Death of Mr William Shakespeare Hall
| Title: | Death of Mr William Shakespeare Hall |
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| Identifier: | archives.org.au/Death_of_Mr_William_Shakespeare_Hall |
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| Storage location: | NLA |
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| Related people: | William Shakespeare Hall |
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| Keywords: | H.M. Wilson Archives |
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DEATH OF MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE HALL. (1895, February 16). Northern Public Opinion and Mining and Pastoral News (Roebourne, WA : 1894 - 1902), p. 2. Retrieved August 25, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article255732136
See also: A Nor-West Pioneer
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Transcription
DEATH OF MR. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE HALL.
A SAD END.
On Monday night last, between 10.30 and 11.30 there passed away suddenly and mysteriously from our midst one of the most brilliant, upright, honest, and valued lifes that has ever been lived amongst us, when Mr. William Shakespeare Hall, chairman of the Cossack Municipal Council, and the oldest resident in the district, was found floating lifeless in the Cossack Creek, but a few minutes after he had been cracking jokes in his usual humourous style with a friend. The old gentleman was passionately fond of bathing, and made it a practice to take a dip every night in Cossack Creek when opportunities were offering. Going to a spot on the beach he prepared for his ablution, and, recognising Mr. A. S. Watts walking along the beach, requested his company in the water. Mr. Watts, not caring for cold water at that particular time — it had been raining heavily - jokingly declined, and a few words of good-humoured chaff passed between them. Mr. Hall swam towards the steps on the north end of the jetty, and, Mr. Watts thought, was resting awhile. Wishing to resume the conversation, he called out to him, but received no reply. The call was repeated, with no response. Becoming a little alarmed at receiving no answer from so convivial a spirit as . . , Mr. Hall, he hurried to the steps, but could see nothing of him there. His alarm increased by this, he reported his suspicions to the police, who were at the other end of the jetty, and search for the missing friend was immediately instituted. The jetty was scanned high and low, and enquiries were made of all within hearing distance if they had seen anything of him, but his disappearance was still shrouded in mystery. Boats were secured and search continued up the creek, as the tide was flowing. Con- stable Peirl's eye caught something suspicious-looking close to the shore, and when W.p.c. Wilson and Capt. England, who were out in one of the boats, were called to the spot to examine the object, it was found to be the lifeless body of Mr. Hall stretched out at full length, and submerged about six inches. They drew him into the boat and put him on shore, where all possible effects were exerted to produce animation. They were carried on persistently for two hours, without any hope of success, and then had to be given up as useless. A most singular co-incidence in connection with his death is this. It was the wont of Mr. Hall to speak proudly of his feats in the water. He remarked to one of our representatives (and, we believe, had frequently used the same remark to others) that he could do anything, but one, in the water, and that was to sleep. "this," he would say, "I must try some day, just for the fun of the thing, you know." And it was a strange thing that he should sleep on the water; but it was the everlasting sleep from which none awaken. The funeral was announced to take place at Cossack at four o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, and a double-carred special tram filled with friends of the deceased left Roebourne at two p.m. in heavy rain. Owing to the bad state of the road to Cossack, no suitable convey- ance could be procured to take the corpse to the burial ground. The difficulty was soon surmounted by the ready offers from friends to carry the coffin to the cemetery by relays of bearers. Midst the pouring rain, which never ceased for a moment, the volunteers carried their esteemed Friend's remains to their last resting place, several stoppages having to be made to ring in the changes, as their burden was heavy. Had it not been universal esteem and respect in which the deceased was help when in life, we do not think that such devout veneration for his departed spirit would have been displayed. At the graveside there was many a sorrow- ful face, which spoke the loss all those present felt they had sustained. The impressive Anglican burial service was read by Mr. W. D. Cowan, G.R. William Shakespeare Hall was the second son of Henry Edward Hall, William Shakespeare Hall was the second son of Henry Edward Hall, firstly of Shakerston Manor and Newton, Burgolands, Leicestershire, England, and afterwards of Mandurah, W.A. He was born in London in December, 1825. His father, having disposed of his life-interest in his property about the time of Governor Stirling landing at Swnn River, proceeded with his wife and family to Western Australia, where they landed among some of the earliest colonists in 1829, the year of the colony's foundation. Mr. Hall, senr., brought a 25-ton cutter in the barque he was a passenger by, which, upon his arrival, served him in cruising along the coast to explore the seaboard country. Eventually he settled at Mandurah, on the Murray River and about 30 miles from Fremantle, where he commenced farming. Some time after his cutter was wrecked, whereupon he migrated with his family to Perth. Here W. S. Hall, the subjcct of our biographical sketch, commenced his education under Mr. Witnoom, the first Colonial Chaplain. Mr. Hall, senr., then went to the Old Country and joined his eldest son, who at that time was of age. They finally severed their connection with the Mother