Black Joe has more than once appeared in these narratives as having rendered assistance to the police in giving information to enable them to arrest criminals. He was not a black man, but a white of dark complexion, and of doubtful ways.

On this occasion he comes under notice as connected with one of the depredations committed against the trading community by carters on the Port-road before our first railway was constructed. In this instance he led unintentionally to the discovery of a quantity of valuable merchandise, and to the detection of a wholesale receiver of the stolen goods.

On a certain Sunday Sergeant-Major Alford, with one trooper, was out on duty in the Tiers. At this time Sunday was rarely a day of rest either to officers or men of the mounted police force. The Sergeant-Major, amongst other places, called at Joe's hut in the splitters' quarter of the Mount Lofty Range, where he found some company assembled.

I should mention that a discovery of an extensive robbery of valuable goods had been made some time before. The things were abstracted from two large cases which had been delivered to Mr. Beck by a Port carter, and the cart note had been signed as for safe delivery, the cases to all external appearance being all right. The cases of goods were purchased from Mr. Beck as per invoice by Mr. Macgeorge, and removed to his store, not having the slightest appearance of having been broken open. One of the invoices represented an assortment of valuable silk goods ; the other, men's made-up clothing. The goods were paid for by Mr. Macgeorge, and after remaining a short time on his premises they were opened, and it was found that the merchandise had been removed, and, in place of it, the cases filled with old rope, bags, and brickbats. As they had not been opened and examined after leaving the ship, the carter, who lived at Hindmarsh, could not be charged with the crime, and the matter remained undiscovered, and Mr. Beck had to refund the money he had received, no clue being obtained or traces of the stolen goods discovered for some time. To return to Mr. Alford, at Black Joe's.

Mr. A., at first sight of Joe and his wife, noticed that both of them were rigged out in new clothes of a more superior stamp than ordinary ; so he entered, and remained in the hut, making no remarks till the company made themselves scarce. In the meantime he had been making close but unnoticed observations. He perceived that Joe had got on a good cloth suit, with a silk handerchief unhemmed round his neck ; that his wife had on a rich new silk dress ; so as the coast was clear he called Joe and asked him to take off his neck-handkerchief, and called on his wife to appear. He now demanded of Joe where he got the goods, on which he expressed much surprise, saying, ''What is the matter, Mr. Alford ; I bought the goods honestly."

"Well, both you and your wife must take them all off — they are stolen goods — and tell me from whom you got them, or I shall take both of you into custody, and you will have to go with me as prisoners. Further, what other goods have you got ?"

On this they produced more of the silk and other goods, and Joe said to the Sergeant Major — "I have been in the habit of supplying Peter Sidd with timber, which I cart from the sawyers and splitters. You know he deals in timber, and that he keeps the Scotch Thistle. He pressed me to take goods in part payment. I got the goods all right from him, as he is a publican, and carrying on business under the "eyes of the police."

"Now show me what other goods you have got." On this he and his wife took the officer into their bed-room and turned out the remainder of the piece of silk from which the gown had been made, and sundry other articles of merchandise, all of which were rolled up in two parcels and taken to town. Joe was ordered to be in town the following morning.

On Mr. Alford's arrival in town, he immediately reported the discovery he had made to Mr. Inspector Gordon, who communicated with Mr. Beck. He, on viewing the goods, claimed them as having been abstracted from the broached cases. Inspector Gordon then, with Sergeant-Major Alford and some men of the mounted police visited Peter Sidd's public house. The officers left the accompanying policemen outside, and entered by the back door, which they found open, and within they found some men amusing themselves at a game of cards, who soon all left, glad to be allowed to depart. The house clear of strangers, Inspector Gordon informed the landlord that he had come to search his house, and in the meantime he would not be allowed to leave.

The search was then made, and in one of the rooms, which they found under lock and key, was discovered the greater part of the goods which belonged to Mr. Beck. Peter Sidd was then taken into custody and removed, and the house left in charge of policemen. On the following morning, Monday, the receiver of stolen goods was brought up before the Police Magistrate. The goods were also brought to the Court in spring-drays. The charge of receiving goods knowing them to be stolen was made and proved against Sidd, and he was committed for trial. Mr. J. H. Fisher appeared for him, and succeeded in getting him out on bail, producing two sureties, who were bound in large amounts, as well as the prisoner, but he did not appear when the time of trial arrived, and his bondsmen suffered. He escaped, it was said, with plenty of money.

As Mr. Beck recovered the larger part of his goods, and the Government made a considerable haul under the forfeited bonds, no great exertion was made to recover the delinquent ; nor does it appear that any sufficient evidence was obtained to justify a charge being laid against the carter. Peter Sidd, after his escape, was afterwards heard of as having purchased a small craft at Swan River, and as engaged in trading trips.

