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Constable Robert BOWMAKER

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Constable Robert BOWMAKER

Horse Accident

Scone

13 January, 1862

 

The constable died from injuries received when he was thrown from his troop horse while chasing straying horses near Scone. The Sydney Morning Herald of Friday 17 January, 1862 carried the following article:

 

SCONE.[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]

JANUARY 14.—Yesterday, a melancholy accident occurred with one of our constables, a man named Bowmaker. It appears in the morning, about ten o’clock, he was sent by the chief constable to Segenhoe, some six miles from here, to serve a summons, which he did, and on his return met a youth, named Clarke, looking for horses. The horses were found and both rode after them. In a short time the mob divided, going into two; Clarke taking after one lot, and Bowmaker the other; Clarke driving his lot to Scone, not seeing anything of the constable afterwards. Towards the evening the chief constable not finding Bowmaker return as he should have done, went to Segenhoe to try and find him, but returned without him about eight o’clock last night, when he made it known that this man was missing, and a great number of the young men and those who had horses went in search, finding the body on the bank of the river not far from where young Clarke parted company with him. It is thought his horse ran him against a tree, striking the temple, causing instantaneous death. He was brought into town early this morning. He had been in the police some months, and was much respected and to make this affair more sad, his wife (quite a young woman) was confined only on Sunday, and is now in a very low state from the effects of the shock.

 

The constable appears to have joined the police force in 1861 and at the time of his death he was stationed at Scone.

 

 

 

 

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(The death of Constable Bowmaker  is believed to have been the last on-duty death of a police officer prior to the creation of the New South Wales Police Forceon 1 March, 1862.)

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