Murder of John Hamp by Natives

The seemingly small affrays on the part of the natives in May and June, 1848, led on to a greater one, the murder of John Hamp on June 23, of the same year. For details of this happening we have a very long report by the Government Resident dated July 17, 1848. Probably the length of time elapsing between the departure of boats to Adelaide accounts for what looks like a tardy delay in advising the Lieutenant-Governor of the tragedy.

John Hamp was a hutkeeper, and Dewig Hammond the shepherd, at an outstation of William Pinkerton, sheep farmer, at Lake Newland. On the evening of June 23, 1848, when the shepherd brought his flock home about sunset, he found the hut rifled, Hamp's dog alive, but transfixed by a spear, and the body of Hamp lying about 100 yards from the hut. The shepherd immediately reported the disaster to the overseer, Stewart, at the head station about four or five miles distant. Fortunately the police were there also, having arrived after visiting the wreck of the Arachne, stranded in Trial Bay.

They all returned to the hut, and (Mr. Driver wrote) "there found that the deceased had apparently been waddied to death and his skull, sawn half round with a hand saw. The rigidity of the limbs and other indications led to the conclusion the act must have been perpetrated in the forenoon."

The Commissioner of Police reporting, said the murder had been attended with peculiar barbarity, the skull having been divided with a hand saw, which was found by the police in examining the premises, with the brains, blood and hair adherring to it." Only a week previously he had written that the natives had "sawed their victim's head into two pieces with a hand saw which was found in the hut, with the blood and hair adhering to it."

One has to realise that it was the handsaw, and not the head, that was found in the hut; not realising this and not analysing the sentence correctly when reading, has probably given rise to the tragic tales that have arisen, in subsequent years. Mr. Driver's report stated that native tracks were visible, and were traced across the shallow part of the lake, and thence followed by Stewart and the police for a whole day in a westerly and north-westerly direction, and eventually lost in rocky ground.

COMPLAINT ABOUT POLICE

In a later report to the Commissioner of Police, the Government Resident complained very bitterly of the action of the police constables, Dann and Keich (that is the Government Resident's method of spelling). They had arrived at Pinkerton's head station on Friday evening, June 23, and heard of the murder. After a short rest, in company with the overseer, they proceeded to the outstation. On the Saturday they assisted at the burial of the deceased and returned to the head station. On Sunday they set out in quest of certain natives, and Mr. Driver wrote "the pursuit resulted, as might have been expected, in nothing."

The lapse of the police lost a whole day, allowed the natives to make good their retreat with the booty, evading arrest for over a year, and belittled the action of the white men in the eyes of the natives. As will be seen later on, the arrested natives after being sentenced to death were reprieved. It is most probable had the arrest taken place immediately, the legal point in doubt would never have arisen, and white man's justice would have been meted out to the perpetrators.

Getting back to Driver's original report, it would appear that friendly relations existed between Pinkerton's servants and the few natives who occasionally visited them. ''The barbarous deed," he wrote, "must therefore be attributed to one of those impulsive movements that actuate the savage, when opportunities are temptingly offered, and these, I regret to add, are but too frequently given by the settlers. The station at which the man was killed, and several other stations that I visited on my journey to hold the inquest had the hut or cabin placed within a stone's cast of dense teatree scrub in which hundreds of native might remain concealed and watch and take advantage of every movement on the establishment, and it is very probable that this has been the case with regard to John Hamp. who is supposed to have gone for fuel and to have been intercepted and slain in his attempt to regain the hut within which were firearms ready for use. These were found untouched by the natives."

NATIVES STILL TROUBLESOME

The police had been patrolling the district since June 12, to the time Driver wrote his report (July 17). The natives at Mortlock's station were still extremely troublesome. The evidence taken at the inquest has not been discovered, so we cannot get the views then expressed, but there is no doubt that Driver's report was based on his enquiry, so we have to trust to the evidence at the trial a year later, but it will he seen that the trial evidence agrees with the report of the Government Resident written within one month of the murder.

Prior to the receipt of the news in Adelaide of these affrays, the Lieutenant-Governor decided on July 14, 1848, that the then present strength of the police did not permit of the establishment of a distinct detachment in the district as asked for by the petitioners of the Western Coast. However, three days after that decision was given the Government Resident threw his weight into the controversy, for immediately after Hamp's murder he recommended the establishment of a station under the superintendence of an experienced policeman, suggesting the neighbourhood of the station of W. Nation, J.P., even though not quite central as regards the sheep stations.

The Commissioner of Police wrote (July 20, 1848) to the Lieutenant-Governor that earlier in the year he had considered a police hut was necessary at Lake Hamilton, but that on reconsideration had come to the conclusion that it was inexpedient, it being so far away from the control of head quarter. The Commissioner, following Driver, expressed the opinion that the settlers did not select sites for stations and huts judicially, and were in many ways much to blame, and in many instances they brought upon themselves the aggression of natives. Frequently they left their flocks without proper attendance. The shepherds and other servants at times induced the natives to visit them, and at others drove them away, as it suited their convenience. Further some of the whites made use of native women, in some cases by way of barter, but in others not so. Naturally the black husbands would resent such treatment.

POLICE FORCE STRENGTHENED

The murder of Hamp made the Commissioner of Police reconsider his former recommendation, and he said in view of a contract being let for the conveyance of the overland mail between Adelaide and Melbourne, police would be released. He proposed the erection of police stations in the neighborhood of Lake Hamilton and another near Franklin Harbor, three men and two horses being stationed at each place, which with two men and two horses at Port Lincoln would give a total strength of eight men and six or seven horses, with a sub-inspector in charge. A further recommendation was for the issue of blankets and flour at these outstatious. However, it was over a year before that recommendation was carried out, and more murders and raids were committed in the meantime.

To meet the troublous time it was decided to send over Inspector Gordon and one policeman (Melville) to strengthen the force temporarily. Owing to want of funds the erection of the proposed hut could not be proceeded with. Lance-Corporal Geharty reported to his Commissioner on August 2, 1848. that the police patrol had returned to Port Lincoln on July 22, without having fallen in with any of the natives that killed Hamp or speared Mortlock's men. He recounted the delay in prosecuting the search on June 24, and reported that Police-Constable Dann had stated, in extenuation, that on the 24th they had had nothing to eat since the previous evening (so apparently they had camped at Hamp's hut on the night of the 23rd), when they only had a pot of tea and a slice of damper. There was nothing to eat in Hamp's hut, the natives having taken everything away : further, the horses had nothing to eat during the night of the 23rd except sheoak tops, and consequently were not in a fit state to go out on the 24th.

ANOTHER NATIVE RAID

Geharty stated that he was taking P.C. Guy and Keech out on August 3, to prosecute the search himself. P. C. Dann had to be left behind, as his horse had fallen down a large open grave. Inspector Gordon and P.C. Melville, arrived at Port Lincoln on August 14, and found the police away patrolling. The inspector received a report from Driver, that the natives had again raided Mr. Pinkerton's outstation at Lake Newland, the hut recently occupied by Hamp. The natives had challenged the whites to come out and fight. They then attacked the station, whereon the shepherd fired and shot a native at the same time as he received a spear wound. The inspector decided to leave the following morning in company with the Government Resident, who was proposing to hold an inquest on the native. Mr. Dunkin provided horses for the inspector and the constable. Pinkerton's overseer stated that he had to bring all the sheep into one station, the shepherds having refused to go with them, presumably from the outstations. Mr. Driver did not get out to the scene of the killing, as he met the police patrol and learned that Messrs. Peter and Nation, Justices of the Peace, had held an inquest and had taken George Stewart and John Wood's depositions.