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Hitchcock:
The Fremantle Town Hall was opened on June 2 [1887] ... and on the evening of the following day the new building was the scene of a tragedy that created a painful sensation in Fremantle. During a children's ball that was being held in connection with the Queen Victoria Jubilee celebrations, a young single man named William Conroy, the licensee of the National Hotel, sought admission to the hall some time after 11 p.m., but as he had no invitation, besides being apparently under the influence of liquor, Councillor Snook, an elderly gentleman who was acting as doorkeeper, refused to admit him. Thereupon Conroy went back to his hotel and returned with a loaded revolver and shot the old gentleman. The shot was not immediately fatal, but Snook died a few weeks later. Conroy was put on trial for wilful murder and, being found guilty, was sentenced to death. Strenuous efforts were made to obtain his reprieve, but without avail. For the crime Conroy suffered the extreme penalty on November 18, 1887, being then 30 years of age. He was the last man to be hanged within the precincts of Perth gaol, all subsequent executions being carried out at the Fremantle prison. Hitchcock: 68-69.
Snook may have had built this building which currently stands alone at 63 South Terrace, with the Record Cellar as one of its tenants.
SNOOK, John, b. 1818, d. 25.9.1887 (Frem), arr. 28.4.1853 per Palestine m. Elizabeth. Chd. Annie b. c .1847/ 50, Sarah Jane bp. 1854, William Septimus b. 1856, James b. 1858, Frances Grace b. 1860, Frank Herbert b. 1866. Fremantle. Employed by T.H. Carter 1864- 77 , then on own account. Frem. Town Councillor 1871- 5. 1877- 1887. Master Sgt. Rifle Volunteers, Member of Freemasons Lodge 1867, Committeeman Working Mens' Assoc. Fremantle Dealer. Qualified as juror 1860; £150 personal estate. He was shot by W. Conroy after refusing him admittance to a function in Town Hall.
References and Links
- ↑ Rica Erickson; et al. Western Australian Biographical Index 1979 (SLWA), ID S/S4461
Hitchcock, JK 1929, [[../hitchcock.html|The History of Fremantle]], The Front Gate of Australia 1829-1929, Fremantle City Council.
[[../books/erickson.html|Erickson]].
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 2 August, 2016 and hosted at freotopia.org/people/snook.html (it was last updated on 9 March, 2024), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.