Coyne, Thomas

Death at Bowen Downs.
Our Bowen Downs correspondent writes as follows – On the 6th inst. an old servant of this station passed away rather suddenly in the person of poor old Tom Coyne, who was stationed at Crusoe outstation. He had been complaining for some time past of a pain in the chest, especially after any exertion. This was put down to indigestion, but apparently Tom knew better, for on the above date he was lying under the verandah, and felt the end coming, for he called his wife and little children around him and said, “You will soon have no daddy,” bade them all good-bye, and with one gasp lay back dead. Mrs. Coyne was quite alone, when fortunately a traveller turned up who went to Muttaburra and gave information. The sad news was wired to Mr. S. P. Fraser on the 9th, and he started at once for Crusoe. In the meantime the traveller re turned to Crusoe and dug the grave. A coffin was taken out by the police, and poor old Tom was laid in his last resting place. Mr. Fraser arrived just as Mrs. Coyne and her family were returning from the burial, and he tells me their grief was heartrending. It is under stood that heart failure was the cause of death. Coyne leaves a wife and four little children to mourn him, the eldest of which is only 10 years of age. Great sympathy is ex pressed for them here. I think Coyne was well-known in Barcaldine, as he used some years ago to drove small lots of fat sheep from here.
[Source: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article76363254 The Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central-Western Districts (Barcaldine, Qld.: 1892 – 1922) Monday 20 January 1902]