Worthington Family in Court

By Lyn Forde – President/Research Officer of St Marys & District Historical Society Inc.

John oliver Worthington was born in Penrith in 1868 to John & Matilda Worthington. he married Caroline Teasdell at newtown in 1889. In April 1892 Caroline was suing John for maintenance in the Penrith Police Court where she stated that she was the wife of John and was twenty years of age and had two children and it was a fortnight since she received any support from him. She said she remembered on Wednesday 31st March John went away to play at a ball, and on that occasion she was sitting in her house with Paul harford who had been there a few hours before, when the front door burst open and Alfred and William Worthington came in with a man named o’Keefe who stayed outside, when a certain accusation was made about her by Alfred. She have not been guilty of any wrongful familiarity with Paul harford because he came to see if she would continue to work for him as she had been working for him before and he had brought some news from Sydney about her family there. John was a friend of Paul’s and had often asked him around to stay at the house for an hour or two. Adultery was John’s defence. Caroline said that Paul harford remained for half an hour until John came home so as to explain matters to him, but John did not come home until the next night and came in with his brother and took her eldest daughter and told her to get out of the place by the next morning. on the Saturday following he came back and said that if she would go to her family in Sydney he would give her the furniture, but she said she would not go and then he said that if she did not go he would put her out and charge her with adultery and would say that was why he was leaving her. John said his brother had told him what was said on Friday and he believed him and he came and took the furniture. Some of the furniture had been given to her by his brother and he took her bed away and everything in the house. She said that John can earn £2 a week if he works and sometimes he plays at dances and gets 15 shillings a night and she is prepared to take that amount a week for her support. Caroline said that John told her to clear out because she had committed adultery with Paul harford, but it was close to 9 o’clock when Paul came to her house on the night when John’s two brothers broke in, between eleven and twelve o’clock at night. It is a four-roomed cottage facing the main road and there is no hall in the house. We were sitting in the dining room at the table and we were not playing cards or had any music from the time Paul came in. She had not been charged with improper conduct with Paul harford before but she had been told that her husband’s brothers were always around the house and had a bad opinion of her. She was not on her back on the bed. They didn’t come to the bedroom door and strike a match and she didn’t say Paul was only having a lark with her. John took her child from her and it is over twelve months ago since she worked for Paul and her husband did not refuse to allow her to work for him twelve months ago. John’s brother Alf said, “I have been watching you for six months” and she did not say to Alf in the front room “Come here you bastard I want to talk to you” and he did not say “I will talk to you when we get justice”. Caroline said that Alf said to Paul “that you have been in the bedroom with “Carrie” and he was watching through the window shutter” and she said that she had not been in the bedroom with Paul harford. Alf then said’ “remember Carrie I’ve got plenty of money and I don’t care if it costs me £500 to see you parted “ and he called her a “bloody woman”. She said that he abused her at her front door about two years ago and said he would give a hundred to get her parted from “Jacky”. Paul harford said he has a boot factory at St Marys and he remembered being at John’s place once when the door was broken open. he was in the habit of calling there when John was present and no undue familiarity occurred that night or at any other time and he has never behaved or tried to behave improperly with Mrs Worthington at any time. he stayed in the house for some time hoping John would return but he didn’t know John was at Mulgoa that night. next Alice Musgrave said that she was a married woman residing in Sydney and she received a telegram from her sister and came to St Marys where she saw Caroline in rather a delicate state of health. She was present when John came and took the furniture out of the house and then came back for the bed where the baby was sleeping. he took the baby handing it to a boy who was standing by and said, “throw this bloody kid on the floor” and she said, “you’re a coward and no man would take the bed from under her”. John then said ‘“hold your tongue you bloody woman” and she struck him and he called out help, help, help and his brother rushed in and caught her by the throat and she waved her arm around and knocked him to the floor. At this stage the Bench suggested that to save a great deal of unpleasantness, an amicable arrangement might be arrived at between the parties, but John would not agree to a settlement in any shape or form. In July 1893 Caroline was in court again where orders were made for support from John for the three girls for five shillings a week each for twelve months. In September 1898 John sought a divorce from Caroline on the grounds of adultery with William nutland on more than one occasion. The decree was granted to John and he gained custody of the children. In 1910 John married Agnes Horrigan. He died five years later at the Western Suburbs hospital. John met with an accident at the homebush Saleyards while inspecting a horse he intended buying. he was knocked down and trodden on his head and hip. he was moved to the hospital where he remained only a few days as it was thought he was sufficiently recovered to go home. On the following Saturday he had to be taken to the hospital again when lockjaw set in and he died never regaining consciousness after his admission to the hospital. The funeral took place at St Mary Magdalene Church and Cemetery at St Marys with Reverend Bowers officiating and Mrs John Price and Son having charge of the funeral arrangements. There is no headstone

Source: Nepean Times, Trove, NSW Births, Deaths & Marriages online, Ancestry.