Elizabeth Rice was the mother of
Bernard Rice, an Irish-born miner working in
British Columbia.
1 Peter Brunton Whannell, Justice of the Peace at
Fort Yale, informed Elizabeth of her son’s murder in a letter sent on
14 January 1859.
2 The
despatch indicates that
Bernard’s body was found with
a Bill for £20… a Bag Containing Gold Dust value 69 Dollars and 50 Cents--In Silver
Coin One Dollar & 85 Cents and a Colt Revolver
,
along with his other possessions that were sold for 91 dollars.
3 Whannell told Elizabeth that he would retain the possessions
until he should hear from [her].
4 Elizabeth wrote back to
Whannell immediately but received no response.
5 She tried instead to contact
Whannell through
Simpson Musgrave and
Thomas Williams, two friends of
Bernard’s who had also sent her a letter regarding his death, so that she could acquire her
son’s property.
6 There is no record in the despatch collection of a response from the Colonial Office
to Elizabeth.