Murder of Brown, Biddle and Their Servants

Port Lincoln Times (SA : 1927 - 1954), Friday 27 March 1936, page 3

The particulars in the previous article dealing with the murder by the natives of Brown, Biddle and their servants, are what have been accepted for nearly the last 60 years — that is from the time when Hailes, Bull, Tolmer, Hawker and McLean wrote their reminiscences of the early days. These writers apparently relied on their own diaries, or memories, it is doubtful whether any except Tolmer had access to official correspondence. At the time of writing the previous article I was not at all satisfied as to the accuracy of much of the data. Seemingly there was no way to verify or disprove the doubtful statements. The official reports and papers could not be located owing to the very peculiar method adopted in indexing correspondence in the Colonial Secretary's office in those very early times.

By a very happy chance Mr. Pitt, the Archivist, unearthed among the 318,166 documents, views and so on under his charge, quite a budget of letters relating to these murders, and now with the permission of the Public Library Board, we are enabled to publish for what is thought to be the first time, the official version, a version that has been hidden away for the last 90 years. Admittedly these letters do not give the complete history, the other historians' views have still to be considered, discarding the doubtful statements where the official report show that they are palpably wrong, and accepting such as can reasonably be accepted as correct, more especially when they fit in with the official correspondence. An apology is scarcely required for the rather disjointed condition of this article. Its object, is to fill in the many gaps and to give the official report of some of the phases of the black tragedy.

Dr. Harvey, who had been sworn in as a magistrate for the district of Port Lincoln on November 3, 1841, must have kept a wonderful diary of events, and it is fortunate he sent extracts therefrom, for February and March, 1842, to the Colonial Secretary. Incidentally, there had been trouble between the resident magistrate (J. W. McDonald) and the doctor, as a result of which the resident magistrate and his clerk Barnard resigned, without giving the Governor any chance of filling the vacancy without a break. Consequently Dr. Harvey was forced to act as the Government representative, and was able to utilise his diary to amplify his reports on the depredations of the natives during portions of those two months.

DR. HARVEY'S FULL REPORT

Surely this is a case of "It's an ill wind ...." Had the outcome of the troubles come at any other time, we would only have had a meagre report in general terms, instead of the full report Harvey was able to send. These extracts help us to understand why the Port Lincoln native was given such a bad character in those early days.

It was on February 11 that Mr. McDonald advised the doctor that he would not act as a Government officer. From that date until Mr. C. Driver's arrival the doctor felt justified in giving full details ; and the following particulars are taken from his extracts.

Before taking control, the police had been ordered to arrest natives for stealing from Whites and Biddle's stations. They returned on February 13, without success. The following day Samuel White came in to the town and reported that the natives had attempted to break into one of his huts, and asked for a policeman to go out and remain there for a few days. Dr. Harvey referred White to McDonald, who refused to act, upon which the doctor agreed to the request. The policeman returned to town on February 17, without having met any natives.

When writing of Eyre's departure from Port Lincoln in October, 1840. reference was made to sites of White's stations, the only known one apparently being "Tallala." From correspondence, we now learn that in 1842 the brothers had three stations, one in the vicinity of Gawler Ponds, another presumably "Tallala" and the other, doubtless between Brown's station, was called " Mount Gawler Station."

On February 14, the sergeant of police arrested a native for being in possession of flour, thought to have been stolen. McDonald and White were aware of the arrest, the former ordering the detention of the native, until he came back from the country, to try the native. Early in the morning the doctor paid a visit to the police station, and found the native chained to a bar by both legs. His head had been severely cut in attempting to secure him. The missionary (Rev. Mr. Schurmann) met the doctor by appointment at the gaol in the afternoon, when it was ascertained that Mrs. Geharty, the wife of one of the police constables, had given the native the flour for work done. Mrs. Geharty confirmed this statement, but the native was not released until Wednesday afternoon on the return of McDonald.

SHEEP SPEARED

On Sunday February 20, at 10 p.m. one of White's shepherds arrived with three spears, one of which had entered a sheep and the other two had been thrown at him. He reported firing his rifle, but as it was dark, he could not say whether any natives were killed. He said a mob of about 30 came in every morning to rob the hut. The doctor ordered a police constable and a special constable to White's first station, to remain there two days, which time was subsequently extended until further notice at Mr. White's request (on February 22) when it was stated that about 40 natives had settled in the neighborhood, showing signs of hostility. They speared two sheep, robbed his hut and attempted to spear the hut-keeper.

