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Joseph Guilford
Thorndon, Wellington, from Munn's wharf, (1880s)
Src:
Looking towards the Tinakori hills, across
Thorndon, from the junction of Mulgrave Street and Thorndon Quay, with
Munn's wharf in the foreground. Thistle Inn and Warcup's corner are left
of centre and St Pauls is right of centre. Thorndon Quay stretches to the
right.
Joseph Guilford (b: 1863 in
Broulee, NSW, the youngest son of James and Rebecca
Guilford; he gave his occ:
as "seafarer"; d: 28 Jan 1897, Wellington Harbour, bur: 30 Jan 1897 Karori Cem. Section: PUBLIC Plot Number: 177 E)
Auckland Star, 12 May
1874; CHILDREN OF THE WHAU. Two boys, Joseph and Frank (Francis
Henry) Guilford, appeared to answer to a charge of assaulting
Mary Jane McCaul, a little girl at the Whau, in the course of last
week "by hitting her toe with a stone and chasing with an open
knife". Several witnesses on both sides were examined. The case
was dismissed, each party paying their own costs. Auckland Star, 21 May 1874:
WHAU NEIGHBOURS. Two brothers, named Joseph and Frank Guilford, were
charged with threatening to shoot and pointing a gun at Walter McCaul on
the first of May at the Whan. Mr Laishley appeared for defendants, and
pleaded not guilty. Mr McCaul deposed that he was a settler at the Whau,
and, on the day in question, between seven and eight o'clock in the
morning, as he was leaning against his fence, looking through his
spy-glass to see if there were any sportsmen about, lie saw the two
defendants, one was on horseback, and the other was on foot with a gun in
his hand. They were about forty yards distant from him, in an adjoining
paddock. He heard Joseph say to his brother, "Shoot at his eye-glass,"
when Frank immediately lifted the gun and pointed it at witness. The elder
brother said, "fire, fire". This called the attention of Mrs McCaul to the
circumstance, when the lad turned in another direction, walked a few
paces, and fired, apparently in the air, and then laid down the gun. To Mr
Laishley - He could not speak as to the exact time. 'It might have been
about eight o'clock. He could distinctly hear what the boys said". He
believed he knew the reason why the boys had acted thus. They were
instigated in their bad feelings against him by their parents. Mrs McCaul
and Mary Ann McCaul corroborated the statement of the previous witness. Mr
Laishley addressed the Court, and said that the case was of a very
trumpery nature and the second of a series, the former of which was very
properly dismissed. Mrs Guilford, mother of the defendants, deposed that
on the day in question her son went to work before eight and the younger
son went to school, and they were not together during the day. There was a
gun in the bedroom, but it was not used on the day mentioned, and she
could swear to her knowledge that her boys neither had the gun nor rode
the pony - she was positive of that. The boys had no ill-feeling towards
Mr McCaul. They had never been charged with an attempt to murder before.
There were both of a very mild disposition, and would not hurt a worm. Her
sons were not of a diabolical turn of mind. The Bench stated that the
evidence before it was quite sufficient, and hoped Mr Laishley would not
tax the patience of the Bench any longer than necessary. Mr Laishley
remarked that he had only three more witnesses to call. The Bench said
they were unnecessary as its mind was made up upon the case. It must be
dismissed each party paying their own costs.
Wanganui 1879 A violent attack on a
19-year-old in a Wanganui street has seen the perpetrators each jailed for
five years. O'Neil 19, and Joseph Guilford, 17, appeared before
Judge David Cameron in the Whanganui District Court yesterday. The judge
told them they were both equally culpable for the offence. He said the
grievous bodily harm by two attackers on a vulnerable man was gratuitous,
unprovoked, and it would not be tolerated by the community. An aggravating
factor in the attack was the extreme violence involved when they kicked
the 19-year-old in the head until he was unconscious and continued to beat
him. The attack took place on the intersection of Carlton Ave and Parsons
St about 3.20am on January 15, when the heavily intoxicated man was
walking home.
Judge Cameron said the man suffered
serious injuries. He was unconscious and unresponsive in the critical care
unit with swelling to the brain for four days before he was transferred to
the surgical ward for seven days. In the victim impact report, Judge
Cameron told the court the man had no memory of the attack and could not
concentrate for a long time afterward. His family and friends reported
that he was unable to speak coherently. He still tired easily and prior to
August he could not drive. The man still felt unsafe walking about the
streets at night. Judge Cameron said the attack had a significant and
lasting effect on the victim's mother and father.
