Kate and Mary Tangee
Catherine (Kate) was born in 1872, the fourth child of William and Catherine Tangee with sister Mary born 2 years later in 1874. Life in Desailly Flats at a time when Sale was still establishing itself was never going to be easy and this wouldn't have been helped when their father, William, left Australia, returning to China with his young son James.
It was only the year before that their brother John had died from
scarlet fever and four years before that when their sister Jane had been born
and died in infancy.
The sisters had to grow up quickly as their mother’s health spiraled and
her focus turned to her youngest children as she looked for a new husband. Kate
appears to have become a carer for her mother in her final months, registering
the birth and death of her half sister Queenie, just months before her mother
died in 1891.
During this time Kate had been ‘keeping company’ with local footballer,
Robert Todd. Todd worked with Kate’s brother William, collecting and selling
firewood, and, in June 1892 Kate would give birth to their daughter, Florence
Beatrice,
By October, Todd appeared in court, charged with leaving his
illegitimate daughter without adequate means of support. Court reports state:
“He told her that she need have no fear of his running away, and added that if
he got her into disgrace he would marry her.”
Todd had visited Kate and Florence and Kate was prepared to give the
baby to her father after being confined to hospital in the months since her
daughters birth. Defending his decision to leave Sale for Warragul, Todd
claimed that “all the footballers knew where he was”. He was ordered to pay 5
shillings a week to Kate.
Sadly, Florence would die in December 1892 and be buried at the Sale
cemetery.
Despite Todd’s treatment of Kate, her brother William continued to work
with him and, in 1897, Todd returned to court again as a result of the Tangee
sisters. This time, Mary.
23 year old Mary had been working as a domestic for five years and had
earnt the respect of her employer, and was described as having borne the
character of a steady, industrious girl. Like Kate, Mary had fallen for the
charms of Todd, described in the press as ‘a prominent footballer’, who had
seduced her under a promise of marriage.
On a Sunday night in May, Todd was walking along Raymond Street with his
new wife. Hearing a noise, he turned around to face Mary who was holding a
small seven chambered weapon. She had rolled a piece of material from her skirt
around the revolver so that it wouldn’t be seen and it was this material
becoming entangled with the trigger that prevented the weapon from being fired.
When interviewed by the local police, Mary admitted that what had been
said by Todd was correct, and then added that had it not been for the piece of
dress material preventing the weapon from going off, Todd would have been
“stiff” enough now. Mary said that she was impelled to the act by Todd’s
conduct towards both her sister and herself, she being also in a ‘certain
condition’.
News headlines and front pages screamed “Charge of Double Seduction”,
“Attempted Murder By a Girl”, “A Girls Betrayal” and “A Jealous Girl” with the
court case being reported across Australia.
Court records reported that Mary had only yielded to Todd after making
every preparation for her marriage. “He then cruelly deserted her, married
another girl, and taunted her with the fact”.
During the court case, it was proven that Mary had presented a loaded
revolver at Todd’s head, however, her defence argued that she was acting under
intense excitement and provocation. The charge was not sustained as it could
not be shown that she had actually pulled the trigger and the case was
dismissed, but not before Todd swore that he was afraid of the girl and she was
bound to keep the peace for twelve months.
The Police Magistrate held that the pointing of a loaded revolved at a
person’s head did not constitute an attempt to murder, unless it was shown that
the trigger was pulled.
Later that year Mary gave birth to a baby boy, Arthur. By then Robert
and his wife had moved to Western Australia. Mary listed Arthur’s father as
unknown on his birth certificate, perhaps to start a new chapter.
In 1899, Mary married Richard English. The couple would leave Sale and
raise their four children in Tarraville, South Gippsland. Mary would die in
1926 as a result of heart failure and diabetes. In the same year, Kate married
Richard Davidson and had seven children. Remaining in Sale, Kate would reach 91
years of age before passing away in 1963.
Two sisters whose first love was a man who would seduce them both under
a promise of marriage, and then taunt them and savagely disregard them, would
ultimately find the stability and love that they deserved.
Catherine (Kate) Tangee
Born: April 1872, Sale, Victoria
Died: April 16, 1963, Sale, Victoria
Great Aunt of Edward William Heard
Mary Tangee
Born: June 4 1874, Sale, Victoria
Died: October 23, 1926, Yarram, Victoria
Great Aunt of Edward William Heard
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