The death of Chemimé, an Aboriginal woman of the Avoca district

Avoca Mail, Saturday 18 May 1867, page 2

The remnant of the Avoca tribe of aborigines is becoming gradually less in number. An inquest was held at Lamplough on Sunday last, on the body of one of these unfortunates, named Jemima. The deceased woman, with three or four members of her tribe, had been wandering about Avoca and the neighboring townships for several months. Intemperate habits, want of food and warm clothing, will soon, it is to be feared, sweep away the last vestige of this once numerous tribe.

Chemimé (Jemima) was an Avoca Aboriginal woman who died on 11 May 1867 at Lamplough. She was about twenty-four years old. An inquest was held on 12 May. Four witnesses gave evidence. It was found that she had died of disease of the liver. Chemimé had been ill for some time, but had not been seeing a doctor. She was buried in Avoca cemetery on 13 May. There is no entry for her in the burial register. Her death certificate records that she was married. No further information was given.

Chemimé ‘s husband Moses gave this deposition:

I live at Lamplough. The deceased Chemimi was my wife. She had been ill a long time and died about three or four o’clock on Saturday morning the eleventh of this month. She did not have any doctor. She did not have any physic but had some oatmeal (gruel). Nothing was put in it but sugar. I gave it her two nights and then she died. Soon after she had died I went and told Mr Cartwright of it at the Clare Castle Public House Lamplough.

George Cartwright., Lamplough’s publican deposed that:

I am a Publican living at Lamplough. On Saturday morning last the 11th inst. The last witness Moses came and told me his lubra was dead. He used these words “my old woman is dead”. I said  “who do you mean” - he said “the lubra”. I asked him "when did she die”? He said “early in the morning about daylight” - I told him “I will send to the Police Camp the first opportunity,” as he stated he was not able to walk there himself from weakness - I accordingly requested Mr Swift & Mr Fish who were going to Avoca to give information of the death of deceased at the Police Camp there. This was about one o’clock in the day.

Antony Strahan, a mounted constable of police, deposed:

I am a mounted constable of police stationed at Avoca. On the evening of the eleventh instant about 5 o’clock I received information that there was a black woman dead at Lamplough and that the cause was not known. I proceeded to Lamplough and found the body the subject of the present inquest  in the bush where the first witness Moses was living. He told me she was his wife and died in Friday night last. I had the body removed to where it now lies.

John McMahon, the Avoca doctor, deposed:

I am a legally qualified medical practitioner serving at Avoca. I have made a post mortem examination of the body of deceased. The body was very much emaciated but there were no external marks of violence upon it. On opening the body I found the lungs and heart healthy. I found the liver to be very much enlarged and twice the primary size for one of the deceased’s age and adhering on all sides to the abdominal parietes. Attached to the liver were two large cysts - one as large as an infant’s head - on opening them I found they contained a great number of smaller cysts. Also a quantity of matter in them of a white fluid. The cause of death was disease of the liver. The deceased I should say was about 25 years of age.

The inquest recorded that Chemimé was a young woman, twenty-four years old, who had been ill for a long time, with no medical care, little nourishment, living in the bush. By the time her husband sought help it was already too late.