Guilford's lawyer Debbie Goodlet was
critical of the court report, which she said was "unhelpful", and that as
a 17-year old he had never had the opportunity for rehabilitation. Judge
Cameron said he had previously been offered anger management. O'Neill's
lawyer Richard Leith said his client had been on curfew without electronic
monitoring since January 16 and that he deserved some credit for the
restrictive bail period. Mr Leith said his client was young, naive and
immature at the time of offending, and submitted that the starting point
for sentencing should be reduced to five years from eight years. However,
it was O'Neill who threw the first punch, Judge Cameron said.
Crown prosecutor Lance Rowe said that by
law, both O'Neill and Guilford had received discounts for their age.
Guilford was 16 at the time of the crime and O'Neill, 18. On a charge of
possession of an offensive weapon, O'Neill and Guilford were convicted and
discharged. O'Neill was also warned by Judge Cameron that he was subject
to the three strikes law.
Wairarapa Daily Times, 23 Apr 1880:
Carterton: Joseph Guilford - charged with use of obscene language
- acquitted
Wairarapa Standard, 2 Nov 1880; Three
youths named Samuel Parker. Joseph Moran, and Joseph Guilford, were
charged at Carterton on Friday last with throwing stones and eggs on the
night of the 18th October. A good deal of evidence was adduced against them, and the Bench inflicted
a fine of £2 and costs on Moran and Guilford, and £1 and costs on Parker,
in default of payment of which they were to be locked up for seven days.
After sentence had been passed upon them and they were removed to the
police station (says the Wairarapa Standard), Guilford sneered at the
sentence, saying he would sooner suffer durance vile than pay the fine, at
the same flourishing several bank notes. This young gentleman undoubtedly
deserves the best attention our local Justices can give him.
Evening Post, 12 Oct 1885:
Detective Campbell this afternoon apprenhended two men named Joseph
Guilford and Ernest Dorant on a charge of stealing a quantity of food from
the meat safe of Mrs. Olsen, residing in Mulgrave-street. The prisoners
will appear before the Magistrate's Court to-morrow morning.
Evening Post, 20 Jan
1886; WILFUL DAMAGE. Joseph Guilford alias Kelly was charged with
breaking a window, the property of of Mrs. Sophia Olson, residing in
Murphy street, valued at 5s. The prisoner pleaded Not Guilty. Mrs. Olsen
stated that between 12 and 1 o'clock on the morning of the 22nd of
November last she heard a noise outside her house, and looking out she saw
the accused smash the window with a stone falling on the bed on which two
children were lying. Prisoner had done a sentence for stealing from Mrs.
Olsen's house. The Bench fined the accused 10s, 5s damages, and 10s costs,
or three days' imprisonment
Evening Post, 1 August
1887 Messrs. E B. Baker and A. McDonald, Justices, presided at to-day's
sitting of the Magistrate's Court. John Curtis was fined £1, or 48 hour's
imprisonment, and Joseph Guilford, alias Thomas Kelly, 10s, or 24
hours' imprisonment, for drunkenness.
Evening Post, 6 Nov 1891:
For travelling in a railway carriage on the Hutt line without a proper
ticket on the 2lst of October Joseph Guilford was to-day fined 2s 6d, and
ordered to pay 1s 4d, the amount of the fare.
Evening Post, 2 Dec
1892: A one-eyed swagger Joseph Guilford, alias Thomas Kelly, was
arrested last Sunday He was seen wilfully setting fire to gorse
fences boundering the properties of Messrs. James Pearce, George
Taylor, and Edward Draper, at Small Farms Settlement, near Pahautanui,
pleaded Guilty to the charge at the Magistrate's Court this morning.
Accused said that he had been drinking heavily, and really did not know
what he was doing. Mr. Robinson, R.M., remarked that it was a reckless and
wicked thing to do, and the offence could not be lightly passed over.
Accused was then ordered to pay £14 in fines and damages, or in default to
undergo four months' imprisonment, the punishment being allotted as
follows: — For damaging Mr. Pearce's property, fined .£5, and to pay .£3
10s damages, or two months imprisonment; damage to Mr. Taylor's property,
fined £1, with £2 damages, or one month imprisonment; ; and damage to Mr.
