We've just returned from our first visit to Sydney, a fleeting 2 night/3 day stint. Along with all the regular 'touristy' things, we visited "the Rocks", where all the history (settlers and convicts) is revealed.
We had a really great spiritual experience that I want to share with you all.
Firstly, let me explain that Joe was just along for the ride, I had the intinerary planned, where we were going and when, and he had no idea that we were going to the oldest streets in Sydney.
As we walked around Circular Quay, towards 'the rocks', Joe commented..."Oooh, whats over there, theres alot of activity!" I calmly said "Oh thats where we're going, I want to see what you 'pick up'".
He was a bit wobbly on his feet as we neared the area, felt like he was wading through thick mud, and I told him that if it was too much for him, I'd just go have a look and come back for him. He didn't hear me, as he was already in deep conversation with spirits from the area.
I went on ahead to Cadman's cottage, leaving him strolling along behind, talking to himself... what people must think when they witness this!
I had been right through the cottage, and back out by the time he made it down the stairs, but he was determined to get there.
"Bernard wants to be acknowledged", he said, "..and there are more, who's John Cadman?"
I rolled my eyes, I confirmed again that we were at Cadman's cottage - Sydneys oldest surviving house; does he never listen to me?
"There is also a John White, Rice... No Wice... Hold on how do you spell it ...Weiss, and another guy. All great guys, just wanting acknowledgment"
We went inside and scanned the walls for any of these names. We found John Cadman (obviously), but then we found a mention of a 'Bernard' as the original occupier of the house. Hit!
No mention of John Weiss though. Determined that he had to confirm this guy to acknowledge him, Joe went into the little office there, looked at the brochure, ... no mention... asked the staff who lived there between Bernard Williams and John Cadman, and recieved an unhelpful shrug of the shoulders as a response.
We asked at the Rocks Discovery Museum as well... but the answer was the same. Oh well, we decided we'd have to Google it when we got back from our trip. I didn't have a pen or paper to write it down, so Joe put a note in his phone so he wouldn't forget.
As we walked through the streets of the Rocks, he had three more significant 'visitors'.
- A guy named 'Foley', who said he was a legend, a fist- fighter, who had a younger protege, who had a grudge against another fist-fighter, (named Silver?) He didn't seem to have a message, and Joe wondered if he recognised him as a fellow fighter, and thats why he came through.
- John Mannering (Maybe Manning) Businessman. Had something to do with management or town planning.
- And a very, very angry man called Thomas Warne, who died very violently with an axe or hammer in 1844, and his body was found in an old sea chest. Very precise details. Joe was quite disturbed by this guy, and after finding no evidence of his existence, was determined to follow up when we got home.
After our trip, first stop Google.
JOHN WEISS... a coxswain who occupied Cadmans cottage, between Bernard Williams and John Cadman. Hit!
FOLEY - Larry Foley (1847 - 1917) one of Sydneys most famous bare-knuckle fighters from NSW. Some sources say he never lost a fight, and is named as one of the Pioneers of Boxing in Australia. Started a boxing school and trained and produced many fighters; top of the list is Peter Jackson who reportedly had a feud with fellow boxer Frank Slavin. Hit with Foleys name and profession, Hit with the protege's feud. Close with the name Silver/Slavin.
JOHN MANNERING - The only link we could find to a real person by this name in Sydney, was a John Manning, arrived as a convict, and after release was self-emplyed as a carpenter, then undertaker. Went on to apply for the right to build some steps in the town (Market place in the Central Rocks area), and his work was so successful, that he became sought after and went on to gain the contract for rebuilding the hospital wharf in 1812, and the Governors secretary's house in 1815.
Historical records show that he is referred to as Manning,Mannering or Manwaring in different places. Hit, Got the name, we were standing in the area of his steps at the time, contributed significantly to the building of the town.
Thomas Warne.. only one result that said "Murder of Thomas Warne.?Confession of Vidall.?The convict Vidall has made a brief confession ... MURDER OF THOMAS WARNE.-CONFESSION OF VIDALL. ..." but the page was unaccessabile... but it gave us a lead to go on, now maybe we had a murderers name.
After hours and multiple searches, we found an old newspaper clipping from a Port Maquarie Newspaper, was....
SIDNEY NEWS.