I may here mention that not long after the escape of Peter Sidd from punishment in his person, Mr. Inspector [David?] Gordon failed in his health, and after lingering a time died of consumption. [d. 21 Feb 1839, aged 36?]. He was a most gentlemanly and amiable man, and universally respected. He was highly connected, and was said to have been disappointed in not coming into possession of a large property in Scotland. He had served in the Indian army as a commissioned officer with honor. The high estimation in which he was held by the head of the police, by his brother officers, and by privates of both arms of the force, was shown by the large attendance at the public funeral which was given to his remains. He was buried with military honors, and his resting place is marked by a handsome tomb which was contributed for by members of the police force.

I have mentioned that Mr. Inman, whose name has frequently occurred in these papers, was the first Superintendent appointed on the formation of the police force, and an account has been given of his having survived most severe wounds inflicted by the natives after he had left the force. After he left the colony for England he became a clergyman of the Church of England, and is now, as I am informed, ably performing the higher duties of a parish priest in the town of Derby. His experience here, either in office or in his attempt to establish himself in private pursuits, was not such as to lead him to make further attempts as a settler in South Australia. Those who knew him will rejoice to hear of his continued success in the high calling he has undertaken. [See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Inman_(police_officer)]

On the death of Inspector Gordon, Sergeant-Major H. Alford was promoted to the rank of Inspector of mounted police, in the year 1849. [See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Alford_(police_officer)]

As an occurrence of some interest, I have to relate that in the month of September, 1841, I went in company with a Mr. S. ——— (a new arrival), and the late Mr. John Emery to a cattle station on the Light, of which he was the manager, to select a small dairy of cows from the herd of cattle under his charge. We started on horseback from Adelaide late in the afternoon, intending to remain at Gawler Town for the night. On our arrival there we found that the house at which we put up our horses was full, with no beds for us. Accommodation in those days was very scanty, so we had no choice but to sup, bait our horses, and push on by moonlight. About the time the house was closing we started under the guidance of Mr. Emery, and made the station a little before sunrise.

On rousing the people in the hut, we found them a long time in turning out, and then very unusual excitement was exhibited, especially by the stock-keeper, Roach, who pretended that he thought we were blackfellows, and produced a gun with a broken stock, the barrel being severed from the stock, and complained to Mr. E. ——— that the blacks had been killing calves, and he was now without firearms. He was aware we were coming out, and by orders had mustered the cattle on the previous day, and a large number were in the yards for our inspection.

After an early breakfast the stockkeeper said there was a special mob he wished to get in, and which he had missed the day before, and he hastily mounted his horse, and started with the ostensible purpose of bringing them in, to give us a larger choice. I saw him start off in an easterly direction from the hut. A large patch of scrub was in sight from the station to the west. The country for some miles was flat ; to the east and north a jumble of hills shut in the prospect, so he was soon out of sight.

Having nothing to do until his return I wandered alone to higher ground, to obtain a good view of the country. We had passed through a corner of the western scrub in approaching the station, and I desired to see the extent of it. Looking steadily in that direction I saw a horseman ride into it as if he came from a north-east direction, and not long afterwards a great smoke arose in the part of the scrub where I had seen the horsemen enter. This, at the time, I did not think singular, but as connected with what I have to relate might have been an important link in bringing to punishment a cruel murderer. But I must mention I did not see the horseman leave the scrub, and when Roach was seen returning his approach was seen to be from a different quarter, and the distance of the man on horse-back, as seen by me, was too great for me to have sworn to his identity.

When Roach returned he had no cattle with him, and those already in the yard were sufficient in number and in quality to enable us to select such a draft as was required. Having obtained our quantity we started, after a station dinner, for Gawler Town, leaving the cattle to follow, to be delivered in Adelaide. That night we stopped at Robertson's Hotel, in Gawler Town, and had a comfortable night's rest. At the breakfast table next morning we met Dr. Moorhouse, the Protector of Aborigines and before we had concluded our meal the kind landlady brought in a little native girl of about 12 years of age, who, before the company, in a mixture of broken English and native words, told a pitiful tale to Mr. Moorhouse.

She said that she and her grandfather were sitting down in a scrub eating kangaroo which blackfellows killed, and went away, leaving her and the old man to follow. Whilst they were sitting down in scrub a white man on horse, with a gun said, "You have killed a calf." We said "No, no spear — eating kangaroo." White man plenty growl, and then he shoot old man grand-father. I ran and hid in scrub, and then came on to Gawler Town, where white woman gave me tucker last night and let me stop for night, and then she tell me Mr. Moorhouse in Gawler, and me come to tell him all about white man shoot grand-father."

We did not then understand the locality where the murder had been committed. Mr. Moorhouse lost no time in taking police with him and the poor native child, believing her distressing tale, which he found perfectly correct, as I was made aware of some time afterwards. She charged the stockkeeper, Roach, with the crime, and guided the Protector and the police to the place in the scrub, where they found the body of the murdered old man, partly burned, and Roach was at once taken into custody. This man was from one of the convict colonies.

