook the arrangement of the funeral and did all in his power to ameliorate the conditions of the widow, who was left absolutely unprovided for. This he did appear as a disinterested friend of the deceased, and the church and Masonic officials he came in contact with on the occasion credit him with having been influenced by the most generous motives. The funeral over, Mrs Gold was left to her own resources, and Snodgrass attended studiously to his business. Two or three months later, when Miss Robinson gave up the Bungalow, Snodgrass took over the concern and carried on the business of the dining-rooms with Mrs Gold as a housekeeper. That neither deserved the faintest breath of suspicion is substantiated by the fact that a month later Mrs Snodgrass and her seven children came to the colony and took up their residence in Coolgardie. Unsuccessful before, Snodgrass failed to improve his fortune here, but in a few weeks, he was compelled to retire.
Mrs. Snodgrass then went to live at Toorak with her family. Of these, the youngest a boy and a girl are eight and six years of age respectively being pupils at the Church of England School. The other members of the family consist of a boy about thirteen years of age, and four girls of more mature years. Having no regular employment, Snodgrass experienced difficulty in eking out a livelihood. As a matter of fact, it is stated that he earned little or nothing for six months prior to his death. He was much worried in consequence, and, satisfied of the futility of remaining here, wrote to his relatives in Melbourne asking for assistance in order that he and his wife might return to Victoria. On the authority of a personal friend, it is said that this request was not favorably responded to. The discouraging intelligence only arrived last week, and as a result, Snodgrass had since been greatly depressed. His circumstances, indeed, became desperate, for on the afternoon of the crime a bailiff took possession of his home.
Early in the afternoon, he was observed by several at the hospital, but as he was a frequent visitor there to the matron (a cousin of his), his daughter, a temporary assistant, and Mrs Gold, no notice was taken of his presence. About 5 o’clock he was again seen about the hospital, and one nurse states that she thought he was acting in a strange manner. He then appears to have gone home. Snodgrass must meanwhile have borrowed the revolver with which the fatal deed was committed. Shortly after 6 o’clock he was noticed passing down Hunt street towards the Post Office, and just before 7 he interviewed somebody in town about an account that was due. The next time he was seen was after the tragedy, when he was lying dead on the grounds of the hospital.
The scene of the tragedy was, as reported yesterday, outside Nurse Gold’s tent. To all those acquainted with the institution, it is known that the nurse’s camps extend in a line to the south and east of the main buildings. Each tent is detached, being separated in some instances by a space of fully twenty yards. That occupied by Mrs. Gold is situated to the extreme north of the quarters of the nurses. It is a few feet south of No 6 Ward, and east of Wards No 7, standing apart from the other tents and being almost opposite the Children’s Hospital. The structure is built of Hessian, with a corrugated iron fly, and faces the road. Behind it stands a similar building, used as a store. Inside the camp, provision is made for the accommodation of four nurses, a partition dividing it in half from north to south. That portion towards the road was occupied by Mrs. Gold and Miss Janette Snodgrass, a daughter of the deceased. The back division was tenanted by two other nurses. At the time of the tragedy, all nurses off duty were dressing for the Cinderella dance held in the Mechanics’ Institute.
The Funerals
At half-past 3 o’clock the funeral of Mrs Gold left the office. The coffin was covered in black and gold, and bore the following inscription:- “Elizabeth Yarburgh-Gold, age 32, died May 31, 1898.” After the hearse came Dr. McNeill in a buggy, as many nurses as could and officers of the hospital following.
The funeral of Snodgrass left the institution an hour later at 4 o’clock. The coffin was covered in black and ormolu, and bore an inscription as follows:- “Kenneth Snodgrass, age 50, died May 31, 1898.” Following the hearse were the widow and two adult daughters.
Headstone on the grave Kenneth Snodgrass – Coolgardie Cemetery
Mrs Gold was interred in the same grave as her husband, and the remains of Snodgrass were placed about a few feet away. The Ven Archdeacon Barton-Parkes read the burial service at both graves, murderer, and victim being both given the same service. Mr Alfred Read, undertaker, of Hunt steet, conducted both funerals.
The gravesite was shared by Charles Gold and Elizabeth. The grave was unmarked for many years until these plaques were erected by Jack and Frances Tree of Coolgardie.
Timeline:
1840- Charles Yarburgh Gold was born in Quebec, Canada, the son and grandson of a distinguished military family.
1847 Kenneth John McKenzie Snodgrass was born on Doogallook Station (near Yea), Victoria. The descendent of very prominent settler aristocracy and politicians.
1863 Charles Gold marries Caroline Augusta Evans in Wanganui, New Zealand.
1865 Elizabeth Emma Grainger Farrell was born in Woodend, Victoria.
1877 Kenneth Snodgrass marries Helena (‘Lena’) Robinson (b. 1858)
1878 In 1878 Charles Gold deserts his first wife Caroline Augusta Gold (nee Evans) and returns to Australia. Caroline remarries in New Zealand in 1884.
