On Saturday, July 25, 1840, the inhabitants of Adelaide were thrown into the greatest state of excitement: by the arrival of an express from Encounter Bay, with the alarming news that there had been a wreck on the south coast to the east of that station, and that part or the whole of those on board after reaching land had been murdered by the natives.

In a letter from Mr. H. Nixon to Major O'Halloran, Commissioner of Police, the following account was given, which he received through a native of the Bay tribe, known as Encounter Bay Bob, who reported that two of the Big Murray tribe had arrived, and he gave an interpretation of their statement as follows : —

" They found ten white men, and five women, and some children, who had been killed ; one of them said all killed in one place. It took them three days after leaving the dead bodies to make the Mouth of the Murray." Mr. Nixon added that a man of the name of Edward Fox said it would take three days and a half to reach Lacepede Bay from the eastern side of the Murray Mouth.

Shortly after the arrival of this information, Mr. Pullen with Dr. Penny started from Goolwa to search for the wreck, and to ascertain news of the people. It will be seen in the course of the narration of the searching parties sent out by the Government that, although the statements of the two blacks were only too true as to the fearful massacre of the party in minor particulars, the information was incorrect. All were not killed in one place, and the distance was also wrongly stated.

In the Gazette of August 13 the letter from Mr. Pullen was published, of which I avail myself : — " I started from Goolwa in a boat, with the following parties, viz., Dr. Penny, five sailors, one policeman, and three blacks — Encounter Bay Bob, Peter, and Charley. Made 20 miles up the Coorong the first day. Next day started at 8 a.m.; at 10.30 Peter said some of the whites were killed on the main land to the north of where we had arrived. Hauled in, landed, and searched, but found nothing. Pushed off, and at 12.30 Peter pointed to the spot where he said the murders had been committed on the coast. We now landed and crossed the neck of land between Goolwa and the seashore, not being far from the part of the coast where the Fanny had been wrecked some time before.

" I now divided the party into three. I and Dr. Penny, kept the coast line, directing one party to travel along the neck of land, and the third to push forward with the boat down the Coorong, and arranged signals to be used on any discovery being made. We had not proceeded far when we were hailed by the centre party, and on joining them the sight we witnessed was truly horrible. There were legs, arms, and portions of bodies visible, partially covered with sand. In one place by itself was a body with the flesh completely off the bones, except the hands and feet. Horror sat on every countenance. Sad and sorrowful was the task, but we determined to bury the bodies, in something like decency.

" The boat was stopped, and a spade procured ; when after digging a deep grave, we uncovered the whole of the mangled bodies. From one spot we took four bodies— two males, one young woman, and a child about 10 years old. The skeleton spoken of was a female. Two male children, one 15, and the other 10 in separate holes; and at a little distance alone, a female infant with very light hair. Both the women were married, and one of the men handed me their wedding rings. The bodies were in a complete state of nudity and dreadfully bruised about the faces and heads. The whole of the bodies were placed in the deep grave we had prepared. We were occupied on this sorrowful business until 4 o'clock.

" Friday, 31, pulled down two miles to be opposite the wrecked Fanny. On reaching the spot saw natives ahead of us, but they escaped. In crossing the strip of land dividing the sea from the Coorong, we came suddenly on two black women, who screamed violently, but Peter managed to pacify them. They said they knew of no other wreck, but that some of the people we were asking about died further down; that three of the party — one woman, and two men, had crossed over to the land by the islands, and there were killed at the spot we had searched unsuccessfully, and that the other bodies we had found and buried had been killed by a tribe not far from us. On reaching the boat a small party of men showed themselves, and at our camping-place many more natives appeared, but kept at a distance.

" On the following morning crossed the sandhills and saw many groups of natives, with blankets and sundry wearing apparel about them. It was some time before they would come near us, and then they threw off the clothing they had on. From the silence of this party, when questioned through Peter about the murders, and their apparent uneasiness at our searching the pockets of the coats, and in examining a woman's bonnet, I was convinced we were among the guilty parties, especially on looking at two men of the most ferocious and forbidding aspect, such as I never saw before.

