Pursuit of Native Murderers

Mr. W. S. Peter, J.P., advised the Colonial Secretary of the murder of Mrs. Easton. He did not hear of it until May 9, when he was about to start for Coffin's Bay, in search of Beevor's murderers, who were thought to be harboring there, and at the same time to warn two solitary stations on the Peninsula. He promised to investigate the recent murder on his return. He stated that the police horses' were much knocked up and quite unfit for the work they had to do, and recommended that His Excellency should be urged to send a body of police with fresh horses to scour the country in small parties.

The stations were scattered along the coast at intervals or 5 or 6 miles, and behind them was a sea of scrub into which the blacks retired after committing any outrages. With plenty of springs the blacks were fairly secure and one large party in pursuit was almost useless, was the well considered opinion of this worthy justice. It was not in response to this request of Mr. Peter that Tolmer with a force of police was sent across, but as we have seen previously, his main duty was to select sites for police out stations.

OFFICIAL ACCOUNT

In the absence of the Government Resident, John Stewart Browne, clerk to the Resident, gives us the official version, which agrees with the foregoing, but in addition he states that Peter. J.P., had asked him to get up a party of volunteers in Port Lincoln to go in pursuit of the natives, and he stated that being aware that there were three separate parties of volunteers out at the time with the same object, as well as all the available police from Port Lincoln, whose horses were completely knocked up. He considered it wiser to send corn for the police horses, with instructions to the corporal to prevent as far as possible the indiscriminate slaughter of the natives which the exasperated state of the settlers rendered probable.

In the same letter Browne advised the Colonial Secretary of the deaths of the poisoned natives, previously referred to. The police pursuit of the natives was resumed immediately, and continued without intermission until May 8, when the police returned to Easton's hut, men and horses completely exhausted, their exertions not having been relaxed day or night, since the morning of May 4.

The 9th saw them out again, this time accompanied by a native guide who took them to an encampment that appeared to have been vacated only the previous night and it was thought that some of the murderers were among those who had occupied the camp. A ramrod was found belonging to Easton's gun. All Geharty' strategy and cunning of the native guide were without avail. All traces were lost.

SEARCH RESUMED

On May 10 the search was renewed and continued with indefatigable perseverance until the evening of the 15th. As mentioned when dealing with Geharty as an explorer, the Commissioner of Police spoke very highly of the work done by him in the search. The natives, by not encamping, travelling night and day, eating raw flour, and choosing routes on which the horsemen could not track them or follow at such a speed, evaded arrest. Geharty on his return to Port Lincoln found Inspector Tolmer there, and however urgent was the need to proceed to the north-west, it was more urgent to go north to enquire into the poisoning of the natives, as has been, narrated.

Particular attention must be given to the story of the raid on Horne's station as it is quite apparent, from the evidence given by Horne at the Supreme Court against the native prisoners that, in the course of years has arisen therefrom the tale of the mythical massacre at Waterloo Bay. At present it is not proposed to enter into the details of the myth, but before this series dealing with these murders is completed, the traditional aspect will be dealt with, then an analyses will follow.

While Inspector Tolmer was waiting for the Dwyer case to be completed, information was received that Mr. Horne's station, near Lake Newland, on the West Coast, about 120 miles from Port Lincoln, had been attacked on May 27, 1849, by a party of natives who had carried off stores and other articles in the hut. (In the account of the trial the date is shown as May 28; which is right is hard to say.) According to Horne, his hut had been stripped of everything it contained during his temporary absence. He had taken precaution to leave two men in charge of the hut, one of whom appeared to have been lame and the other, in Tolmer's opinion, dreading the consequence of resisting the robbers, suffered the natives to take the possessions of the property. On Mr. Horne's return he and his party pursued without loss of time, the natives were overtaken with their booty, but determined apparently not to part with it without resistance, a fight took place, said to have been started by the natives, which resulted in the death of one native woman and two men, the capture of five and the flight of the rest.

On another page Tolmer stated that there were four in custody, a man, woman and two boys. It was considered that some of those killed and captured were concerned with the murder of Beevor and Mrs. Easton, if not the actual perpetrators, for they had clothing and other effects on their person which were subsequently recognised as stolen from their victims. Tolmer was now convinced that the natives had become emboldened by their successes and the inability of the police to capture them, so he despatched Geharty on May 30 with four troopers to Horne's station to take charge of the captured natives and await his arrival with the rest of the men to begin a "steady and persevering pursuit of the guilty tribe." Geharty made a detour to Sleaford and Coffin's Bays, in consequence of some information received, but found the report groundless. He then proceeded to Horne's station, joining Tolmer — who had left Port Lincoln on the 2nd — there on June 6th.

MOORHOUSE'S ARRIVAL

Tolmer's search covered the quest for the perpetrators of the outrages on Hamp, Beevor and Mrs. Easton and the raid on Horne's station. On returning to Port Lincoln from his third trip after capturing nearly all the natives wanted in connection with these outrages, Tolmer found that Mr. Moorhouse, the Protector of Aborigines, had arrived in the Yatala to investigate the affray which had taken place at Horne's station between the natives and the whites. Therefore an immediate return was made, Mr. Moorhouse being accompanied by Tolmer and Schurmann. What was done on the trip is not recorded.

After the disposal of the Dwyer case, Tolmer felt free to take up the chase of the murderers in the north west, the affray at Horne's station giving a fresh impetus. It is advisable at this stage, to call to mind the Commissioner of Police's letter to Tolmer as to how he was to act, toward the natives as well as toward the whites ; not revenge; but justice, was required. As stated, Tolmer had sent Geharty on ahead and he himself left on June 2, 1849, arriving at Horne's on the 6th or 7th, whichever report is considered, having visited the places where Beevor and Mrs. Easton had been murdered.

TALKATIVE NATIVE

Tolmer's reminiscences are still being used as the foundation, interpolating other information where possible and checking up with official reports, so as to get as accurate an account as possible. It will be remembered that Tolmer stated that he was unable to obtain copies of his original reports of the murders, therefore he had to trust to his memory for details, assisted by the Commissioner of Police's report published in the Government Gazette.

Tolmer on reaching the station found four natives in custody, a man, a woman and two boys. The man was chained to a tree for security, the others only were wearing handcuffs. As usual with the natives, they were very communicative, and said the rest of the tribe had gone north-ward. It must be noticed that Tolmer in his narrative does not give any account of those killed by Horne's party; for this information he relied on and quoted the Commissioner's report. Taking one of the prisoners as a guide — the others being sent to Port Lincoln charged with robbery and violence— Tolmer with Geharty and three or four troopers set out from the station the next morning (the 7th) camping the first night under Mount Wedge, where the natives had encamped "after having been successfully repulsed by Mr. Horne's party."

The next day the chase was resumed and toward evening, a camp was found, where some of the proceeds of the outrage and robberies were seen, such as tobacco, flour, wearing apparel, which had been left behind, but from there all trace of the "wretches" was lost. After continuing the search for some days, without avail, Tolmer was compelled to return, on June 15, to Port Lincoln, for additional supplies, leaving three of the party at Vaux's station.

(Another Instalment Next Week.)