Below also see: Oswald Saunders Pitt, 1901
The Goulburn Herald, Wed 11 Dec 1895 1
GOULBURN POLICE COURT.
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Tuesday.
BEFORE the Police Magistrate.
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A HEINOUS OFFENCE.
Oswald Saunders Pitt, a man of respectable appearance, aged about thirty-five, was charged with assaulting a boy named Herbert Marriton [sic] Denman at Springfield, with intent to commit a heinous crime.
Pitt is a married man residing in Sydney but was temporarily employed at Springfield at the time the alleged offence is said to have been committed. He was arrested by the Sydney police and was forwarded to Goulburn on Monday evening.
Case remanded till Friday next.
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The Goulburn Herald, Fri 13 Dec 1895 2
GOULBURN POLICE COURT.
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Thursday.
Before the Police Magistrate.
…
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Friday.
Before the PM and Mr Oliver.
…
A HEINOUS OFFENCE.
Oswald Saunders Pitt, a man of respectable appearance, aged about thirty-five, stood charged on remand with assaulting at Springfield Herbert Marriton Denman, aged thirteen, with intent to commit an unlawful offence.
The case was heard with closed doors.
Accused, who was undefended, was committed to the quarter-sessions on 28th January.
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Goulburn Evening Penny Post, Sat 14 Dec 1895 3
GOULBURN POLICE COURT.
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Friday, Dec 13.
Before the Police-Magistrate and Mr Oliver.
…
SERIOUS CHARGE.
Oswald Saunders Pitt, a married man, was charged with assault with intent to commit an unnatural offence.
The court was cleared.
The principal witness was a lad named Herbert Maniton Denman, whose father is a gardener at Springfield. The accused had been employed there as engineer at the shearing-shed.
After hearing evidence the accused was committed for trial at the Quarter Sessions on 28th January. Bail was not asked for.
It transpired during the evidence that three of the shearers gave accused a thrashing.
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The Goulburn Herald, Wed 29 Jan 1896 4
GOULBURN QUARTER SESSIONS.
Commenced yesterday before his Honor Judge Fitzhardinge. Mr SH Belcher acted as deputy-sheriff. Mr Armstrong prosecuted. The other legal gentlemen present were Messrs Betts, O’Brien, Gannon, and Howard of Goulburn, and Elliott of Moss Vale.
Wednesday.
…
INDECENT ASSAULT AT SPRINGFIELD.
Oswald Saunders Pitt, a middle-aged man, was charged with indecently assaulting (thirteen) at Springfield on 22nd and 23rd November last.
Prisoner pleaded guilty and was remanded for sentence.
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Goulburn Evening Penny Post, Thu 30 Jan 1896 5
GOULBURN QUARTER SESSIONS.
TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
Before his Honor Judge Fitzhardinge.
…
Wednesday, January 29
His Honor took his seat at 9.30.
…
INDECENT ASSAULT AT SPRINGFIELD.
Oswald Saunders Pitt was charged with having indecently assaulted a boy named Herbert [Mainton] Denman at Springfield on 22nd and 23rd November last. Accused pleaded guilty and he was remanded for sentence.
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Goulburn Evening Penny Post, Sat 1 Feb 1896 6
GOULBURN QUARTER SESSIONS.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
Before his Honor Judge Fitzhardinge.
…
UNNATURAL OFFENCES.
…
Mr Gannon asked his Honor when he intended to pass sentence on Samuel Price and Oswald Saunders Pitt.
His Honor said he would not do so until after he had discharged the jurymen on the next day. He might tell Mr Gannon that the cases had caused him a great deal of thought and he wished to have as long a time as possible to consider them. The trouble was that such crimes seemed to him to be greatly on the increase. At the sessions just started at Darlinghurst the list contained case after case of the same description—assaults on children, assaults on boys, and all kinds of filthy crimes. Of course he could not make a scapegoat of any one criminal, but when a crime was found to be on the increase it was the duty of a judge to try and put a stop to it.
Friday, January 31.
His Honor Judge Fitzhardinge took his seat at 9.30.
…
INDECENT ASSAULT AT SPRINGFIELD.
Oswald Saunders Pitt, on being brought up for sentence, had nothing to say, but Mr Betts, on behalf of Mr Gannon, handed up a number of certificates of character. His Honor having read these said he knew a number of the signatures to the testimonials, which agreed with the police report he had received concerning the prisoner.