1879 In March 1879, Gold marries Harriette Anderson in Newcastle, New South Wales. By October, a warrant has been issued in his name for desertion of Harriette.
1880 In January, Charles Gold marries Annie Victoria Burnham in Queensland. They have four known children. He originally used the names Charles Hamilton Browne but by 1884 when Caroline Augusta Evans remarried, he has resumed Charles Yarbrough Gold.
1893 Gold marries Mabel Mary Cresswell in Victoria.
1894 Gold marries Elizabeth Emma Grainger Farrell, a 28-year-old dressmaker, in Collingwood, Victoria. Charles Gold states he is a “Gentleman” and “widower”.
1895 Kenneth Snodgrass arrives in Coolgardie. In the 1895/96 Postal Directory he is listed as Agent, Hamilton sawmills, Bayley Street.
1897 January – Kenneth Snodgrass returns to Victoria for a holiday. Prior to Charles Gold’s death – Kenneth Snodgrass becomes a lodger in the home of Charles and Elizabeth Gold.
May 27 – Charles Gold dies in Coolgardie, aged 57.
August – Miss Rosa Snodgrass is appointed Matron at Coolgardie Government Hospital.
November – Kenneth Snodgrass takes the tenancy of the Bungalow Dining Rooms with Elizabeth as a housekeeper.
December 30 – Helena Snodgrass and her seven children arrive in Coolgardie. The whole family lives in accommodation attached to the Bungalow.
1898 January – the Bungalow Dining Rooms fails as a business venture. The family moves to a house in Toorak, a suburb of Coolgardie.
January – Elizabeth commences duties as a probationer nurse at Coolgardie Government Hospital
May – Kenneth Snodgrass writes to his sister, Janet, Lady Clarke, for assistance in returning to Victoria with his family.
Early May – Janet Snodgrass is employed by her cousin, Miss Rosa Snodgrass, Matron of the Hospital, to assist her at the Hospital.
Late May – Kenneth Snodgrass receives a discouraging letter, presumably from Lady Clarke or her agent, from Victoria.
Tuesday, May 31, 1898
11:30am – Kenneth Snodgrass is seen at the Hospital, visiting his daughter, Janet.
Afternoon – a bailiff takes possession of the Snodgrass home in Toorak, Coolgardie, for unpaid rent.
2 to 3 o’clock – Kenneth Snodgrass visits Ernest Cochrane, an engineer employed at the Electric Lighting Works, and borrows a loaded revolver from him.
3 o’clock – Kenneth Snodgrass visits his daughter, Janet, at her camp. He leaves before 5 o’clock.
Half-past 4 – Kenneth Snodgrass visits his cousin, the Matron, to ask permission to speak to Elizabeth Gold as he has some money to give to her.
5 o’clock – Kenneth Snodgrass is again seen by the Matron.
Half-past 6 – Kenneth Snodgrass finishes his tea, takes leave of his family, and tells his wife he is going to try and raise four weeks’ rent. Shortly after he is seen walking down Hunt street towards the Post Office.
7 o’clock – Kenneth Snodgrass speaks to a person about an account that is due.
7 o’clock – Elizabeth Gold completes her duties on the ward and returns to her camp to prepare for the dance.
Ten-past 7 – Kenneth Snodgrass knocks at the door of Elizabeth and Janet’s camp. He is later admitted and speaks with his daughter and then with Elizabeth.
Between quarter-past and half-past 7 – After hearing and ignoring a scuffle and a shout, Fanny Warland hears gunshots outside her camp. The alarm is raised.
8 o’clock – PC Toohey arrives at the hospital and takes charge of a five-chambered revolver, letters, and other evidence.
Wednesday, June 1, 1898, Half-past 3 – The funeral of Elizabeth Gold leaves for the cemetery. At 4 o’clock- The funeral of Kenneth Snodgrass leaves for the cemetery.
Saturday, June 4, 1898, The inquest into the deaths of Elizabeth Gold and Kenneth Snodgrass is held at the Police Court before Mr. J.M. Finnerty, R.M. The verdict was ‘that Elizabeth Gold came to her death from the effect of two gunshot wounds maliciously inflicted by Kenneth Snodgrass, who subsequently committed suicide by shooting himself with a revolver while temporarily insane.’
1900 Intriguingly, Mary Josephine (or sometimes Josephine Mary) Farrell, the youngest sister of Elizabeth, arrived in Coolgardie. It isn’t known why she came to Coolgardie. On May 23, Mary Josephine married James Henry Larkin in St Andrew’s Church, Coolgardie.
Helena Snodgrass returned to Victoria with her children. She never re-married and died there in 1931.
The Coolgardie Hospital
Ref: Family Tree Circle – http://www.nothing-fancy.com/gold/news.htm
TROVE – https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/
Glint of Gold: A story of the goldfields of the West by Malcolm Uren
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