Falsely Accused - 2. FAL Chapter 2

When the last of the patients had been seen, I was cleaning up the treatment room, when Dr Carter arrived expectantly. “Mr Lester, I am informed that you have diagnosed three possible cases of measles, may I see the patients please” he said as soon as he walked in, and I followed him into the hospital room, where the three patients were resting. After checking all three patients, Dr Carter exited the room with me close behind him.

“Mr Lester, your diagnosis is spot on, well done on your isolation action, and I hear you have also had a busy afternoon with 23 other patients, did you make notes?” Dr Carter said to me, “Yes sir, it’s all on the desk” I replied and Dr Carter picked up the notes and read each page thoroughly. “Very good Mr Lester, continue on” Dr Carter said and he walked out of the hospital. I placed the notes in a desk draw and turned to face the waiting warder, to escort me back to my cell, except he took me to the administration building instead.

“Mr Lester, come in and sit down” the superintendent said as I entered his office, I have received a report from the warders and Dr Carter, that you did an outstanding job today, Dr Carter also mentioned that with the meeting he had with you yesterday, he found you to be highly knowledgeable with medicine, and that in his view, you are indeed a trained doctor.

I will be sending a letter to London, requesting information about your training, and how you came about becoming a convict, unfortunately that will take some time, but for now I am relocating you to a cell a lot closer to the hospital, that is all for now” he said to me, and I turned and exited the room, were the warder escorted me back to my cell, to collect my belongings and to move to my new cell. I was given a cell just inside the hospital wing building, and it was twice the size of my previous cell, plus I had a small desk and a chair, plus a side table and a shelf to store my belongings, the wash dish, soap and towel.

After having a wash, I decided to read the bible some more, as there was nothing else to do when in confinement, and this is when I noticed the sheets of paper and a pencil on the desk, and I immediately sat down and began to write a letter home.

“To my dear mother, I am alive and well, so have no fear. I am not certain if you know what become of me so many months ago, on my way back home, after a few drinks at the tavern with my dock friends, I was approached by soldiers who asked if I am Johnnie from the Docks, when I said I was, I was immediately arrested and taken to the police station cells.

I was falsely charged with house breaking and larceny, and when brought before the magistrate the following morning, I was prevented from saying anything. After three months in police cells in London I was placed on a ship and transported to the Swan River Colony, where I am still today. Before leaving London, I left a clue of who I am on the medical document, hoping that Dr Jamieson would read it. Things have improved for me recently, although I am not a free man, my medical skills have come to the attention of the Prison superintendent and medical officer, and I am now assisting Dr Carter with treating the convicts.

Please let Dr Jamison know that I am alive and well, and that I hope in the future to be free of this place, and I can return home. Give my best wishes to my little brother John Edward, he must be a growing young man by now. With all my love, your son Edward J Lester”.

I finished the letter just before my evening meal was delivered, and I asked the warder to pass this letter to the superintendent, and ask him if he can send it to England. What I didn’t know, was that my letter was sent on the next ship due to sail back to London the following day, along with a letter that he had written to Dr Jamison, requesting clarification of my qualifications.

The following day, after checking on the three measles patients, I sat down at the desk, and looked around the treatment room, that is when I noticed a number of reference books, and I stood up and walked to the shelf and looked at the titles. The Philosophy of Physic; or the Natural History of Diseases, and their Cure. By the Rev. William Wilson 1804 and Observations on the General Principles and on the Particular Nature and Treatment of Various Species of Inflammation. By J. H. James 1832, were the two that caught my attention, and I took them back to the desk to look at them.

When Dr Carter walked in about an hour later and saw me reading one of the books, he informed me that he had a number of other medical reference books at home, that I was welcome to read, and I accepted his offer, and within a few days the shelves of the treatment room and also in my cell were full of books, and I spent all my spare time reading, to improve my medical knowledge.

