Australian Town and Country Journal at KellyGang 6/7/1872 (2)
Opposite the Australian are the Government offices. The first building is a large and fine-looking structure of brick, and the business of the post and telegraph offices carried on there. Mr C A Middleton is postmaster. Next to it is the court-house, also of brick, but having no claim to architectural beauty. Henry Baylis, Esq, is the police magistrate, and the other members of the bench are Chas. M Lloyd, John Leitch, James Cochran, William Faed, Alexander M'Neil, Thomas W Hammond, Walter O Windeyer, F A Thompson, J S Lavender, J J Fernell, and Francis E Murphy, Esquires; E H Thompson, Esq., is CPS.
The Sub-Inspector of Police is J D Mears, Esq. At the rear of the court-house is the gaol, standing upon a quarter of an acre of ground, and surrounded by a high brick wall. It has six cells, remarkable for their clean and wholesome appearance. They contained at the time of my visit less prisoners that at any time during the past eight years. This speaks well for the improving morality of the district. The gaoler is Mr R G Monteith.
Next door to the Australian is a large saddlers' shop, Coffey and Cassin's. Saddlery is an important trade in Wagga Wagga, and saddles made in the town have a good reputation. On the same side is Mr W Love's general store, a fine building; Bergin, Moxham, and Co.'s saddlery establishment follows; and we arrive at the Hall of Commerce, Roberts, Copland, and Co.'s new establishment. There are few country stores having a more stylish appearance than this fine building, which has just been completed. The design of the building is very chaste; it is two stories high. The front entrance and glass windows are shaded by a colonnade; six fine pillars, carved and coloured in green and gold, support a spacious verandah and balcony which reaches over the wide pavement to Fitzmaurice street.
Beside a fine arcade leading to the back stores there are two other entrances for visitors and the public generally. The one nearest the arcade leads to the grocery and ironmongery departments. Here on one side are grocery supplies of all description is and on the other side hardware goods. The second entrance leads to the drapery, clothing, and boot department, offices, &c.
Ranged along the sides are beautifully carved and polished counters, while above and around are festooned tempting and gorgeously coloured fancy articles. At the far end is a magnificent mirror the height of the walls and about 5 feet wide, reflecting a life-size portrait of the spectator, with the rich drapery above and around. Proceeding down the shop, past elegant fittings and shelving, the visitor finds himself under the frosted glass skylights in the roof; and just beyond is the entrance to the millinery department - a smaller room, to the left of which are the offices of the firm. Judging by the crowded shop and numerous vehicles at the door, a large business is done by Messrs. Roberts, Copland and Co. Such a flue establishment deserves this success.
Next to the Hall of Commerce is the Australian Joint Stock Bank, under the management of Mr Cottee. It is also a good large building. Here is another street running at right angles. This is called Gurwood-street. We leave Fitzmaurice-street for the present, and go up Gurwood-street as far as the Public School; but I must first call your attention to that noble edifice, I mean that bark hut in the distance. Behold, in it, the former residence of the alleged Sir Roger Charles Tichborne ! the butcher turned baronet !
My apology for the introduction of the accompanying sketch is the world-wide notoriety that Wagga Wagga has achieved as the place from which suddenly emerged one of the most remarkable characters of modern times - Tom Castro, otherwise Sir Roger Charles Doughty Tichborne; - this notoriety is such that no account of the place would be complete without a description or a view of the place which the butcher-baronet occupied during his residence here. A drawing of the butcher's shop in which Castro carried on business was taken immediately after the "claimant" left Australia, and forwarded by M. Hawkins, of the Wagga Wagga Express, to the editor of the Graphic, It is from that drawing that the accompanying engraving was produced.
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