" On returning to the boat we were followed by several old men who showed no fear, one of whom had a woman's shawl on. Peter, who could speak his language, obtained from him that he had brought the whole of the party along the coast to a short distance from the spot we were on, and caught fish for them, for which, they gave him the shawl. He knew of no fresh wreck. The number he gave of them was fourteen, not agreeing with another account we obtained.

" Finding I could not take the boat further up the shallow channel I decided to continue along the beach on foot, and at intervals found several spars and planks stuck on end. On the beach found a whale-boat. By one of the natives we were told that the boat was left there by five men who had gone across the mainland."

Mr. Pullen returned, and made his report to His Excellency the Governor, who appended to the same the following note: — " In reference to Mr. Pullen's report, I consider it important to remark that the tribe of natives by which the murders described by Mr. Pullen appear to have been committed is not connected with the tribes with which the colonists are in familiar intercourse. From the first discovery of the province this tribe, inhabiting to the south-eastward of Goolwa and the sea mouth of the Murray, has been little known, and when known has been remarkable for its ferocity."

Governor Gawler, with most commendable promptitude, organised and dispatched a strong party under the Commissioner of Police (Major O'Halloran), accompanied by Mr. C. Bonney, and Captain H. Nixon, with a number of mounted police, and arranged that the party should be joined and strengthened by Mr. Pullen and his boats' crews, to follow up the Coorong arm, or, as it was first called, a narrow lake, running east parallel to the sea coast, and extending within a few miles of Lacepede Bay, (at that time an almost unknown district), this channel being found navigable for boats nearly to its eastern end, but partially obstructed by a few limestone bars. The strip of land between it and the sea coast is very narrow in its widest part. The western end forming the eastern side of the sea mouth of the river.

Major O'Halloran having crossed the channel at the mouth of the Murray on the 21st of August, 1840, with the aid of Mr. Pullen's boats, the horses swimming behind the boats, made a start the following day as described in his official report, from which I quote in continuing the narrative. He had associated with him, as I have said, Captain Nixon and Mr. Bonney, and had under his command Inspector Tolmer and Sergeant-Major Alford, with a strong body of mounted police, Mr. Pullen also, with two boats manned with sailors, to proceed up the Coorong abreast of the land party, all moving in an easterly direction. I continue in Major O'Halloran's own words. —

" I started at an early hour on Saturday morning, the 22nd instant, with the main body along the seacoast, having detached Captain Nixon and Mr. Bonney, with an orderly, to keep up communication between me and Mr. Pullen in the boats, who were to notify to me if any natives were seen, as we were now in the country of the hostile Big Murray tribe. About 12 o'clock we discovered a number of natives at a great distance ahead of us running from us. We followed in pursuit, and in two miles approached them, when they took to the scrub and sandhills.

" After a long chase we contrived, without injury to any of them, to capture 13 men, 2 lads, and about 50 women and children. Some of the natives took to the Lake [or Coorong], but some of them were captured by Mr. Pullen's party. Upon the persons of almost every man and woman, and in almost every wurley (and they were numerous), were found, various articles of European clothing belonging to males, females, and children, many of them stained with blood; also were found an excellent silver watch and some silver spoons, marked with JEY.

" The men were secured, and guarded during the night; the women and children set at liberty.

" On the morning of the 24th the party mounted before daybreak to scour the country ahead of us, and where Pullen on his previous trip saw a number of ferocious blacks with European clothing on them. We beat the country a long way between the Coorong and the sea beach, and in some wurlies captured women with a quantity of European clothing, male and female, several articles of which, especially a woman's under garment, were covered with blood. Close to these wurlies we saw two men who escaped by swimming across the Lake (or Coorong), and at the water's edge Mr. Pullen picked up a sailor's cap, which he recognised as worn by one of the worst looking of the men he had seen in his former trip, and who the friendly natives [he had with him] pointed out as belonging to the party who committed the murders.

