by Tracie Griffith
This tragic tale begins on the 17th February 1858, when a local Constable arrested John Rutledge for drunk and disorderly behaviour at The Star of the West Hotel. Rutledge resisted and struck the Constable, who called on Sergeant George Dodds for assistance. Together the two officers managed to subdue Rutledge and he was led away to the watch house.
As they progressed along Sackville Street, Rutledge broke free and ran into Hutton’s store. A fracas ensued inside the store, where Rutledge produced a knife and brazenly stabbed Sergeant Dodds in the abdomen.
Although Sergeant Dodds’ wound was considered serious at first, he was later expected to recover.
On Wednesday evening, Mr. John Rutledge was apprehended by a police constable for being drunk and disorderly, at the Star of the West Hotel. He resisted and struck the constable who thereupon called Sergeant Dodds to his assistance. As Sergeant Dodds was proceeding to the Station House with Rutledge in custody, he (Rutledge) took a knife from his pocket, and stabbed him in the abdomen. We regret to learn that the Sergeant is dangerously ill from the effects of the wound. We believe the prisoner was for some time an inmate of a lunatic asylum, but the fact of his discharge from it, does not tend to prove his alleged insanity. Besides, as there could be no plea of poverty, or inability to keep him in a private asylum, we have reason to believe that he was no more insane than any other drunken man is. We have no doubt however that our accommodating Coroner will supply a certificate of “insanity” or “sanity” as required, as he boasts of having done on a former occasion.
Banner of Belfast 19th February 1858
Rutledge was charged with wounding the Sergeant and tried at the Belfast General Sessions on the 12th May 1858. He was found not guilty on the grounds of insanity and committed to the Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum.
The discharge register from the Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum confirms Rutledge was admitted on 30th June 1858 and discharged on 7th October 1858 (PROV, VPRS 7418/P1, Unit 1).
Aside from the reference in the Banner of Belfast above about a possible earlier stay in a lunatic asylum, not much is known about Rutledge. An article in The Moyne Gazette dated 18th September 2003 claims he was a foundation committee member of the Port Fairy Cricket Club in 1850. Also, that he left for the Californian diggings in search of gold during the 1850s. It is unknown how long he stayed overseas, but he was certainly back in Port Fairy for the fateful events of February 1858.
Rutledge’s miraculous return to sanity and release from the asylum was believed to have been due to family connections. His elder brother, William Rutledge, was a prominent citizen of Port Fairy. William arrived in Australia from Ireland in 1829 and subsequently arranged for seven of his eight siblings to follow him. John arrived in Australia in 1836. When William relocated his business enterprises to Port Fairy in 1843, John came with him.
William Rutledge was known as ‘Terrible Billy’ because of his temper. Several of the Rutledge men were renowned for drunkenness; including Lloyd Rutledge, the youngest of the siblings and Port Fairy’s most famous ghost. Lloyd died on 17th December 1858 from injuries sustained after falling down the central staircase in his mansion ‘Cooinda’ while drunk. He is now said to haunt his gravesite at the Port Fairy Cemetery each year on the anniversary of his death.
The fate of John Rutledge is unknown. One theory is he was shipped off to America to save the family further embarrassment. Another is that he returned to his native Ireland and died there
By July of 1859, Dr Jermyn and Superintendent Lydiard were reporting to the Chief Commissioner of Police in Melbourne that Sergeant Dodds would ‘never again be fit for active duty.’ Their letters indicate he was confined to bed and in a very weak state. Superintendent Lydiard petitioned for an allowance to enable the Sergeant to support his family.
Sergeant Dodds’ condition continued to decline and he died on 18th August 1859 – 18 months after he was wounded and less than 12 months after his assailant had been released from custody.
We regret to have to record this day the death of Sergeant Dodds, of the Belfast Police force. About twelve months ago Sergeant Dodds, while in the discharge of his duties in Sackville street, received a desperate wound from a maniac, and from that time his health has gradually declined. Both by the police force, and by the public his loss will be regretted, and the cortege which will this day [*] his remains to their last resting place will be evidence of the esteem in which he was held.
Banner of Belfast 20th August 1859
Sergeant Dodds’ death certificate states he was 47 years old and the cause of death is listed as ascites (fluid collecting in the abdomen; a condition that commonly reached up to eight litres and then interfered with heart and lung functions) and haematemesis (vomiting blood) for a duration of two months (1).
George Dodds was born in England and arrived in Australia in 1850 with his wife and six children. He joined the Belfast Rural Bench Constabulary and after proving a respected member of Victoria Police, was promoted to Sergeant First Class. His wife unfortunately developed a drinking problem and the marriage broke down around 1857. There were four surviving children at the time of Sergeant Dodds’ death, two of whom were still dependents.
Police wages at the time were staggeringly low, beneath that of a road labourer. Victoria Police paid for the Sergeant’s funeral and expenses such as doctors and a housekeeper. His friends paid for the headstone erected on his grave at the Port Fairy Cemetery.
On the weekend of 18-19th October 2003, the life of Sergeant Dodds was commemorated in conjunction with the Victoria Police 150th Anniversary celebrations. On Saturday 18th October, the Police Chaplin conducted a memorial service and a plaque was unveiled at Sergeant Dodds’ grave in the Port Fairy Cemetery. On Sunday 19th October, a reserve was dedicated to Sergeant Dodds within the boundaries of Southcombe Park.
For more information on this story, check out the blog George Dodds Reserve and a rumour about Southcombe Park.
Reference:
- Grundy, Joan E. (2006). A Dictionary of Medical & Related Terms for the Family Historian. South Yorkshire, England: Swansong Publications.
Note:
An article in The Moyne Gazette dated 31st July 2003, highlights discrepancies in the reporting of the knife that wounded Sergeant Dodds. The Belfast Gazette on 19th February 1858 reported it was a bowie knife, but Superintendent Lydiard described it as a clasp knife in his report to the Chief Commissioner of Police on 20th February 1858.
A bowie knife has a short handle with a hand guard and blade. The end of the 25 to 40 cm-long blade curves to a sharp point.
A clasp knife has a blade or blades folding into the handle. It may be a large knife with a single blade which, when open, may be secured in place by a catch.
The question historians face today is which knife did Rutledge use to stab the unwitting policeman?
The Moyne Gazette 31st July 2003
The article points out that Rutledge may have obtained the knife from Hutton’s store, but there is no record of the business ever selling these sorts of knives (only the tableware variety). Unfortunately there is no surviving record of the court hearing, which would have confirmed the type of weapon used in the fatal stabbing of Sergeant Dodds.