VIC BDM birth certificate 21474/1869, Collingwood, as Louisa Ellen Harris, to Henry Edward Harris and Lavinia Ann Argall.

‘Staggering’, apparently, on his way home from the wonderful Eight Hours celebration in the Friendly Societies’ Garden, he fell in Wellington street, heading north to his home in Johnston street. Someone who knew him picked him up and deposited him in the nearest hotel. He was in great pain. This acquantaince organised a cab to take him home. There he was attended by the nearby chemist Mr Tillett, who prescribed leech treatment to help with the swelling and inflammation. But a week later Gabriel roused himself from his bed, tripped over a washing tub and injured his leg further. The doctor came, diagnosed gangrene and sent him to the hospital. Two thirds of his leg was gangrenous. The skin would have turned very dark, blistering and discharging pus. There were breaks in two places in the bones of his leg and his ankle was dislocated. Gabriel was in ‘in a low feeble state’ when he was admitted – the pain was so bad he’d not been able to sleep for four nights. The next day they amputated his leg. Aided by opiates he was able to sleep. Two weeks later, on the last day of his life, he slipped into a coma and died at midnight. If Ruth, his wife, were not with him, she wouldn’t have known this until she trudged up to the hospital the next morning. I cannot imagine the pain of finding out in this way. I hope instead that a messenger was dispatched to her at their home and that she wasn’t alone to receive this news.

Cause of death - teething, dysentry and convulsions