Country by cutting off the entail to the property, disposing of it entirely and returning to the colony. Wongong farm was purchased, and there W. S. Hall learnt farming. Arriving at the age of manhood about the time of the famous gold discoveries in Victoria, he could do no better, so he thought, than leave his father's home to seek his fortune among the cager throngs hurrying in the race for gold. He followed gold-digging in Bendigo and elsewhere with fluctuating fortune for eight years, and then returned to W.A. He entered into an engagement with the Government to prospect for gold in the vicinity of the Swan, but the project had no lookedfor results. About this time he accomplished the then unheard of feat of travelling overland to Champion Bay, single-handed, which was deemed a feat of great daring. A party was now being formed, under the leadership of Mr. F. Gregory, to explore the terra incognita of the North, and this he joined. The expedition did some twelve months' travelling by land and sea, during which they endured many hardships and dangers, but rendered signal service to the colony. After this, he returned to occupation of his youth; but he had not long settled down to it when Mr. John Wellard, of thc Serpentine, prevailed upon him to leave it and come north and open a station for him. They landed the sheep on the north beach, Cossack, some six weeks behind a like-constituted party of Mr. Padbury's, which did not stay here, but pushed across to the De Grey. Mr. Hall travelled his stock up to what is now known as Andover, and there commenced the first station in the district. Remained there a little short of two years, having thoroughly established the station, and tamed the natives without bloodshed, amongst whom was the native chief known as King Mulangon. He threw up the management on account of ill-health and the solitude, there being very few people about the district until the Denison Plains Company came, some years later. Returning to the Swan he went farming some of the land his father had allotted him in 1829, but being offered the vacant managership of the Roebuck Bay Company, he was on the move again. Here he was appointed a justice of the peace, and what with troopers and pensioners (provided by the Government to guard the station), he had quite a little colony under him. The country proved useless for sheep, and he was ordered to shift bag, baggage, and stock to Roebourne. The vessel made two trips, on the second of which she was wrecked on what was afterwards called Perseverance Rocks, that being the stock boat's name. She was not greatly damaged, so the stock were not drowned, and at ebb tide every animal was walked ashore safely. Finally he was instructed to break up the concern, the men being all paid off and shipped in the first boat sent, the ill-fated schooner Emma, which was lost with all hands, comprising forty souls. Mr. Hall luckily stayed behind, and took up runs for himself, and after getting things well settled down, made various short exploration trips inland in company with that well known pioneer, Mr. John Withnell, and others. Shortly before this, having had a difference with the then Colonial Secretary, he resigned his justiceship. The letter containing the resignation went down in the schooner Emma, before-mentioned, so it is hard to say whether he was or was not a justice of the peace at the time of his death. He then went South and married Miss Hannah Lazenby, the daughter of a well-known old colonist, and returned North. Relinquishing the idea of squatting, he started business as a general storekeeper. Not being successful in this, and the pearling being now developed, he embarked in that industry with Malays, the venture proving fairly successful. Throwing this up, he went ashore again, and with a partner started pearl buying. This proved most lucrative, but a sudden drop in prices discouraged him and his partner and they decided to dissolve, Mr. Hall again turning his attention and energies to business; but having no proper training, they were not succcssfully applied, and he determined to quit the mercantile sphere for good. He went in for pearling with natives, and worked his boats off and on for several years with varying luck; but losing two boats at different times in hurricanes, the second nearly costing him his life, he became discouraged and came on shore to mend his broken fortunes in the employ of an old friend. As years began to advance on him he retired from active employment. He was made a councillor at the port, and was twice raised to the civic honour of Chairman of the Town Council, which position he held at the time of his death. He always took a keen interest in public affairs, especially those connectcd with the North, and was a bold and fearless advocate of the need of separation from the South. To hark back to the time when Gregory's expedition party were on board the Dolphin in Nicol Bay, tho crew used to go on thc reefs and find M.O.P. shells, which they would search for pearls and then throw them away, Mr. Hall told the sailors they were throwing away half-crowns, and so they saved them. When the vessel reached Fremantle, a local merchant bought all the shell they had at a good price and shipped them to London; and thereout the pearling industry took its footing. Therefore it may be said that he gave the incentive to pearling, for it was certainly the first move towards its inception. For a long time Mr. Hall's heart had been seriously affected, but he would not nurse himself in any way; he had been a man of prodigious strength in his prime, and could not realise its decline with the advance of old age. Early in the evening of his death some of his family noticed him looking pale, although he seemed quite in his usual spirits. And now lies in the silent tomb in a hallowed spot of the Cossack cemetery the mortal remains of the father of the district, the model of intrepidity, integrity and honour, an honoured husband, revered father, and true friend, and unquestionably the most esteemed personage who has ever associated himself with the North.