In passing sentence His Honor said: Oswald Saunders Pitt, in pleading guilty to these three charges which have been brought against you it appears to me that you have taken a proper course. In the case [see Samuel Price, 1896] that almost immediately preceded yours the accused went into the witness box, and, there can be no doubt about it, committed perjury. If your case had gone to trial the only defence there could have been would have been a denial on your part, whereas it appears from the depositions that the one person you confessed you had made these filthy attempts, which of course would have been sworn to by the boy you so indecently assaulted, who is in this case a young person also, but not of tender years. Not only did you make these attempts on one day but on two days and on three different occasions. If you did not succeed it appears it was not your fault, and if you had succeeded I should have to pass upon you a most severe sentence. Before I read the police report I had it in my mind to pass a peculiar sentence, which can only be passed for crimes such as this and a few others. However, as it appears up to this date you have been respectable, to use the language of the report which is now before me, and as it appears you have been working for a number of persons to whom you have given satisfaction, I shall not pass upon you that peculiar punishment; but I must pass upon you a heavy sentence. As I have just now had occasion of saying, these crimes are occurring all too frequently all over the colony. Though I don’t wish to make a scapegoat of you I must pass such a sentence which will deter you from again attempting to commit such a filthy crime. The punishment also must be of such a nature as to let others who have like filthy minds know that they cannot give way to their filthy, lustful, beastly passions without being severely punished if they are convicted or come before a tribunal for punishment. When I had read that police report I wondered how is was a man, who appeared to have the respect of his fellow-men, should have fallen so low as to behave in the filthy way you undoubtedly behaved. After seeing these characters, and many of the gentlemen referred to I have the pleasure of knowing, I the more won der how you could have so fallen away from what was undoubtedly your high estate. So fare as I can see there was no reason. You have not been given way to drink, but the fact remains that your filthy passions were aroused. However, I have not to pass sentence on you for the graver kind of crime, but for indecently assaulting this unfortunate boy on these different occasions. The sentence of the court is that on each count in the indictment you undergo penal servitude for four years, and I direct that these terms be concurrent.
Prisoner, who is a married man, was unmoved.
This concluded the criminal business. The District Court starts this morning.
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Oswald Saunders Pitt, Gaol photo sheet 7
![SRNSW: NRS2232, [3/5971], Goulburn Gaol photographic description book, 18 Jul 1893-9 Sep 1896, No. 1055, p. 153, R5119.](../../images/trials/1896-Pitt-5971-gaol-photo-1055.jpg "SRNSW: NRS2232, [3/5971], Goulburn Gaol photographic description book, 18 Jul 1893-9 Sep 1896, No. 1055, p. 153, R5119.") |
Gaol Photo Sheet - Transcribed Details
No. 1055
Goulburn
Date when Portrait was taken: 8/1/1896
Name: Oswald Saunders Pitt
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Native place: Maitland NSW Year of birth: 1863 Arrived Ship: — Trade or occupation Religion: C of E Education, degree of: R & W Height: 5' 3" Weight On committal: 142 Colour of hair: Brown Colour of eyes: Brown |
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(No. of previous Portrait ... ) CONVICTIONS |
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| Where and When | Offence. | Sentence | |||
|
Goulburn Q.S |
29 |
1 |
1896 |
Indecent assault on a male person |
4 years PS each count |
Oswald Saunders Pitt, 1901
The Maitland Daily Mercury, Fri 27 Dec 1901 8
LATEST NEWS BY WIRE.
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(Press Telegraph Association.)
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SYDNEY.
…
DEATHS OF SOLDIERS.
A cable from South Africa announces the deaths of TS Oldham, Oswald Saunders Pitt, 9 and Hugh Trevor Jones, all of the New South Wales forces.
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The Muswellbrook Chronicle, Sat 28 Dec 1901 10
LATEST TELEGRAMS.
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Sydney, Friday
The Premier has received advice from South Africa that Leslie B Hopkinson, of the NSW Mounted Infantry is dangerously ill with fever. JS Oldham, of the third Contingent of Bushmen, was killed; Oswald Saunders Pitt and Corporal H Trevor Jones, both of the third NSW Contingent, died of fever.
1 The Goulburn Herald, Wed 11 Dec 1895, p. 2.
2 The Goulburn Herald, Fri 13 Dec 1895, p. 3.
3 Goulburn Evening Penny Post, Sat 14 Dec 1895, p. 4.
4 The Goulburn Herald, Wed 29 Jan 1896, p. 2.
5 Goulburn Evening Penny Post, Thu 30 Jan 1896, p. 4.
6 Goulburn Evening Penny Post, Sat 1 Feb 1896, p. 4. Emphasis added.
7 SRNSW: NRS2232, [3/5971], Goulburn Gaol photographic description book, 18 Jul 1893-9 Sep 1896, No. 1055, p. 153, R5119.
8 The Maitland Daily Mercury, Fri 27 Dec 1901, p. 3. Emphasis added.
9 According to the NSW BDM online database, Pitt was married to Mary A Fazakerley during 1889. After his prison sentence (released from Goulburn gaol 1/1/1899) he served, as gunner with the 3rd NSW Mounted Rifles, in the Boer War and died of wounds 17/12/1901 at Wynberg, South Africa. He is buried at St Johns cemetery, Wynberg.
10 The Muswellbrook Chronicle, (NSW), Sat 28 Dec 1901, p. 2. Emphasis added.