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THE SHOOTING AT BLACKWOOD IN 1908

HISTORY - 100 YEARS AGO IN BLACKWOOD.

In June 1908 the Stipendiary Lay Reader was Harold Gamil Robinson, born in Lancashire in 1865. He was studying for his final exams before being ordained. He and his wife lived in the Vicarage (known as the Parsonage) at Blackwood, next to All Saints Church.

William T.  Pincombe (Billy) was born in Devon in 1861. He was married in Jan 1906 to Annie Morrish and they had a son in late 1906.  They lived in a house opposite the Parsonage.  Billy was a miner and an active member of the Blackwood Rifle Club.

Billy's wife, Annie Pincombe, developed some kind of religious mania; she took the sentence in the Bible ‘If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off’, quite literally, and in November 1906 she got an axe and chopped off her right hand.  She was taken to the Kyneton Hospital and later admitted to a Mental Institution.   Her husband, somehow felt the Church’s representative in Blackwood was responsible. He evidently took it into his head that he had to take the life of the minister.  On Friday 19th June 1908, Mr Robinson was walking on his veranda studying a theological book; Billy Pincombe had a clear view from his window; he took his 303 rifle and, lying on a wire mattress he shot Harold Robinson, the shot passing through the book, and went directly into his heart and he died shortly after. It was soon after the 12 o’clock whistle; Mrs Robinson was in her kitchen; she heard the shot, rushed out and found her husband moaning and bleeding. She quickly sought help from her neighbours, Mrs Jane Vigor and Mrs Byrne, who in turn got help from Mr.Aston and Mr Richards and Mr W. Cann from the Blackwood hotel.

Constable Saunders was called and they all went to the Parsonage, where they found Robinson had died of his wounds, and carried his body into the house.

Mounted Constable Charles T. Saunders had been a member of the Victoria Police Force for 18 years and had been stationed in Blackwood for 4 years. He took his revolver with him that day ‘as a precaution’, and went over to Pincombe’s house, closely followed by his son Charlie, aged 20.  Pincombe unlocked the door when Saunders knocked and the policeman spoke to Billy.  Charlie heard two shots in quick succession, rushed in and found Pincombe slumped in the doorway, wounded in the head, his father standing with a smoking revolver in his hand. Pincombe’s bullet from his rifle, left a powder mark on Saunder’s shoulder which had passed through his overcoat. William Pincombe was taken to the Blackwood Police Station and placed on a bed in a jail cell.  He never recovered consciousness and died there six days later.

At the inquest, evidence was given that Pincombe was a ‘quiet, steady man’, but in the previous year there had been an incident when he had challenged Fr. Collins to a duel, and he had also been up before the police court for threatening Mr. Robinson, but had not appeared to defend himself, and had been fined one pound. His brother testified that William was eccentric but not violent, depressed, nervous and suffered from delusions. He had an idea someone was hypnotising him: he had said “If they do not swim out from me they will suffer for it”. He had seen a Doctor in Melbourne and seemed to be improving.

The verdict was given that Pincombe committed the act while insane. The Victorian State Cabinet voted Mounted Constable Saunders 50 pound and the Chief Commissioner awarded him the Police Merit Badge,- given only ‘for conspicuous merit and exceptional bravery’.

About 1983 a clergyman friend of Rev. Philip Salvin bought a book at a church fete down on the Mornington Peninsular, saw “Blackwood” written on the flyleaf and gave it to him to return it to the parish.  This turned out to be the very book Harold Robinson had been reading when he was shot, complete with bullet hole. According to his wife, Robinson had been reading the meaning of the ''quick and the dead - He doth judge both, giving each their due reward."     This book has now been returned to All Saints Church in Blackwood.

Information taken largely from the 'Bacchus Marsh Express' July 4th 1908, courtesy - P.Garnett.                                                                     

^{Edited and compiled by Margot Hitchcock, Historian - Blackwood & District Historical Society.  June 2008.         email -  margothitchcock@bigpond.com}

History of Blackwood Books Available