We have all been very busy lately - settling into the term. So far running smoothly :-)
A lovely friend moved to Germany (where she is originally from) a month or two ago and left behind her bread maker with me. I have bonded with it. I've been using the timer to have various multi-grain loaves ready for when we get back from school. We tried a chocolate and raisin bread at Leo's party - nobody else got much it was such a hit with me :-)
This weekend I tried the cinnamon scrolls but due to a tripling of the rising time (we went out and it didn't seem important enough to make the kids stop rolling down the hill) and a very humid day the second rising got a little out of hand. I also made the filling with "lite" margarine instead of butter - which contained water - and a lot of it ran out of the roll, so I sort of dipped each roll in the mess. The result was very very delicious!!
I've also been doing some extremely non-functional sewing - mainly to find out what problems my 11 and 12 year old students are likely to come up against in their design projects. Meet my taniwha plus a kiwi from a bought pattern. The boys are most unhappy with the kiwi's 'girliness'.
And finally, but not briefly the ghastly demise of my great great grandfather George Ashcroft. I was thinking about not - but then if someone takes their own life I believe you can probably tell something about them by the method they choose. I can't even know for sure if death was George's real intention - he was brought up to believe suicide was a terrible sin. There is no doubt he was in terrible financial trouble, that he carried the weight of responsibility for his bad decisions alone - and it was a tortuous burden. Here are the facts of his last 15 hours. There are three Georges in the story - the non-Ascroft Georges are refered to by their surnames.
George Esther a close friend of George's met him at 6 pm on the 21st December 1889. George told Esther he was in serious financial toruble and wanted to ask Esther how to get out of it. George owed Esther a large sum of money and asked if he was prepared to wait. Esther said he was. George told him that for several days he had been suffering most excruciating pains in the head. He put his hand up to his brow and said "My God Esther if this continues I feel certain I shall go mad". Esther asked George if he was in any immediate trouble, and he said he scarcely knew how he stood. It was not his own business. He had been drawn into it by others in mining matters, but if they got time he had no doubt they should pull through. He was very much agitated - depressed but endevering to keep up. I have no reports of what George did or where he was between his meeting with Esther and 1am - he may have been home for dinner with his wife and young children, he may have drunk at the Hotel, he may have wandered the streets, I have know way of knowing. At 1am on the morning of 22nd December George entered St Paul's Church. Mr George Davie arrived at the church to clean at 5am, he habitually worked very early in the church as he was also the caretaker at South Seas Court. He went to sweep the church out finding the keys in the vestry door which was not locked. On entering he went into the chancel and was surprised to see a man lying down on the carpet apparently asleep. Davie knew that George was an office bearer of the church who might have occasion to go to the church for a book. He concluded for the time being that George had been overindulging and was sleeping it off. After a bit of sweeping Davie shook the sleeping George and asked what he was doing there. George replied "I am Ashcroft, give me a drink". Davie got him some water which he drank raising himself to do do.
George said "Don't tell anybody......... Get me a hassock or cushion for my head" which Davie promptly did. After half an hour more sweeping Davie heard George moaning and vomiting. Davie said "had I not better get a cab and take you home" George - in great pain - said "No, go and fetch Doctor Brown and tell him to bring something that will ease the pain". Davie ran to get the doctor who said he would be there directly. On his return Davie checked on George - who wouldn't let Davie touch him - and went to wait at the gate. Doctor Brown was a long time coming. At Davie's next check George said "well, go and fetch Roberts; any doctor under the circumstances". Davie ran to get Doctor Roberts only to find that he was out of town. As he arrived back at the church he found Doctor Brown feeling George's pulse and injecting morphia into his arm. Davie felt suspicious and on looking around noticed a cushion had something under it - a revolver in a leather case. He put the gun back and didn't mention it too the doctor. Dr Brown asked Davie to stand by George while he went to the hospital for the ambulance. While they were alone Davie asked George if he had shot himself. "yes, just under the heart".
"My God, what made you do such a rash act as that? Was it trouble or money that made you do it?"
"yes, I came in here at 1 o'clock, and shot myself at 5"
"I had better go and fetch Archdeacon Edwards and also let your wife know"
"No, don't tell anybody................................. Davie, take charge of that" (the pistol). Davie put it in his pocket. The amulance arrived and the Doctor and Davie helped George in. Later the observant Doctor Brown told Davie "you had better give the pistol up to the police" which he did.
They arrived at the hospital a few minutes after 9 am with George alive and concious. He was stripped off and wounds found in the front of his abdomen just below the ribs on the left side. His shirt was only slightly stained with blood. Dr Copeland and Dr Brown opened the abdomen to search for the injuries and found the bullet had passed backwards and to the right wounding arteries in 4 or 5 places and tearing the blood vessels. It had struck the rib at the back and travelled upwards. The bullet was not found. George was too weak for them to continue the search. His whole abdominal cavity was filled with blood. George died shortly after from haemorhage. It was concluded that he had fired a small bullet at close quarters held in his right hand while he pulled the trigger with his thumb.
After his death a note was found in George's pocket:
"1am prayed for my wife and children
1.30am still do
2am very cold; in great distress
3.30 must have slept
4 very cold and hopeless
4.15 daylight oh the agony of this night
4.30 "
It was later discovered that George's financial troubles were indeed extensive, he had not only lost money of his own but had taken money from his employer - presumably to prop up his failed investments - but had dug himself ever deeper in trouble. His wife and the children including my great grandfather Basil who was just 3 years old were taken in by family. I have know idea how they coped. George's story was never spoken of by my Granny or her sisters, the last of whom died last week.
Do I know George any better now? It does occur to me that one of Granny's frequent quotes "money is (a necessary) evil" might imply she knew at least some of the story. Hope you're not in Hel double Great Grandpa - if God exists I would have thought a night of mental anguish followed by 6 hours dying from a bullet to the guts ought to more than cover it as far as suffering goes.
Time to stare at my sleeping children.
