Waterloo Bay Story

In the ' Register,' February 21, 1926, Mr. A. Beviss took up the cudgels in favor of the Waterloo Bay massacre. He stated that his friend John Dow, whose father was manager for Price Maurice and was manager at Bramfield at the time of the massacre, and no doubt took part in rushing the blacks over the cliff near Waterloo Bay. John Dow thought little was to be gained by repeating the tale, but Beviss thought much was to be gained by recounting the "real occurrences." He had it from hearsay, and thought the scene took place "at the end of the sixties."

The late J. C. Hamp (then 13 years old — J.D.S.) and Geharty were the principles in the muster and drive, with Geharty the supervisor, as well as the Government representative, and the organiser of the successful muster of natives. He planned the cliff as his goal, never thinking the blacks would leap over instead of surrendering. About 260 went over, only two failing to do so. Beviss was told the real facts by Hamp and Geharty over 50 years ago (that would be about 1876). It was J. C. Hamp who came home and found his father's head in the camp oven, near Lake Newland. Only the father and son were there at the time; their nearest neighbor was six miles distant. The boy walked there that night, through the dense scrub.

"BODY CONCEALED"

"The blacks killed the father near the sheep yards and cut his head off with a cross-cut saw. They put the head in a camp oven and dragged the body to the back of the sheep yard and put bushes over it." While the police were searching for the murderers, a second murder was reported of a shepherd's wife on Gum Flat station. This woman was beloved by all the district. "So wrathful was Sergeant Geharty that he left off his pursuit of the Hamp murderers and reported direct to head office. He strongly advised the muster and drastic action and asked the police to assist him. The Government granted the request and the sergeant organised a force 160 strong and planned his drive. He told me that they were not all horsemen, but most of the unhorsed men came in at the finish and killed the blacks who got away between the lines, only two escaped and one of those lost half a hand. He afterwards picked wool for me where I was shearing. This escapee also told me all about the massacre." Apparently any lubras who broke through were permitted to escape. For 30 years afterwards, skulls could be seen at the foot of the cliff. "For this action Sgt. Geharty received promotion in the force. The effect of the drive was tranquility among the blacks from Port Lincoln to Fowler's Bay."

Geharty told him that he had a good lot of men with him, and that he would not like to repeat the drive when telling the tale (say in 1876 or earlier). The sergeant named the place Waterloo Bay after he saw what had happened. In a subsequent letter (March 6, 1926) A. Beviss said he gained his information from Mr. Hamp and the police sergeant and "not one ever mentioned any trial or hanging of the culprits, only driving over the cliffs" and "I repeat Hamp was killed by waddies and his head cut off with a cross-cut saw, and that was the only purpose for which the saw was used in the tragedy. The head was put in the camp oven and his son found it there when he went to cook for his supper." Again he repeats that Pingulty, a native and one of the escaped natives, who had half of his hand cut off, told him a tale corresponding to that told him by Hamp and Geharty. Mr. W. A. Barns in 1929 added his quota, quite believing in the "drive over the cliffs," for he had a boy "Downhip Jimmie" in his employ. This boy received his injuries when he went over the cliff.

N. A. RICHARDSON'S REPORT

Even our redoubtable and worthy N. A. Richardson, entered the list in favor of the tale. It will be remembered that he and his father went to Streaky Bay about 1868, just about 20 years after the affray. The father O. K. Richardson, when Colonial Secretary, would have access to the various official reports, many being initialled by him. Norman A. Richardson repeats the tale of the camp oven and the drive over the cliff, and he stated that "the real murderer was afterwards arrested and hanged close to where Mr. Hamp senr. was killed" and finished his contribution "was it likely that those few settlers were going to report their escapade to the police " 125 miles away ? — "No wonder no record is to be found of it."

The mythical story of the massacre has gone all over the world in some shape or form, so what chance is there now of overtaking the erroneous tale so debasing, both to the whites and the blacks of Eyre Peninsula ? In approaching this analysis we must do so with an open mind, remembering that the earliest historians said the natives were of a quiet and peaceable character. Go back to the earliest record, that of Flinders. Did they act in a hostile, fierce, treacherous manner to him when he was camped at the head of Port Lincoln Proper ? No; so we can go from one to another and the same tale is told. It was only when they found themselves being dispossessed of their lands and their game that they resorted to murders. In the place of native game, they saw spread temptingly before them docile sheep, huts with plentiful supplies of food, sometimes left unprotected and at other times with only a solitary man in charge. Put ourselves in their position, would not we try and take a similar advantage ?

