Victoria Police Gazette look-up request: James BOYLE, aka James B. BURKE

[cando]

The son may have assumed his father was deceased as his mother's will in the 1920's mentions she hadn't received support from James Kerry BOYLE for 15 years.  I have searched the Victorian death registrations from 1914 and I can see no death for your man in Victoria.  I have also searched the Inquests at the Public Record Office of Victoria. 

I think someone has made an assumption about a 1914/1915 death without checking the ages.

Being diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis doesn't mean he was at death's door.  It was a notifiable disease.

Cando

[Timbottawa]

Thanks cando ... yes, I was also curious about the "no support for 15 years" in his wife's will ... "no support for 10 years before his death 5 years ago" would have made more sense if he died in 1914/5.

The problem is that he doesn't appear in any death register checked so far, so unless and until he shows up somewhere, it's a coin toss as to whether the son's deposition on enlistment or the wife's curious choice of wording is more informative.

But I have to say that, being a "vagabond" as one of his NZ convictions says, and "of no fixed address", as the Kyneton Guardian says, I find it hard to believe that he settled down somewhere and lived a long and exemplary life after 1914 without getting into any more trouble with the law

[cando]

Right age....
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article241738262

The Evening Echo Ballarat 6 Jun 1918

EMBEZZLEMENT ALLEGED
MEMBERS' FEES INVOLVED.
MELBOURNE, This day.
James Boyle, a man about 46 years of age, was charged at the City Court to-day with having at Camberwell on September 14, 1917, when agent for the Australian Workers' Union, embezzled £1, the property of the union.  Detective Madin said that, with Detective Bell, he arrested accused at Mitcham yesterday. Accused was acting as representative of the union on the railway works at Camberwell, and collected certain moneys from the men employed on the Works.
Witness applied for a remand to Ballarat on Tuesday next. This was allowed, and bail was granted in £50, and obtained by accused.

[Timbottawa]

A-ha .. intriguing!  Exactly the right age, and very much in line with his previous infringements.  Not so far from Kyneton either (I must admit to having needed to Google-map it!).  Wish they had recorded a middle name, though!

[cando]

Fairly common name...may not be him.  The offence was in Camberwell, a suburb of Melbourne.

Cando

[majm]

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/152184044  Advocate Melbourne 28 July 1917
Wondering who was this Jas BOYLE, ? ? ? a canvasser then operating in Warragul it seems, perhaps of  Room 44, Little Collins St, Melbourne…  noting there’s no building number given for the street address of Little Collins St

JM

ADD or the boss of Molloy, a canvasser in Warragul ....  anyways, something a tad orfffff

[Timbottawa]

Thanks cando and majm ... yes indeed, James Boyle is not such an uncommon name ... there are at least 5 James' in my own family tree ... and indeed my 2nd name is James!

So in all likelihood, these incidents are just a coincidence ... but it is interesting that the modus operandi is similar to my fellow's misdemeanours in NZ.

[Timbottawa]

Subsequent reports of the trial of James Boyle for embezzlement refer to:

"Later Boyle's brother returned some tickets and the butt of the interim receipt book."

As my fellow had no brothers (anywhere in the world), this would seem to have been someone else.