Person Page - 641

From the "Chronicle", 28th September 1912
     An inquest concerning the death of Albert Victor Seabourne Coulter which occurred in the Adelaide Hospital on Septemiber 11 as the result of a gun-shot wound, alleged to have been inflicted by William Veale. at Gawler, on the previous Sunday, was held by the Acting Coroner (Dr. IR. S. Rogers) in the Adelaide Police Court on September 19.
     Mr. G. W. Halcombe appeared for Veale, who has been chargeded with shooting at Coulter with intent to murder him, and Sub-Inspector Priest conducted the prosecution.
     Dr. A. F. Stokes said he received a call to the house of Mr. Wasleys, at Gawler South, on September 8, about 4. o'clock in the morning. On arrival at the house he saw the deceased, who was lying on a mattress on the floor, suffering from injuries in the nature of severed small puncture wounds in the breast and a large ragged wound in the upper portion of the left arm. He instructed the police to remove the man to Nurse Greenslade's hospital. The witness asked Coulter how he received his injury, and he said he had been shot with a No. 12 bore shotgun between 1 and 1.30 o'clock that same morning, He saw him again at 10.30 a.m., and the same evening serious symptoms developed in the left arm, and the following morning gangrene set in. He then ordered his removal to the Adelaide Hospital.
     The Coroner— Did the deceased tell you who shot him?
     The Witness— Yes; he told me he was shot by a man named William Vea!e.
     Sub-Inspector Priest— Did he say why Veale had shot him?— He told me there had been a row about a dog.
     Mr. Halcombe— If the deceased's wounds :had been attended to at the time he was shot, do you think his life might have been saved? — It is possible.
     Clement Riggs Addis, aged 17, residing at Mr. A. H. Riggs' Bentley farm, Gawler, said the deceased and Veale were living at the farm. They were apparently on friendly terms. The witness left the farm with the two men on the night of SeptemIber 7 to go to Gawler. He subsequently saw them at the bottom end of Murray street, and on returning to the farm at 11.15 p.m. he looked for the men, but could not find them.
     Mr. Halcombe — Was Coulter in the habiit of spending his wages in liquor?
     The Witness— Not that I know of.
     Albert Chesson, farmer, of Smithfield, said he stayed at Mrs. Wasley's resdence on the night of September 7. About 4 o'clock the following morning he was disturbed by a man calling out, "I am shot; William Veale shot me." The man was the deceased who asked the witness to send for a doctor. He added that he had been shot at Riggs' house and that he had crawled the last part of the journey.
     Mr. Halcomlie— Did Coulter show any signs of his having been drinking?
     The Witness — No: not a sign.
     Annie Victoria Veale, widow, said she lived with her two sons at Bentley Hill. William Veale was a brother of her husband, and she had known him for about 26 years. About 3 a.m. on Sunday. September 8, she was aroused by somebody at the door. She said to her son, "Tom, who is there?" and he replied. "It is Uncle Bill" (meaning William Veale). She said,
"Don't open the door to let him in", but later she told Veale to go home to bed. He said, "Open the door! Open the door!" his voice sounding as though he were intoxicated. She told him not to come there with his drunken fairy-tales. She again said, ''Why don't you go home?" and he answered. "I shot Bert and the police are coming." She lit the candle and told her son to open the door and let him in. Veale came inside and she asked him what he had done, and he said he had shot Bert in the wrist. He added, "Burt knocked me down three times in Mr. Riggs' yard, and called me a — " She asked where Bert had gone, and he replied to Mr. Riggs' gate for the police. She advisfd him to go to bed and she heard no more until morning. She had not noticed any blood on his hands or clothing.
     The Coroner— Is Veale an intemperate man?
     The Witness — Occasionally. He is very excitable when he is in drink.
     After he came into the house, could you see whether he was drunk?— Yes; he was very drunk.
     Constable John Opie said he found Coulter in a weak state. Coulter told him he had been shot at Mr. Riggs' farm at about 3 a.m. He proceeded to the farm, and 10 ft from the door of the storeroom, in which the two men slept he found blood stains. These he followed to the back verandah of Mr. Riggs' residence, near which he found a double-barrelled gun. Some distance away he discovered a belt containing cartridges similar to those found in the gun. Proceeding to Mrs. C. Veale's residence, three-quarters of a mile away, he found W. Veale, fully dressed, in bed In a back room. In response to enquiries Veale said he was "down town" on the previous evening. The witness said to him, "Did you have a row with Coulter last nlight?" Veale replied — "I don't know; I don't remember.'' The witness then arrested Veale, who said — "I don't remember anything." On Veale's hand and coat he saw bloodstains. On the way to the police station Veale said — "I had a row with Bert Coulter last night. He called me a — . No man can stand that." When arrested Veale was in a ''muddled state," and during the same afternoon he was gobbing in the cell. The witness spoke to Veale, who said — "I'll never touch the jolly stuff or handle a gun again." Veale enquired after Coulter, and the witness replied — "He is not dead, but he in very ill." Veale said — ''I am glad of that. Will I .be fined? If so Mr. Riggs will pay my fine." On the following day he saw the injured man at a private hospital, Gawler. Coulter made the following statement: — 'We were in town last night, and when we got home the dogs were barking. I went out to 'stir up' my dog. Billy Veale growled at me for doing so. I told him that he ought to turn his dog out and not have it in the bedroom with him. We then had a row. I went to pack up my things to clear out to Saddleworth, and Veale said, "Come on to bed." I said, "No, I am going round to see the young fellow -(meaning Clement Addis)) . I had my dog on the chain in one hand, and my bag of things in the other, when he came out and deliberately fired at me.'
     Dr J C. Hams said the deceased was admitted to the Adelaide Hospital on September 9 suffering from serious wounds in the left breast and upper arm as inflmatory gangrene had set in. The left arm was amputated two hours afterwards, but the patient died two days later. Death was due to a gunshot wound with subsequent infection.
     The coroner found that the deceased met his death "from gunshot wounds wilfully, feloniously, and of his malice aforethought, inflicted by William Veale, at Bentley farm, near, Gawler, The Coroner added- "This is a verdict of murder against William Veale;"
     Veale was committed for trial at the next Criminal Sittings.²