| Comment | Francis Hay Held the office of: Page-of-honour to Queen Victoria
ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.
[BY TELEGRAPH.]
A Squatter Suicides.
BRISBANE, Tuesday.
A telegram from Aramac states that the Hon. Francis Hay, of Needlewood grazing farm, Tower Hill Creek, after visiting Muttaburra returned to his station on Thursday and committed suicide on Friday by cutting his throat. No reason is assigned.
[Source: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44220044 Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 – 1954) Tuesday 27 September 1898]
MUTTABURRA, September 28.
A case of suicide occurred on Saturday night at Needlewood Selection, sixty-five miles from Muttaburra. The Hon. Francis Hay was found dead with his throat cut from ear to ear and a deep wound in his left arm, and a blood-stained razor beside him. Constable Miller and Mr. Harding, J.P., held an inquiry on Monday. From the evidence it appears that the deceased had been drinking heavily, and the action was premeditated! Two letters were found in his saddle bag – one addressed to Sergeant Blyton, Muttaburra, the other to his (Hay’s) mother. Deceased held a photograph of his mother in his hand.
[Source: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52541242 Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 – 1954) Thursday 29 September 1898]
Sad Case of Suicide.
ON Saturday night last (wrote our Muttaburra correspondent on September 28th), word was brought to the Sergeant of Police at Muttaburra that the Hon. Francis Hay had been found dead at his selection, Needlewood, about 65 miles distant. Constable Miller was at once dispatched, and held an inquiry on Monday, before Mr. W. St. John Harding, J.P. It appears that Hay only returned to his selection from Muttaburra on Friday and was then in a very despondent state of mind. On Saturday morning after getting his man to provide him with writing materials he sent him off to a considerable distance on an errand. About two hours afterwards a workman on a neighboring selection came up and found Hay with his throat cut from ear to ear and his left arm cut across near the elbow, and with a blood-stained razor beside him. In one hand there was a piece of paper with the words written on it, “Look in my saddle pouch,” and clasped in the other hand the deceased held a photograph of his mother On following the directions written on the paper two letters were found in the saddle bag, one addressed to Sergeant Blyton, Muttaburra, and the other to the mother of Hay. From the letter addressed to Sergeant Blyton it was quite evident that the deceased contemplated the last sad act of taking his own life, as in this letter he gave the Sergeant instructions about paying a few debts he owed, and gave the names of the people to whom he owed money, and told the amount of money he had to his credit at his bankers, and gave directions about the disposal of the remainder of his property. Hay was of a very quiet and retiring disposition, having lived for some months by himself, and doing all his own work, until a few days ago. From the evidence given no reason could be assigned for the sad act, and the bare verdict of ‘suicide” was given. [This letter was delayed owing to misadventure with the mail. En.]
[Source: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article76386306 The Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central-Western Districts (Barcaldine, Qld.: 1892 – 1922) Tuesday 11 October 1898]
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF QUEENSLAND
LAND.
In the LANDS and GOODS of the Honourable FRANCIS HAY, late of Needlewood Tower, Hill Creek, Muttaburra, in the Colony of Queensland, Grazier, Deceased, Intestate.
Notice is hereby given that, after the expiration of fourteen days from the publication hereof, application will be made to this Honourable Court that ADMINISTRATION of the Real and Personal Estate of the abovenamed Honourable Francis Hay, deceased, who died Intestate, may be granted to QUEENSLAND TRUSTEES LIMITED, the lawfully-constituted Attorney of the Right Honourable ELIZA AMELIA, Dowager Countess of Erroll, residing at Kew Cottage, Kew, Surrey, England (Mother of the said deceased), the Right Honourable CHARLES GORE HAY, Earl of Erroll, Lord Hay and Slains, Heritable Lord High Constable of Scotland, residing at Slains Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the Honourable ARTHUR HAY, also residing at Kew Cottage, Kew, Surrey, England (Brothers of the said deceased), Lady CECILIA LEILA HAY, or WEBBE, wife of Captain George Allan Webbe, late of the Fifteenth Hussars, residing at Number Thirty-one Hans Place, London, England, and Lady FLORENCE AGNES ADELAIDE HAY, or WOLRIGE GORDON, wife of Henry Gordon Wolrige Gordon, Captain in the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, residing at Lawton House, Arbroath, Scotland (Sisters of the said deceased), the whole next of kin of the said deceased.
Dated this Twenty-second day of December, 1898.
A. F. ‘M. FEEZ, Solicitor for the said Queensland Trustees, Limited, Lutwyche Chambers, Adelaide-street, Brisbane
[Source: The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 – 1933), Saturday 24 December 1898, page 12]
His mother sent out a headstone from England reading:
In loving memory of
Francis Hay
Youngest son of the 18th Earl of Erroll
Born 14th August 1864
Died 24th September 1898
I am the resurrection and the life
Erected by his sorrowing mother
EA Erroll
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