Architectural plans of the hospital at Warwick, 1888
News of the day

Warwick Examiner and Times, Saturday 4 January 1919, page 2

INGLEWOOD. Woman Accidentally Shot.


A shooting accident occurred on Monday last at Messrs. Kemp and Fleming's property, Crystal Mountain Station, near Dalveen, as a result of which a woman named Louisa Stevens who was employed as housekeeper at the homestead, was shot through the left thigh, and is now lying in the Warwick General Hospital recovering from her wound. It appears that a man named Lieutenant Priestman was a guest at the station and was about to partake in a shooting expedition. He was examining a rifle in the office and believing that the weapon was unloaded pulled the trigger, whereupon a bullet spurted from the barrel, and after passing through a wall entered the thigh of Mrs. Stevens who, it is stated, was about 100 yards distant from where Priestman was examining the rifle. The injured woman at first did not know what had happened, and merely thought that she had been stung by some vicious insect. Later, however, she perceived blood streaming down her leg. The Warwick Ambulance were immediately communicated with, and quickly appeared on the scene. The woman was conveyed to the Warwick General Hospital, and was placed under an X-ray examination, which enabled Dr. Phillips to extract the bullet. Mrs. Stevens is now progressing favourably. The Warwick police are making inquiries into the affair, but it is believed that the injury was caused purely by accident.

Background

In 1878 the Queensland Government raised a loan of £5,000 to build a new hospital in Warwick. However, it was not until September 1880 after considerable local agitation that the government called for tenders to build the hospital, resulting in a contract awarded to A.W. Doorey to build the hospital. However, by February 1881, tenders were being called for again, and in April 1881 the Queensland Government announced the hospital would not proceed. In June 1881, the government indicated that they would proceed if the local financial subscriptions to the hospital were increased. Tenders were called again in February 1882 resulting in a contract with Messrs Wallace and Gibson in March 1882. Finally on Thursday 19 June 1884, the patients were moved from the old hospital to the new hospital in Locke Street.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

 

Discover more