Tried: Westmeath
Arrived on the vessel 'FORTH' Master Henry Hutton, Surgeon Superintendent Thomas Robertson.
(The Forth departed Cork 21 October 1834 with 196 male prisoners. Arrived in Port Jackson on Monday 3 February 1835. One man died on voyage.)
Granted Ticket of Leave 16 March 1843 Maitland
A coroner's inquest into the death of Peter Kilduff, held on Tuesday 15 October 1850, at the Fitzroy Hotel, at 7 a. m., before Henry Glennie, Esq.
Peter Kilduff carrier. Employed by Henry Dangar taking goods to station 'Yellowroy' (Yallaroi). Killed when a wheel of the dray passed over his head a mile and a half beyond Rix's Creek, in the Singleton area. He was the brother of John KILDUFF 1793-1854 and
Michael KILDUFF 1799-1874
SINGLETON
An inquest was this day held at 7 o'clock A M.' before the
Coroner of the district, at the Fitzroy Hotel, on view of
the body of Peter Kilduff, then lying dead.
The Jury being sworn, proceeded, to view the body which
was in a dray in the adjoining yard, and having returned,
Thomas M'Mahon was called and being sworn, stated
that he resided on a part of Mr. Henry Dangar's
ground at Singleton, from which place he started
with his team, on yesterday, October 14. about eleven
o'clock a.m. in company with two other teams, all
three laden with property for Mr. Dangar's station
at Yallaroi ; and that having accompanied them
about three miles on the road, and having cautioned
deceased, who was then much worse for "liquor"
to take care of himself, left his own team in charge
of a man whom he had employed to drive it and rode
on before them, to the Pound at Full Brook, a few
miles further on. Having delayed here some time,
and the drays not having yet made their appearance,
he returned to see what delayed them and was surprised
to find them but a short distance from where he first
left them. The driver of his own team being,
from drunkenness, incapable of driving, he took
the whip from him, stopped the team, and went back
to the second one which was a short distance behind
his (witness's) and spoke to the driver, John Smith
who did not appear to be drunk. Smith having
looked back and observed that deceased's team stopt
walked back to see what detained it, and shortly
after ran back again to witness exclaiming that Kilduff's
brains were dashed out. Witness himself
went to the spot and saw deceased lying on the road
a short distance behind his team, quite dead— his
brains scattered about, and his head frightfully
crushed, the wheel of the dray, which had on
about forty-five cwts., having passed over it.
The Jury having re-assembled at the appointed
hour, Smith was then called, and being sworn, con
firmed the former witness's statement up to the time
he left them to go to the pound, and stated that after
he (M'Mahon) left them, they halted to have dinner
—after dinner, took a keg (the inseparable curse of
such journeys) containing about four gallons of
wine, from one of the drays, and drew therefrom
about one pint full which they divided between them;
they started again and had not travelled far when
witness observed the team which deceased drove, to
stop ; he halted his own team and went back to that
of deceased to see what detained it; when he arrived
there he did not see deceased till he went a little bit
from the dray: He saw deceased lying quite dead on
the road, the off wheel having passed over his head,
the last time witness saw deceased, about five minutes
before he observed his team stopping, he was walking
on the near side by his bullocks, and did not that
day see deceased sitting on the pole of his dray, nor
was he drunk. The Coroner having summoned up the
evidence the Jury after a few moments deliberation,
returned-a verdict, that deceased met his death
accidentally. the wheel of his dray having passed over
his head, but how it happened they were unable to say.
From the position in which deceased was found, his
head lying immediately in the very track of the off
wheel and his legs near the track of the near wheel.
It is C0njectured that he must have fallen off the
pole while endeavouring to get on it; being at the
time much under the influence of liquor. Of the six
or seven sudden deaths that have occurred in this
neighbourhood, within a very short period, five, we
believe, were the results of intemperance.
The callousness and utter want of sympathy, and the
indifference with which these wretched individuals, who
are habitual drunkards, witness death in its most ap
palling form, may be gathered from the fact, of the
two co-mates of the deceased, having shortly after
the accident, seated themselves round the fatal keg.
from which deceased, doubtless drank his death, and
satisfied their craving thirst.

Source:
Freeman's Journal
(Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1932)
Thursday 24 October 1850
Page 10
Transcription, janilye 2011
NOTE: The license for the Fitzroy Hotel in George-street, Singleton was granted to Alexander Munro 1812-1889 in 1848.