On February 21 a trivial robbery of a boy's hat was reported from Happy Valley. Very early on February 25 Mr. Dutton's man came in and reported that Dutton had captured a native — the leader of a party of natives who had set fire to his fence — who was about to rob his house. The sergeant and one policeman were sent out immediately to secure the man. The sergeant was to call at White's first station, and send in the policeman who had been left there.

On Saturday, February 26, at 6 p.m., the sergeant and the policeman returned bringing in the noted offender Moorpar (usually referred to as "Moorpa"), who was lodged in gaol. Straw was provided for him, also 3 lbs. rice and 10 lbs. flour with a weekly allowance of 5 lbs. mutton and 2 lbs. sugar. At the adjourned trial on March 2, Mr. Kemp stated that the natives had driven away from him a flock of 500 sheep. James Baldock stated he was thrown down by the prisoner, and held down by two others, while Moorpar speared two sheep. The prisoner was "committed for trial upon very clear evidence" and evidently sent to Adelaide on the Kangaroo.

SHEPHERD'S STORY

On Thursday, March 3, at 7 a.m., Mr. Brown's shepherd came into town and stated that Mr. Brown had been murdered, and that the hutkeeper was missing. The shepherd's statement was taken, and then the sergeant and two policemen were sent out to the station, to arrest the murderers if possible and search for the missing hut-keeper (Joseph Lovelock). The two policemen were instructed to remain at the station for protection. Messrs. White again asked for protection for both of his stations, but nobody could be procured to go, the two policemen being on full duty. Even the prisoner was attended by neighbors in town.

The sergeant returned at 10 p.m., apparently bringing in Mr. Brown's body and reporting that the hut-keeper had not been found.

On Friday, March 4, at 9 a.m., the inquest was held. In a separate letter the coroner (Dr. Harvey) has given a report of the inquest upon the body "of Mr. Brown, a respectable flock owner settled at Mount Gawler." William Sanders stated that he was a shepherd at Brown's station. When coming home with the flock on the Wednesday evening, while yet a mile away from the hut, Mr. Brown's dog came to him and howled. He could not get the sheep over the brook. He found Mr. Brown's body lying on the slope of the hut above the brook, on the side furthest away from the hut. He went to the hut calling "Joe" several times, without response. The fowls flew out of the hut, the door and window being open. He then left the sheep and went to White's station at Gawler Pond. The hut-keeper from there returned with him to the hut. A search revealed that flour was the only thing taken. The dog kennel had been turned over the dog. Brown's shot-belt was found in the hut. They could not find the hut-keeper as they had only a candle for the search. White's hut-keeper remained until 2 a.m., when he returned to Gawler Pond Station, and at daylight the two came into Port Lincoln to report and procure assistance.

Sanders stated that after Biddle's sheep had been driven away by the natives, Brown put his two flocks into one, and he used to travel backwards and forwards during the day. He (Brown) was with the sheep at noon on the Wednesday and after that was not seen alive. The shepherd had seen natives in the morning, two of them dodging behind a tree. This was told to Mr. Brown, who was given the loaded rifle at the same time in case he met them. The gun stock and lock were lying beside Mr. Brown, the barrel being missing, the face was bloody and he thought the body had been moved since he saw him first.

BOOK FOUND ON BREAST

Sergeant Edward McEllister, in evidence, stated that he found the body of Mr. Brown on the side of the hill about 100 yards from the hut across the River Tod. A book was on the breast. Brown's watch and other property was in his possession, and his powder horn was in his pocket. The stock of the gun was shattered to pieces, the lock broken, both covered with blood, and they were lying close to him. They appeared to have been used as weapons in the murder. The barrel was found about 8 yds. distant. It was broken and bent, and evidently had also been used in the murder. He examined the body and found several holes close together, leading him to believe they were gunshot wounds. The head was much broken and bruised. The window and door of the hut were open. He found several— apparently native — tracks at the back of the hut, as if the hut-keeper had escaped out of the window and run in the direction of Mount Gawler. A spear was found stuck in the ground 5 yards from the hut. The boy's gun was found 26 yards from the hut in the same direction, with the stock shattered. It had the appearance of having been recently fired off. The native tracks were leading in the same direction as though in pursuit of the boy. A search was made in the hut, when half a chest of tea was found lying on the floor, open, and some spilt. The store had been broken in to, and no flour left there, but a barrel of biscuits — unopened — had been left. Capts. Bishop and Hawson with the sergeant, made an extensive search for the boy without success. The witness examined the body of Mr. Brown, but did not find any spears or shot about him. A native belt of opossum hair was lying close to him. There were three marks close together, which gave him the idea that some of the marks were gunshot wounds.

(Another instalment next week.)