" Finding these fellows would escape I ordered the police to fire on them, and they were both wounded; they nevertheless swam to an island, on which Inspector Tolmer, having cast off the principal part of his clothes, and hanging his naked sword behind his back, swam after and overtook them, but before the boat arrived to his aid they escaped.

" At another spot in the same neighborhood, in native huts, we found newspapers, receipted bills in the name of Captain Smith, mail letters from Adelaide opened, and the torn leaves of a Bible, another book, and part of the log of the brigantine Maria. These facts prove clearly that the crew and passengers left the ship deliberately, and were making their way to Adelaide. It appears strange that we found no arms.

" The captives on our return to camp were much alarmed, and pointed out one of the number as the murderer of Roach and his mates who came down here sometime before to the wreck of the Fanny, and were both killed. Pieces of the wreck were still lying on the beach opposite the camp. The captives also pointed to the mainland across the Coorong, and said one of the murderers of the people who had escaped from the Maria was there, and could easily be caught, and two of them, on the suggestion of Mr. Bonney, volunteered to bring the man over and give him up to us. I sent Encounter Bay Peter with them, and they returned with the culprit.

" Having formally and deliberately investigated into every particular relative to the two separate cases of murder, in the presence of the Coorong natives and all the party under my command who were not on duty, including the Encounter Bay blacks, and the two prisoners, and neither of them denying their guilt, but maintaining a stolid silence, sentence of death was passed upon them by virtue of the authority and instructions received from His Excellency the Governor. [By which he was authorised to hold a court martial.] The guilt of these men was clearly established, and the verdict of guilty, supported by the unanimous declaration of all the gentlemen around me, as well as of the Encounter Bay blacks and the friendly natives, was pronounced.

" On the morning of the 25th instant I proceeded with part of the party about 15 miles to the spot on the sea coast where our unfortunate countrymen were murdered, and where Mr. Pullen had buried the bodies he found there; and there, at two minutes past 2 o'clock, these two men were hung immediately over the grave. They died almost instantly, and both showed extra-ordinary nerve and courage to the last. The one given up by his tribe had the most ferocious and demon-like countenance I ever beheld."

I was informed after they had hung the usual time some of the men of the tribe were required to touch and speak to their dead countrymen, and told to leave the bodies hanging. It need hardly to be mentioned that for a long time they avoided that neighborhood. Major O'Halloran's report continued —

" All the clothing, &c, I have carefully preserved in the hopes that they may be identified. The native name of the place of execution is "Pilgann." "Moorangua" is the name of the native who murdered Roach and his mates. "Mangaranwata" was given up by his tribe as one of the principals in the slaughter of the passengers, whose bodies were first found by Mr. Pullen."

The names of the passengers were reported to be Mr. and Mrs. Denham, three boys and two girls, Geo. Green and his wife, T. Daniel and wife, Mrs. York and infant, Mrs. Smith (wife of the captain), Jas. Strut, Captain Smith, and mate, and said to be eight men and boys, but some of the bodies were never found.

" On the morning of Thursday, 27th August, we started south-east along the coast, in search of the wreck of the Maria, with six days' provisions for each man. Leaving Mr. Pullen at the camp, we found fresh huts, with European clothing and a watch ; but as we could not carry the clothing, I ordered the huts to be fired. The watch dial and the upper part was stained with blood.

" On Friday we moved on at an early hour, and soon met Captain Nixon and Mr. Bonney, who had preceded the main body ; they reported that they had fallen in with two men, Thompson and Walker, from whom I received the following statement, taken down by Captain Nixon. They had passed up the Coorong before we arrived at the Goolwa."

