Page:Tales-of-Banks-Peninsula Jacobson 2ed 1893 cropped.pdf/174

a perfect brute to his wife, thrashing her in the most unmerciful manner. He always performed this operation late at night, never striking her in the daytime. All the men about there seemed to be afraid of him, and consequently he was let alone, though universally hated by his mates, Charlie Anderson, Billy Caton, Jack Pope, and a Swede. These four men used formerly to work in Okain’s Bay, but went away from there to the Tuapeka diggings. Jimmy was considered a good bushman in those days, so his mates stuck to him. Mrs. Walker frequently brought Jimmy up before the late Mr. Mellish, who was Magistrate there, and who used to caution Jimmy, who would promise to act better if he was let off, but never did. The Resident Magistrate eventually bound him over to keep the peace, but this was too much for Jimmy, who no doubt thought he could not trust himself, so cleared out again for the diggings. Mrs. Walker still lived in the same place, and used to take in needlework. After a time Jimmy sent her a little money. Although frequent enquiries were made about him, after this he was not heard of. During this time Jimmy encountered the moa. Poor Mrs. Walker was found dead a few years after on the road through Hawksbury’s paddock. She died of heart disease, brought on, it was said, by the ill-treatment and frights she had received from Walker. It was only after she was married that she suffered from heart disease.