Hello again Ron, Yes it is a bit grisly, isn't it? I'm thinking seriously of sending for the certificate in question just to satisfy my (perhaps morbid) curiosity as to what the actual wording is. I don't know with this relative what the circumstances were, so I guess that this would be the only way to find out. Needless to say, the person was never discussed in the family, and I found him purely by chance when looking through Digger for something else altogether. Of course in 1900 hanging offences were quite numerous, but even so his death may have been from natural causes. I take your point that strictly speaking one doesn't actually die by hanging, but since it is the hanging which causes the broken spinal cord, asphyxiation, etc. then shouldn't it say so on the certificate? I don't know - perhaps there are privacy issues or something of the sort here for the immediate family, so maybe that's why the actual event, the 'real' cause of the person's death, is likely to be noted only in the Court or Prison records. Presumably these records would have restricted access, if any at all. On a more cheerful note, may I wish you a happy New Year and lots of good breakthroughs in your research in 2007. Regards and all the best for now, Julie. -----Original Message----- From: aus-vic-western-district-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:aus-vic-western-district-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Ron Philllips Sent: Tuesday, 2 January 2007 8:43 PM To: aus-vic-western-district@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [AUS-VIC-WESTERN-DISTRICT] Fw: Gaol SNIP

Hi Julie You may be right about the Death Certificate but I really do not think so. The Death Certificate is made out by a Doctor and notwithstanding that he is attending a hanging he would only enter the cause of death in medical terms as he is required to do under the Law. No Doctor anywhere that I know of has ever put down the event leading to the demise of the person only the actual reason WHY life finished. For example you don't see "Killed in Car Crash" as a cause of death - what you get "Died of massive internal haemorrhaging" or "Skull Fracture". Similarly you don't see "Died of Smoking" You get "Carcinoma of the Lung/Bowel" etc. Guess we will have to get the Certificate to see which of us is right! Regards Ron Phillips Melbourne Victoria ----- Original Message ----- From: "Julie M Hopper" <juliemhopper@hotkey.net.au> To: <aus-vic-western-district@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 12:10 AM Subject: Re: [AUS-VIC-WESTERN-DISTRICT] Fw: Gaol > Hello again Ron, > Yes it is a bit grisly, isn't it? I'm thinking seriously of sending for > the > certificate in question just to satisfy my (perhaps morbid) curiosity as > to > what the actual wording is. I don't know with this relative what the > circumstances were, so I guess that this would be the only way to find > out. > Needless to say, the person was never discussed in the family, and I found > him purely by chance when looking through Digger for something else > altogether. Of course in 1900 hanging offences were quite numerous, but > even > so his death may have been from natural causes. > > I take your point that strictly speaking one doesn't actually die by > hanging, but since it is the hanging which causes the broken spinal cord, > asphyxiation, etc. then shouldn't it say so on the certificate? I don't > know > - perhaps there are privacy issues or something of the sort here for the > immediate family, so maybe that's why the actual event, the 'real' cause > of > the person's death, is likely to be noted only in the Court or Prison > records. Presumably these records would have restricted access, if any at > all. > > On a more cheerful note, may I wish you a happy New Year and lots of good > breakthroughs in your research in 2007. > > Regards and all the best for now, > Julie. > > -----Original Message----- > From: aus-vic-western-district-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:aus-vic-western-district-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Ron > Philllips > Sent: Tuesday, 2 January 2007 8:43 PM > To: aus-vic-western-district@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [AUS-VIC-WESTERN-DISTRICT] Fw: Gaol > SNIP > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > AUS-VIC-WESTERN-DISTRICT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Yes, please ! I am intrigued with this discussion :-) Cheers Debbie - listening to the beautiful, much needed, and appreciated RAIN on the roof ! Supposedly here for a week ! :-) Hope you also get some Victoria ! -----Original Message----- From: aus-vic-western-district-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:aus-vic-western-district-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Ron Philllips Sent: Wednesday, 3 January 2007 8:46 PM To: aus-vic-western-district@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [AUS-VIC-WESTERN-DISTRICT] Fw: Gaol Hi Julie <snipped> Guess we will have to get the Certificate to see which of us is right! Regards Ron Phillips Melbourne Victoria