Thompson's statement: — " After leaving the mouth of the Murray we passed up the Coorong, and hauled the boat up where we now are, and supposed we had made about 100 miles, when we divided our party, two to keep the beach, and two the south shore of the Coorong. On Sunday evening we fell in with the longboat belonging to the Maria, having in her two oars and a mast, but no sail. We hauled her up above high watermark. At about six miles further east we fell in with part of the quarter deck and skylight; at another six miles from the wreck we found the companion, and then walked on to Captain Wright's camp.

" On our return we found sundry other parts of the wreck, which we suppose came to grief on Bundin's Beef. Major O'Halloran on his return met a native of the Big Murray tribe, named Tom, who said that three males and one female belonging to the wrecked party had been waddied by some of his tribe not far from where we now stood, being clasped round their bodies by some of the tribe while others waddied them. Tom offered to show us the spot, and point out the wurlies of the murderers, and identify them. He gave the names of two of them as brothers (Polaraynaka and Porielpee-pool).

" As these murderers were distinct from the others, both as to locality and the persons by whom committed, we considered the duty we had undertaken would not be complete until we searched further."

Accordingly after an interview with His Excellency, who came down and met Major O'Halloran and his party before they had left the Coorong district, and in obedience to fresh orders from him, Inspector Tolmer with half the number of the police returned to scour the country inland, with Mr. Pullen and the boats to keep abreast of them. Major O'Halloran, with remainder of the police, searching along the banks of the Coorong. Major O'Halloran's report continued : " The several parties returned on Wednesday, September 2. Between 11 and 12 o'clock my party discovered the mangled remains of two Europeans, a male and a female, the skulls of both frightfully fractured, particularly that of the female, whose lower jawbone was broken. On asking Tom if he knew of these two likewise being killed he said no. No more bodies were found, but a large man's shoe and some books. On reaching the spot where the four men were said to have been murdered we could not find their bodies. I find these 17 murders — 15 from the Maria, and two whalers — have all been killed by the Milemenura or Big Murray tribe, who are notorious among the other tribes as most brutal and ferocious. The neighboring tribes evince confidence in us, and abhorrence of the atrocities that have been lately committed."

I was also told by one of the troopers, with other particulars of minor interest, that when they were chasing the flying blacks on the sandhills, and through the scrub to head them, as stockkeepers say, some dropped behind bushes, and the horses leapt over them.

There is no record of any other murders committed in the lower Murray district until several years after, when one white man was killed some miles to the north of the Coorong, as mentioned in Chapter XII.

It will be my duty to give in future numbers accounts of attacks by numerous natives on the Rufus, and at some miles further to the east of the great bend of the Murray, on parties coming down with sheep, as well as a number of separate murders of white settlers by various detached tribes in the Port Lincoln district at a later period, such bitter experiences having been endured in the course of settling this province.

At present I am confining myself to the time Colonel Gawler occupied the seat of Government, from which it will be seen what an anxious time he had in protecting and saving the lives of the whites, and at the same time the peculiar duty he had to perform in adopting such a policy as would discourage indiscriminate and unauthorised measures of retaliation against the aboriginal race.

In this chapter I have given the extremely repulsive conduct of the tribe of natives which was first known and called by us the Big Murray tribe, on account of its numbers, but which I believe consisted of several allied tribes, some more humane than others, and who should have been called the Lake tribes. Good reasons for this opinion I consider may be drawn from what I have related and the facts I have still to relate in the next chapter, where I shall have a pleasing duty to perform, in presenting to my readers the conduct of a section of the natives inhabiting that part of the province as most humane and generous, as was experienced by the crew and passengers of the brig Fanny, which was wrecked about two years before the Maria came to grief. By this first wreck the Rev. Mr. Longbottom, the first Wesleyan minister who came to this colony, his wife, and one son, were cast on our shores and remained on those bleak sandhills three weeks, at the mercy of the natives, and received the utmost kindness from them until they were rescued; and then were received with open arms by the colonists, and compensation as far as possible was rendered them for their sufferings and losses.