This week on Classic Crime Jack spoke about a curious story that was given to him by Ken Blanch, veteran journalist and author. The story revolves around five coffins buried in Charters Towers cemetery. Legend has it that while five boxes were buried only four men were in them... the fourth being weighted with stone.
Tom Coolon was given a claim on the Mt Coolon goldfield in 1915 after reporting gold there himself. He built a simple hut for himself and his wife and began to mine his claim with great success. It was a rule under the mining laws that any man must mine his claim for at least three days out of every fourteen. It was this rule that led to murder.
Three other men that were working along side Coolon, Bernard Thompson, Harold Smith and William Brown informed the mining warden in Clermont that he had breached this rule. After a hearing the warden decided that Coolon must forfeit his claim to Thompson. Coolon was enraged by the decision.
On November 18 1918 he confronted Thompson on the claim and ordered him off. When Thompson refused Coolon shot him with a Winchester rifle, then shot the man that was working beside him. The rampage continued until both Harold Smith and William Brown were also dead.
Before Coolon had gone on his killing spree he had approached the local Justice of the Peace and asked for a will to be drawn up. As the JP approached Coolon's house in the afternoon, Mrs Coolon raced to meet him saying that Tom Coolon had shot himself.
News of the massacre was sent to the nearest police station in Clermont but before the Constable could reach the scene (taking four days on horseback) all five bodies were buried. Constable Robinson made his brief report stating that he was satisfied with the identities of the men who had been buried although they were never exhumed.
There are many stories surrounding this case. The most common is that the townsfolk covered up for Tom Coolon, giving him clean clothes and a fresh horse allowing his escape before burying a weighted coffin. Claim jumpers were not a liked breed in the mining community and it has been suggested that the vigilante act of Tom Coolon was an accepted solution to the crime.
Whatever really happened remains a mystery, buried in an old grave in outback Queensland.
Monday 5 August 2008
Ken Blanch has written extensively about many crimes from Australia's past. Three of his titles are available under the Murder Trails Series of books and soon to be released is CLASSIC CRIME Volume One, a compendium of crimes from around Australia.
