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Thomas Collins Gets William Atkin into Trouble


As mentioned in my previous post, several of the Collins family relocated to Gippsland following the death of their mother in March 1884. Thomas Henry Collins was working as a butcher in the town of Yarragon, where his sister Lydia Ann Collins - my great-grandmother - would meet my great-grandfather William Atkin. In September 1886 William and Lydia were married at St James' Cathedral in Melbourne (now the St James 'Old' Cathedral, relocated to West Melbourne in 1913-14).

Those who have had read the thesis I wrote for my Family History Diploma in 2018 may recall the story that follows. William, aged 22, was granted a slaughtering license early in 1887 and bought the butcher shop formerly held by his 26-year old brother-in-law Thomas. However both were soon embroiled in a controversy that would play out in a Warragul courtroom. Collins had purchased cows from farmers who were under the impression that he was still running the business, and had paid for them with a cheque that was dishonoured. He then on-sold the cows to Atkin who paid cash for them. While William argued successfully that he was not a partner to this underhand dealing, the Warragul Guardian wrote:

We believe young Atkin is a respectable straightforward young man, and we know that his father is deservedly highly respected in the neighbourhood of Yarragon, and we [are] sorry to say that we entirely concur [with] Judge Hamilton when refusing to allow Atkin costs, though we have no doubt that Atkin was made a tool of by Collins.

 It is no surprise to learn that Thomas Collins was soon far away in Sydney, where his father Joseph had recently relocated. There in 1888 he married a girl named Minnie Justins, and the following year they had a child named Annie Jane who sadly survived only three months. And after that I have no further record of what happened to Thomas. William Atkin would put the embarrassing episode behind him to establish himself in his own butchering business in Yarragon for years to come.

Sources:
“The Warragul Guardian”, Warragul Guardian and Buln Buln and Narracan Shire Advocate, 6 September 1887, 3.
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