I should have mentioned that we found in the hut two strangers, who said they were out looking for country, and had been at the station the whole of the previous day. The evidence of the child was unsupported. Roach brought forward the two men, who swore that they had been with him the whole of the day, and that he was never out of their company or in that scrub on the day the child swore to ; and so the prisoner was discharged, to appear when called upon, although the child positively and without hesitation said he was the man who shot her grand-father.

After his discharge Roach mounted his horse to return to the North, but before he had well passed North Adelaide his horse reared with him and fell back on his rider, and in the fall his neck was broken, and so he died, and met with a punishment he richly deserved, as I have no doubt on my mind he committed a cruel and cold-blooded murder upon a poor unoffending, helpless old man.

My first experience in giving employment to the natives in a regular way, was after I left town and commenced farming in the Mount Barker district. They picked up and bagged potatoes and did other farming jobs. On one of these occasions after work was finished I was talking to them at their camp in the dusk of the evening, on the side of the hill above my premises, when a large meteor appeared (the largest I ever saw) which came from the east, at an apparent slow pace, showing larger and larger as it approached. I supposed it fell to the ground, at or on the east side of Mount Lofty proper, but I was informed it had been seen crossing the plains of Adelaide.

At the camp were a large number of blacks, many of them employed by neighboring settlers. They no sooner saw the meteor than they cast themselves with their faces on the ground, uttering one combined and long-continued hideous yell. When the meteor had vanished, all I could say did not pacify or relieve them of their fright ; they persisted in saying it was devil-devil, come to kill blackfellows. On rising early the following morning I was greatly surprised to find the camp entirely deserted, nor did I see any of them till months afterwards, when some of them again visited me. They told me in distressing tones that many of the tribe had died through the coming of the big one fire. They undoubtedly had been suffering from some kind of fever, for those who had survived came in a most pitiable state of emaciation. They had suffered far away from the help of white men.

I may mention that I have often given them medicine, which they were always eager to take, and so made excellent patients ; the more nauseous in taste, the more they approved of it.

This tribe belonged to a piece of country on the banks of the Murray, called by them Wall. We called their chief King John, and the name of his chief lubra was Monarta, which was considered so pretty a name the whites never changed it. King John and Monarta often paid me a visit, and I set apart a small hut for them. He was a very good workman, and kept good order when I had a number of them employed. On one occasion John appeared anxious to tell me something. At last he pointed to Monarta at a distance, he said — ''You see Monarta ?'' "Yes, what then you mean ?'' ''Well, by and by a picaninnie come.'' I then found what had filled his heart with joy. This was Monarta's first promise, and all other children by his other lubras had died. He was dotingly fond of children. I introduce the above particulars to lead to what follows.

After they left this time I did not see them for some months, when one day I saw two wretched black women slowly approaching. They did not as usual first visit the kitchen, but passed on at once to John's hut. I sent a female to see what was the matter. On her return she said Monarta was crying and would not speak ; that her hair was cut short, and there were large gashes on her head. I now went myself and questioned them, asking for John. At last Monarta blurted out, ''John no more stop along of me, he say he kill me,'' and then she put her hands up to inform me who had battered her head, and burst into a lamentable cry. After a pause I asked, ''Where piccaninnie ?'' I had now touched on the cause of all this distress. I got no answer from Monarta, but the old woman said, '' piccaninnie dead ; tumble down in scrub.'' After much trouble I got out of them that ''Monarta walk walking through big one scrub, plenty hot day, no water, child and blanket on her back. John gone long way, child plenty cry, cry all same as wild dog, so she put him down and left him.''

On my expressing horror at her action, she justified herself by saying "You see, master, he all same as wild dog.'' It appeared from the state she was in that John did not accept such a justification of her conduct, but beat her almost to death. It was many months before John became reconciled to her. He and the wreck of his tribe subsequently fell on my hands to procure for them the annual dole of blankets and a few necessaries. The tribe is now extinct, the few remaining alive having joined another diminished tribe.

The last time I saw poor John I was walking along one of our most crowded streets, when I saw two young black men leading an old and blind native, when one of them on seeing me must have mentioned my name, for the old fellow cried out, ''Where's my master ? Oh, my master, Mr. B———! where is he ?" Now all eyes were on me, but I could not resist the impulse to go to my old friend, although several gentlemen standing at the door of an hotel were greatly amused as he called out my name loudly. On my approaching him he cried out, ''Oh, my master ! my master !" and throwing his arms round me, he kept patting me on the back in a most loving manner. I did not heed the laughter of some of the many spectators. I was rather proud of being the means of the exhibition of so much affection from a poor benighted black fellow-creature. (To be continued.)