Draper's property, fined £1, with £1 10s damages, or one month. An
application by the prisoner for time in which to pay the fines, &c,
was not entertained by the Court.
Evening Post, 3 June
1893; Joseph Guilford, charged with having stolen two £5 bank-notes from
his mother. Mr. Bolton, who appeared for the informant, offered no
evidence, and the prisoner was discharged.
Evening Post, 1
Dec 1893; BREACH OF RAILWAY BY-LAW Joseph Guilford,. who was defended
by Mr. Bunny, pleaded Not Guilty to a charge of having caused annoyance to
passengers travelling in a railway train between Wellington and Ngaranga
on the 6th ult. The offence was proved, but the case not being a serious
one, the defendant was fined 1s and £1 0s 6d costs, a fortnight being
allowed in which to pay the amount.
Inangahua Times, 28 Jan
1897: The body of a man named Joseph Guilford alias Thos. Kelly,
about 33, supposed to be a labourer, was found floating off the Queen's
Wharf at 7 a.m. Nothing is yet known of the cause.
1897 -
Information of Witnesses severally taken and acknowledged
on behalf of Our Sovereign The Queen; Touching the death of Joseph
Guilford at the Quay Wellington known by the name of Marject? (difficult
to decipher) of the provincial District of Wellington 29th day of January
One Thousand Eight Hundred ...before the Coroner of the said colony during
inquisition into events pertaining to the body of Joseph Guilford Then and
there lying dead to whit -
George William Houghten
- I am a compositor residing in Wellington. I was just about to land from
the Maura in Quay yesterday morning about 7am when I saw something which
attracted my attention in the water. I went closer and saw that it was a
body. I told the constable on the wharf. He got out and I saw him bring in
the body. It was that of a short man in working clothes and a scarf about
the waist. I saw the body lifted into the express and I left. I did not
know the man.
Thomas Ryan - I was the
Police Constable stationed at Wellington. I was on duty on the wharf
yesterday morning about 7am when the person - a body floating in the
water. I got a boat and assistance. I found the body about 30 yards from
the wharf at No 4 jetty and I got it ashore. I did not know the man. Mr
Clark searched him in my presence
George Clark - Sailor -
Wellington; The body was that of Joseph Guilford and was with me the last
eight or nine months. I last saw him alive on Thursday night. I recognised
him by his size - he was about 5ft 5 1/2; by his clothes; by often cut
tobacco with his knife and recognised some marks on it and he has some
blue striped socks that my wife gave him. I had told him that
he had a few things to get at ? ? station but he called out that he could
not get them as he had not got the money to pay. He said that if you see
Mr Clark tomorrow he will give you a shilling to get them. It was Friday
afternoon when my wife saw him. I have not seen him since.
John Kerry - I am a
wharf?? Wellington. I have known Joseph Guilford close to eleven years. I
last saw him on Saturday. I was talking to him for about 20 minutes. He
had had a drink or two. He said he was going up country. He asked me for
money. I then said he could try and see his brothers and see if he could
get a bit of ? to take with him. I used to take an interest in him as a
seafaring man. He did not seem so despondent so to lead me to believe he
would take his own life.
Francis Henry Guilford
- I am a currier residing in Wellington. I had a brother named Joseph
Guilford, 34 or 35 years old. His height was about 5 ft 5ins. I last saw
him alive on Tuesday at Ngaranga. He was standing outside the hotel and I
was riding past on a bicycle. I did not stop to speak. He was rather
addicted to drink. I have seen the body in the morgue but could not say it
was my brother. The body was about the same size as my brother but the
features are not recognisable. The teeth do not seem to be as regular as
those my brother had.
The following
disposition was witnessed and written before me on the 29th day of January
1897
James Blyth Coroner : An inquisition indented before our
Sovereign Lady the Queen, at the morgue of Wellington. The body is that of
Joseph Guilford then and there lying dead upon the oath of good and lawful
men of the neighbourhood duly chosen and who being there and charged to
enquire when and where and by what means Joseph Guilford came upon his
death There upon the oath say that he was found drowned in the Wellington
Harbour upon the 28th day of January in the year aforesaid. There is no
evidence of how he came to be in the water.
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