Inquest into Death, 20 May 1841, Maitland, NSW.
It appeared in evidence, that the deceased had attended the sale of Mr. Cornelious’s property in West Maitland on the previous Monday, and returned thence in company with Captain Taggart, and Mr. Swailes to Morpeth—he put his horse up at Mr. Swailes’s, where he remained for a short time silent and moody, leaning his elbow on the mantel shelf complaining of a pain in his back, and was advised to proceed on board his vessel; he said he would, and left the house for that purpose. On the following (Tuesday) morning, a person called on board to see Mr. T, and was informed that he had not been on board all night, and was supposed to have remained in Maitland. Enquiry being made of Mr. Swailes, he reported Mr. T. having returned to Morpeth with him, and having left his house to go to bed. The previous night having been exceedingly dark, and Mr. T. having had an awkward path to pursue in order to get on board, fears arose for his safety, and at noon on Tuesday nothing being heard of him, the river was dragged for his body but without success. On Wednesday morning just previously to the sailing of the Sovereign for Sydney, at about the third cast of the grappling irons, the body of deceased was found—the hook having taken the arm of his coat. The body was immediately conveyed to Mr. Swailes’s Inn, where it had remained till the holding of the Inquest.

A Verdict of Found Drowned was returned by the Jury—it appearing that the deceased in endeavouring to get on board had fallen into the river.

On Wednesday evening the Funeral of the Deceased took place, and was numerously and respectably attended—the deceased having been respected by those to whom he was known, and leaving some few sincerely attached to him for his amiable disposition, and who sincerely sympathised in his misfortunes. Deceased was most respectably connected—having one brother an Officer in the Navy, another in the Army, and the third commanded the Arachne when she was last in our port. Lieut. Swift and 3 other gentlemen officers of ships in port, attended as Pall-bearers, and the British Ensign being substituted for a Pall, his remains were deposited in the grave yard of Mr. Close’s new Church Morpeth.

Sukie Hunter commments:
Interesting that they thought Fred had three brothers, because I don’t think he did. Even if he did and Henry Thurtell is not an artefact of the original family tree, Edward Thurtell was neither in the army nor the navy but farming in Wisconsin, and there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that any of the Thurtells was in the army (too expensive) so I think Fred had just been embroidering his family history a bit. Probably to divert attention from the Murder.