The first record of the Mercadool Hotel (in the locality of Mercadool) was the licence issued to John Grace in 1882. Grace operated the Mercadool with the assistance of various family members until around 1890, when he went on to take the role of hotel keeper in Collarenebri.
Grace was replaced at the Mercadool with another brief dynasty of Dodd family members, starting with William Dodd, a well-respected hotelier who would later move to the Exchange Hotel in Walgett. Two sons, William Jnr and John Dodd were associated with the hotel in 1896 and 1897 respectively, a handover presumably precipitated by the untimely death of William Jnr by gunshot wound to the head.
What is clear from the historical record is that William Dodd Jnr was killed by a bullet on or around the 11 April 1897, yet differing narratives based on critical details soon emerged. .
The first account of the death was replicated in the Sydney Morning Herald, on 12 April 1897;
SUPPOSED SUICIDE.
WALGETT, Sunday.
Yesterday morning the body of William Dodd, Jun., late of the Mercadool Hotel, was found on Kidgar East with a gunshot wound in the temple. Deceased was brought into Walgett early this morning, and an inquest will be held to-morrow
The next account, published just a day later, makes the heading of ‘supposed suicide’ very unlikely. This is what was printed in The Daily Telegraph, 13 Apri, 1897;
WALGETT, Monday.
On Friday morning the body of William Dodd, a selector, formerly proprietor of the Mercadool Hotel, and who was a son of Mr. William Dodd, the proprietor of the Exchange Hotel, Walgett, was found on his selection at Kidgar, about 25 miles from here. The inquest to-day proved that he had been killed by a bullet entering the back of the skull. The deceased had only left his residence shortly before to go kangaroo shooting. The funeral was attended by the principal townspeople and residents.
A sad tale of a remote bush death, and while we have not yet discovered any subsequent investigation or prosecution, we can nonetheless commiserate with William Dodd Snr who lost his son that day. When he died in 1920, he was identified to have been a publican within the area, and described as ‘The oldest resident of Walgett’
Northern Obituaries.
Tamworth Observer – 30 August 1920
Mr. William Dodd, the oldest resident of Walgett and district died on Friday week.
Born at Windsor in 1840, Mr. Dodd in later years became head stock-man on the Castlereagh after serving his time with Mr. D. Atkinson, father of Mr. E. Atkinson, of Namoi View, Walgett.
He took up the management of Yowendah for the late Alex Amos, in the very early seventies, and held that and similar position, by reason of his wonderful knowledge of stock, particularly cattle, until somewhere about 1890, when he purchased the Mercadool Hotel, long since obliterated. Subsequently he purchased the Exchange Hotel, Walgett, now also obliterated.