Murder of Thomas Warne.-Confession
of Vidall.-The convict Vidall has made a
brief confession to Mr. Keck, the governor of
the gaol, with the particulars of winch
we have been favoured by that officer,
and of which the following is the substance :
On the evening in question, between the hours
of eight and nine, Vidall and the deceased were
sitting together in the apartments of the latter,
when a slight quarrel arose between them, and
Warne, who appears
to have been a man -of
very exciteable temperament, ordered Vidall to
leave his premises immediately, threatening
if he did not do so, that he, Warne, would stab
him with an old sword which he had there.
Vidall, upon this, went out upon the landing,
and remained there for a short time; but his
evil passions becoming excited, he went softly
in, and perceiving that Warne, without observing
him, was writing at the table, with his head
upon his hand, he seized the large axe produced
in court at the trial, and struck the unhappy
man with the back of it upon the head, just in
the same manner that Dr. Mackellar supposed
the blow to have been inflicted. Immediately
upon receiving the blow, Warne fell upon the
ground, and after a few nervous struggles with
his legs expired. The murderer, finding that
his deed of blood was complete, locked the
door and went out ; and it was at this time that
he was seen with Duvall, to whom, however,
he solemnly denies having said anything at all
about what had passed. Upon returning to the
scene of the murder, he cut of the limbs of the
dceased without taking off the clothes, and
placed the remains upon the fire with the
clothes still on them ; but from the running of
the fat from the body, the chimney soon afterwards
took fire. This fire Vidall extinguished
in the manner described by the witnesses at the
trial, but without the aid of any one, (probably
by bringing the table to the window and standing
the buckets of water upon it, so as to place
them within his reach). Finding that he could
not succeed in burning the body, Vidall abandoned
that idea, and proceeded to paek up the
remains of his victim in a box, just as they were
afterwards found. He then went to work to
efface the marks of the horrible deed which he
had committed, and by five o'clock in the
morning had got all cleared up. The blood
which appeared on the floor of the room below
that in which the murder was committed, must,
he says, have flowed through the ceiling from
the place where Warne lay after he was
murdered, and before he (Vidall) had begun to
mutilate the body. The whole of the evidence
given on the trial was, to use his own words,
as correct as if the witnesses had been watching
him throughout, except that of the witness who
spoke as to the water having been handed to
him from the inside, which was wholly a mistake.
Vidall most solemnly and expressly
delares that he alone is the guilty party, and
that neither Duvall nor anybody else knew
anything whatever of the transaction ; Duvall
as well as Wilson having been merely asked by
him to assist in moving the box just as they
had themselves stated.-Herald.
And there it was... report of the trial in January 1845...found in a box, hit over the head with an Axe. Hit! ... or so I thought, sure it was a Hit, but the hit was about to get better.
We assumed the hit of the date, as the trial was in january 1845, it could be reasonably assumed that he died in 1844.
Joe was happy with confirming the information as it was, but I wanted more, and kept researching, using a variety of different key words until I came across this the next day.
The transcript of the diary of David Burn in the 1840's: he mentioned reading about the conviction of Warnes murderer in the paper, so I went back, back, back until I found it... BINGO! Confirm the date and the sea chest!!
(November 1844)
: Monday: 25 This mornings papers gave intimation of a most fiendish murder of a Mr. Warne, whose extremities were cut from the trunk and, after an ineffectual attempt to consume the remains by fire, they were thrust into a sea chest, in order to their conveyance to the North Shore, but the horrid effluvian lending the waterman to suspect something wrong, the bearers and a third man and woman were apprehended. I went with Inches Hannon to view the terrific remains, the trunk being covered by the bowels which I suppose the fire had caused to burst forth. The den where this fearful tragedy was performed resembled that of Burke and Hare and had quite as many visitors. It was close to the ruins of the old gaol. Went to the Theatre to see about my farce. Purchased a pair of spectacles frames. A Mr. Irving here at dinner � had a long yarn with Statham and Forster � Looked in at the play � rainy evg
Spooky chills, but I have never been so convinced of my husbands ability as I am right now. I know how much research it took to confirm these facts, and he got it out of 'thin air', bang on precise details.
As a post script, Joe feels that Thomas Warne is more of a Ghost that is haunting the old streets of Sydney, rather than a visiting spirit. We have since heard about a ghost tale that is told on a Ghost tour of Sydney, that talks about a Businessman who was killed with an axe, by his french valet, and cut up into pieces and put into a suitcase in the 1840's. We can guess that this is the same story, but the details vary a bit after being passed down over time.
