MURDER CHARGES.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16988, 10 November 1920, Page 4

MURDER CHARGES.

„ r * — BLACKS ANi"; WHITES. (rr.osr oct. own ronßEsroxnrxT.) SYDNEY, November -t. As long as tho far North-West ot" Australia is peopled by whites and black? there will be conflicts. Away out at Broome —brindlo Broome is > called, because of its polyglot races a police expedition lias brought in lour prii-oners, two men and two gins, charged with the murder of two white men, who had left Broome in n pearling lugger, the wreck of which was founil by Sp tnisli missionaries who live in .a spot vi>itcd perhaps only oneo a year, 'itieir last visitor was a- cinema, man : it was eleven months since they had seen an outsider within their gates. Another out-ba6k tragedy was tho disappearance of a warrant ofticer troni 11.M.A.5. •({cranium. It was surmised that, he had been killed l>y blacks, but his body was found half eaten by alligators, and wluu. remained of it now rests within tho cloistered quiet of tho old .Spanish mission. Now thero comes the death of an aboriginal, and a charge of murder against a drover. Tho. staging of this drama is not described, but it is evidently the great cattle country up North. An aboriginal, corroborating tho story of another, said ho had been told by tho drover to keep singing round tho cattlo at night. Ho did so. The drover, it is alleged, protested tliat.it was nob loud enougli, and calling him' into camp, hit him in tho face, knocked him down, knelt on his body, and gave hint "plenty more hit everywhere.'' Tlio nitirdeied man thou hit tho drover with his list. Ho used no weapons, and had no stone. Tt was a long fight. Next morning, it was further the drover, on liorscback, and with a rifle, drove tho black from tho camp. "When tho drover returned he said, according to tho evidence, "Go to hell and see your mate, he i.s properly dead," addressing one of the other aboriginals. Tho drover's story has not yet been heard, but the tragedy appears to_reveal onco again that botween whites and blacks out. on tlio fringo of civilisation tlicro will always bo something of a barrier.