John Schollar Pryor (1862-1926)

John Schollar Pryor ran a hairdresser, tobacconist and newsagent in Victoria Street, Bunbury in the early 1900s.

John was born in 1862 to parents Thomas Scholler Pryor and Angelina Pryor née Bedcock in McCrae, Victoria. In 1887, aged 25, he married Emily Levinia Taylor (also 25) in Prahran, Victoria. Together they had three boys who survived infancy, Victor George, John Percival and Harold Leslie. Their second of four sons, Harold John was born in 1889 and died at 11 months. In 1910 young John Percival (10) underwent an operation for peritonitis, but died in hospital (reference). His brother Victor was a Gunner in the 45th Battery during WWI and outlived both his parents (reference). Harold Leslie also served in WWI in the 5th Pioneer Battalion and lived to the ripe old age of 96 (reference).

A hairdresser, tobacconist and newsagent by trade, John opened up a store in each of the towns he lived in. His first was in Williamstown, Victoria, in 1891 (reference). John was a community man and regularly signed petitions to support projects and local members for government elections (reference). He was also involved with community groups, and, in 1895, was Vice-President of the South Williamstown Football Club, and on the general committee of the Wellington Agricultural and Pastoral Society in 1901 (reference).

John’s trouble with the law began in 1892 in Victoria, when his debts mounted and the sheriff stepped in, ordering the sale of his tobacconist’s stock until the debt was settled (reference). He then moved to Perth but the trouble followed him when, in 1898, he witnessed William Woods, a drunkard, threaten to shoot Amelia Bolger. John allegedly heard Mr Woods say “I will scatter your brains on the footpath; if you don’t stop I will murder you” (reference).

Moving to Bunbury, John worked for ‘A T Harris’ on Stephen Street. In 1900 he left Harris’ and set up his usual business on Victoria Street. The move did not go smoothly, and again he ended up in the newspapers. This time Harris’ was accused of short-changing John’s wages, so he sued him for £6 at the Bunbury police court and won (reference). Despite this his new Bunbury venture was off to a great start, expanding with a newly hired apprentice and praise from a celebrity in the newspaper:

“Mr G M Schilling, the champion long walker of America, desires to THANK Mr Pryor, Hairdresser, of Victoria Street, Bunbury, for his present of 12 packets of Cameo cigarettes and also states that he received the best shave and haircut from Mr Pryor, since leaving America” (reference). 

The following years saw John frequent the police court on several charges. In 1902 he was charged with assault, and he was found guilty of using insulting words and behaviour towards Dr James Joseph Murtagh and was ordered to pay a fine (reference). In 1903 he appeared in two separate cases. In June, John was approached by a travelling salesman who asked if he could use his shop to advertise, sell and draw a raffle for art prizes, where the first prize was a wood and shell frame. John agreed, which is consistent with his willingness to give to his community without asking anything in return. The lottery tickets were sold and on 10 June the raffle was drawn. Unaware that art-union lotteries were illegal, John was not prepared to be summoned to court on the charges of having run a lottery! At the time, this crime carried a maximum of six months’ imprisonment or a fine of £100. John was found not guilty, as he did not profit and was ignorant of the law, so he left the police court with a fine and court costs (reference). The community rallied against the prosecution in favour of John, as the police knew about the lottery which was advertised in his shop window, yet did nothing to prevent it occurring. 

“Sir, - As a protest against the recent action of the police, in not warning Mr Pryor that he would be acting illegally in allowing an art union to take place on his premises instead of waiting for him to commit the act and then dragging him to the police court, we beg to ask you to open a shilling subscription for the purpose of defraying the fine imposed. Enclosed find five shillings from five protestors. - Yours, on their behalf, G R.” (reference).

“Sir… [as] our most noble and energetic police constables are paid to prevent crime, I would ask are they so ignorant that they do not know when an offence is being committed… Does he know what an illegal act is, or is it his place, knowing what an offence is, to allow that offence to be done under his very nose, almost in his presence (because he passed and re-passed while the drawing was going on)? Is it not a constable’s place to first warn the person?... Because a worthy citizen of our town allows the use of a room free of cost… [constables] then bring to justice the poor victim who made nothing out of it. -Yours, etc., FAIRPLAY” (reference).

The next case occurred in August when his shop was open after 6 pm which, because he sold small Malacca walking sticks which were not classified as a tobacconist product, was against the Early Closing Act. John argued that walking sticks were sold by many Perth tobacconists, and they were allowed to trade until 10 pm (reference). John again appeared in court in February 1904, to accuse Henry Brashaw of skirting stamp duty. The case was reported in the Southern Times, describing how Henry committed a breach of the Stamp Duty Act by giving a receipt of £3 without a stamp, for the rent John paid him. Henry was found guilty and fined, but managed to get in a few words directed at John including “Do you think you could speak the truth if you tried?” (reference). 

The last time John Pryor appeared in court he was charged alongside his wife, Emily, with misappropriating money given to Emily to safeguard for Maggie Theresa Martin. Maggie was a widow with two young children when she fell seriously ill and had to admit herself into the Bunbury hospital, of which she thought she would never leave alive. A good friend of Emily’s, she gave her all her money and her children to take care of, who, upon her passing, were to be sent with the money to their uncle in Melbourne. Emily was not to tell her husband about the money, as he was “unable to keep any of his own.” 

Maggie, however, survived and returned to collect her children and money, but the Pryors did not return it all. Resorting to the courts for justice, it was found that Emily had stored the money at the Wellington Hotel for safekeeping, but John kept making withdrawals, to the point that they owed Maggie £40 10s (about $6,400 today). On 20 July 1904 at the Quarterly Criminal Session Emily was found not guilty, but John was found guilty of stealing (reference). He was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with hard labour, with no chance of appeal (reference). John’s life had hit rock bottom, having let his money problems drive him to steal from a sick woman with two small, dependent children.  

Thanks to John’s friends and community, he was secured an early release in 1905. He returned to his shop in Perth the following year and spent the next decade moving between his shop there, and in Bunbury. John returned to his home state of Victoria and died on 1 December 1926 in Prahran. He is buried in Williamstown, Victoria, back where he started his first shop (reference ).