[Unfortunately no further newspaper reports of Christie Ryan’s 1881 absconding could be found.]

 

Evening News, Wed 16 Nov 1881 ¹

LOST AND FOUND.
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    £5 Reward.— Stolen from me, on the 9th inst., a Black Boy, named Christie Ryan, native of Madras, India, aged about 7 years. Any person giving information which will lead to the conviction of the thief will receive the above reward.

    £2 reward will be given to any person returning the boy to me within one week from this date. Any person found harbouring the boy after this date will be prosecuted according to law. A warrant (November 15) has been issued by Parramatta Bench of Magistrates.

John Creasey,
Tattersall’s Hotel, Parramatta.

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Historic ‘toothprints’ in old door

 

Cumberland Argus, Wed 4 Oct 1961 ²

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    “The Flashback” picture this week is an old hotel which few, if any Parramatta people of today would remember.

    The picture shows Tattersalls Hotel, Parramatta, taken in the 1850’s

    Tattersall Hotel stood on the corner of Church and George Streets, on the site now occupied by the building of Angus and Coote.

    In the early days the opposite corner, now occupied by the Bank of New South Wales was also a hotel site and was occupied by the Australian Arms Hotel. But these old hotels have long since been demolished.

TRAGEDY

    Parramatta resident, Mr WG Hansen, well-known retired naval engineer, who has made a close study of the early days of Parramatta said this week that Tattersalls Hotel figured in the tragic circumstances which caused the death of the Lady Mary Fitzroy.

    Lady Fitzroy, wife of the then Governor was residing at Government House, Parramatta Park.

    Lady Fitzroy was killed when a four-in-hand driven by her husband bolted in Parramatta Park while the Vice Regal couple were on their way to attend a wedding in Sydney, then half a day’s drive away.

    The four-in-hand failed to turn the sharp corner at the bottom of the Parramatta Park Hill and the carriage turned over throwing Lady Fitzroy and Lieutenant McMasters against a tree. Both died the same day as a result of their injuries.

    They were later given a Vice Regal funeral and buried in St John’s cemetery.

    When the carriage turned over, two of the horses broke free and bolted along George Street.

    Two men stepping into the roadway in an attempt to halt the bolting horses caused them to swerve from their course and crash headlong into the corner doorway of the old hotel.

    For years afterwards the imprints of the horses’ teeth could be seen in the wooden door. Mr Hansen said that when the hotel was demolished many years ago, he tried unsuccessfully to purchase the historic door for preservation.

    The door however “disappeared mysteriously” from the hotel cellar.

 

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¹     Evening News, (Sydney, NSW), Wed 16 Nov 1881, p. 5.

²     Cumberland Argus, (Parramatta, NSW), Wed 4 Oct 1961, p. 2. Emphasis added and in original text.

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