Meanwhile, Moondyne Joe, the Swan River Colonies best known bushranger, has returned to the prison. He has been sentenced too hard labor for his previous escape, and he spends his days in the back corner of the work yard to breakup rocks.

For the next six months, I worked almost daily in the hospital, attending to the sick and injured, when Dr Carter was not available one time, I had to attend the hanging of a convict, and to certify that he was dead at the completion of the event. It was something that I hoped never to see ever again, as it made me sick to the stomach, each time the memories of the hanging came back to me from time to time.

Moondyne Joe has escaped yet again, having stacked up the rocks to hide his activities of digging a hole in the wall. Just a few days after the news of Moondyne Joes recent escape, I was in the hospital when I was summoned to go to the Superintendent’s office, this time I was instructed to make my own way there, which I was very surprised.

When I stepped into the superintendent’s office, I was shocked when I saw Dr Jamison from London, sitting in a chair opposite the desk, and I nearly stumbled over seeing him here in the office. He smiled as he stood up and walked towards me, and instead of shaking hands, he wrapped me in a tight embrace, and all I could do was burst into tears.

Moments later there was a knock on the door, and Dr Carter walked in smiling, giving the impression he knew about this. As we sat down, I wiped away the tears and took a deep breath. “Dr Lester…” the superintendent started, and at first, I didn’t realise that he was addressing me, and I looked at Dr Carter briefly before I realized that he was speaking to me. “I have here your University graduation certificate and Medical Registration Certificate…” he started to say before looking down at his desk for a few moments, before continuing.

“I also have a document from the Chief Magistrate in London, giving you a full pardon, apparently you were falsely accused of those crimes, plus a Certificate of Freedom issued by the Governor of Western Australia this morning. With this being the case, Dr Carter’s request for transfer has been accepted, pending you accepting the position he is vacating” the superintendent said, and it took me a few moments to realize what he was saying.

“Are you saying, that you are offering me a job as medical officer for this establishment?” I asked him, a bit stunned at what he was saying to me, “That is correct Dr Lester, I am offering you a full time paid job, which includes a 2-bedroom cottage, located nearby” the superintendent said to me. “If you don’t take the job, then I will, and if you do, I would be happy to be your backup, it will be good to work alongside you again Edward” Dr Jamison said with a smile.

“Well, with that offer, yes I will accept the position thankyou Mr Superintendent” I replied, still amazed that this was really happening. “That’s very good to hear, now go and get your belongings, and report back to administration, so you can be officially discharged as a convict, and Dr Jamison will have all your documentation and the keys to your new home, report back in two-days’ time for work” the superintendent said.

I thanked him for the opportunity to work at the prison, and I made my way back to my cell, to gather the books and few belongings that I had gathered during my stay. I was surprised to find a set of clothes on my bed, and I quickly had a wash, and changed into my new clothes before I made my way back to the administration building, where a warder escorted me to the front gate. Before stepping out into freedom, I turned and thanking the warder, shaking his hand with a smile, and I stepped out of the prison, where Dr Jamison was waiting for me.

After a short walk, we arrived at a row of cottages, and we turned into the front gate of number 12, the front yard was very small and had no garden, just a couple of small shrubs, the cottage was two levels, and Dr Jamison unlocked and opened the front, stepping aside to let me step inside. The hallway takes up the full length of the cottage from back to front, with the lounge room immediately to the left inside the front door, followed by a study, some stairs up, the dining room and the kitchen located at the back.

At one end of the back verandah, there is the laundry and on the other side there is an outside toilet, and a store room, on the upper level there are two large bedrooms and a bathroom. The house is furnished with all the basics needed, and after inspecting the whole cottage, I found Dr Jamison seated in the lounge room. “It looks comfortable enough for you, I have rented a house just a few streets away, where I have set up my medical practice” he said to me. I was a little surprised by this statement, as I expected him to be here for just a short visit before returning to England. “How about we go for a walk down the main street and get some new clothes for you, as those clothes won’t last very long” Dr Jamison said to me.