The editor, in the early portion of this series, put some pregnant phrases and sentences in bolder type to emphasise the salient points here and there. In 1929 Rodney Cockburn wrote : "I swallowed the silly old yarn, 21 years ago, when I wrote my nomenclature, and I never lose an opportunity to make amends" and in the same year wrote that the name Waterloo Bay was first used in 1861, or 13 years after the murder. It is strange that H.J.C. did not use the name in his fanciful tale in 1860. (By the way, H.J.C's. story appeared in the 'Observer ' under the heading, ' The Sketcher.' Looking at another story by H.J.C. in a subsequent paper gives one the impression that the material for that column was a novelette founded on some historical event, without any idea of being accurate.)

FOUNDATION OF MYTH

A. T. Saunders was indefatigable in searching out records, and tried to disabuse the minds of the public, getting much abuse in consequence. His researches considerably enlightened me. To me there seem to be three outstanding statements that are responsible for the awful and one might say wicked tale of the alleged atroc ities : —

Firstly. — The Commissioner of Police's statement that "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 adhering to it."

Secondly. — When Acting Judge Mann gave a report of the trial for the information of the Executive Council, and making the three murders look like a concerted design wrote "infers a common and concerted design. The inference is strengthened by a reference to dates. The murder of Mr. Beevor took place on the 3rd May last, on the 7th of May the murder of Mrs. Easton was committed, on the 28th May the plunder of Mr. Home's station occurred and on the 18th (sic) June the murderer of Mr. John Hamp at a station of Mr. Pinkerton." Not satisfied with commenting on the sequence as he puts it, the acting judge gave the location, progressively going northwards to substantiate the idea ; Beevor 45 miles from Port Lincoln (near Mount Drummond), then Easton's 35 miles further on, then Home's 29 miles from there and Hamp's still 15 miles further on (at Lake Newland). The mileages do not quite accord with actuality.

Thirdly. — Though written after H.J.C's account, Tolmer, in writing his reminiscences in 1882, in condensing the commissioner of Police's statement above and probably having in his mind H.J.C's. recent account wrote, "whose head they afterwards cut off with a saw" when referring to the murder of Hamp.

TRICKED BY MEMORY

We have to consider that it is probable that one or more persons read the first two statements when they were written, and then several years afterwards tried to recite the details verbally. How easy, after a lapse of time, to alter the statement of the Commissioner of Police, that the saw was found in the hut, into one declaiming that the head was found in the hut. Statement No. 3 (above) shows how Tolmer so easily fell into the trap. How easy to fall into the rotation as pictured by the acting judge and to have Hamp's murder last of all, be that the accumulated murders would incense the settlers as pictured by H.J.C. It would be quite easy to forget that Tolmer was in charge of the final pursuit and to imagine Geharty in charge.

Of Geharty, a West Coast writer records that he was "a very fine type of wild Irishman." My opinion is vastly different. How easy to imagine him with the settlers seeking vengeance for all the heaped up assaults, and how easy to follow on from one statement to another, each raconteur trying to outvie the others, until we have the tale as told by H.J.C. and later garnished by Mr. Beviss.

Mr. H. H. Finlayson, in his recently published book, 'The Red Centre,' has put this phase of raconteurs very nicely. He pictures himself arriving at a prospector's camp and asking where rats, mammals, and so on could be found, whereon the prospector tells him, but "long before the narrative is done, you perceive that his friendly desire to appear interested in your work, has led him to raise the plane of discussion from fact to fancy."

It is not even necessary to tell some people anything, the merest indiscreet hint may start a train of gossip and calumny, giving the neighbors something to talk about. Yesterday will recede as the days go on, the memory becomes blurred and hazy, the sequence of events will get out of order and their proper relationship if left entirely to memory is lost without the written record. Thus, in course of time, the fanciful and fabulous narrative becomes a fixed idea with the people and the myth is believed in by the bulk of the people among whom it is current. Myths may be pure fabrication, tales invented by early minstrels to beguile a weary hour, while in others fragments of real history may be hidden. The mythical tales told by H.J.C., Beviss and others must be classed in the latter category.

(This series will be concluded next week.)