After two hours of clothes fittings, with three suits, plus some smart casual clothes and some basic shopping for linen, and some stationary for the study, plus some food supplies, we arrived back at the cottage. Leaving most of the shopping in the lounge room, I put away all of the food shopping, and Dr Jamison asked me to come over to his home for my first meal as a free man, which I accepted, and with a key in hand, I locked the front door and we set off to his home.

About ten minutes later we arrived at the house, which has a plaque by the door – “Dr L.B Jamison, MD & Surgeon”, and as I stepped into the house behind Dr Jamison, I noticed that the entry lounge was warm and inviting. I heard some noises further inside the house before a voice called out, “Lionel, is that you? How did things go with Edward?” she said, and there was a slight similarity to the voice, “Why don’t you come here and ask him yourself, Margaret” Dr Jamison replied with a smile, and I heard footsteps approaching and suddenly I was face to face with…

“Mum, what are you doing here?” I said shocked to see my own mother in front of me, and I staggered back and sat heavily in a lounge chair. Eventually I stood up and gave my mum a big hug, with tears of joy in my eyes. “I fell in love again, Lionel is my husband, and we all came to Australia.

Soon after we received your letter, and the letter from the goal superintendent, we packed up and boarded the next ship to Fremantle. Oh, I have missed you so much my son” my mother said to me as she hugged me again, as I thought back to the day that I left home in Edinburgh, to take up my two-year medical apprenticeship in London, at the young age of 22 years, just over 4 years ago.

Suddenly I realised that someone else had joined in the hug with my mum and leaning back a little to see who it was, and I saw a smiling teenager, who I soon realized was my little brother – John. “Hello little brother, my word you have grown in four years” I said as we hugged together once more. As we sat down to chat, mum disappeared for a few minutes and returned with a tray of afternoon tea, with cake and biscuits.

I was about to take a sip of tea, when I heard some crying coming from another part of the house. I almost dropped the cup and saucer in my hand as I looked at mum shocked at what I had heard, “That my dear son, is your baby half-brother – Mathew Jamison, he is almost two years old” Mum explained as she stood up to attend to her youngest son, who had just woken up from a nap. Lionel as he asked to be called, explained that they had arrived in Fremantle just three days ago, after a reasonably good journey, from London via South Africa.

After a wonderful home cooked roast dinner, I said goodnight to the family, and I walked back to my cottage, which I walked past a few meters, before I realised that I had gone too far, and turned back, entering my new home moments later. After making my bed in the rear master bedroom, I heated up some water in the copper to have a long hot bath, before going to bed.

I woke the next morning to the sound of someone knocking on the front door, and when I opened the front door, and found a smiling brother standing there, I stood aside to let him in. “What brings you here so early in the morning?” I asked John, as I went down the hallway to the kitchen to get the wood stove going. “Never mind starting the stove, mother has breakfast waiting for you, she says to bring all your new clothes and she will wash them for you, and step father wants to meet with you something to do with business” John said to me as he followed me.

I went upstairs to dress properly, and to gather the clothing that needs washing before wearing, and we made our way back to the Jamison house down the road. Mum had a cooked breakfast ready for John and I as we entered the house, and Mathew was already eating his breakfast, seated in a high chair next to his father, who greeted me as we sat at the table. I glanced up at the table clock on the mantle, which read 7.15 am, a lot later than I am woken up in the goal.

After a wonderful breakfast, Lionel and I went into the front room opposite the lounge room, which is where Lionel will be practicing as a Surgeon and Physician, there were a number of boxes on the ground and the large desk faces the front wall, under the large window, a large table stands against the back wall, and two comfortable chairs are located to one side of the main desk, which is where we sat.

We chatted for s short while, till Lionel stood up and walked to one of the boxes, and after a bit of searching, he pulled out five books, which he handed to me. They were medical reference books, and I knew I had some catching up to do, to get up to date with medical progress, and I thanked him for the loan of the books.