MURDERED BY BLACKS.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 July 1918, Page 3

MURDERED BY BLACKS.

SYDNEY, July 26

That danger from uncivilised blacks still exists in tiie more remote parts of Australia was demonstrated recently by the murcler, in the Northern Territry of a stockman, a returned soldier named Alexander MacDonald who had served in Egypt and France. MacDonald was oinploye<l at tho Auvergno. station, and had been sent to a plain* ' called Dick’s Creek, eight miles out,. |to repair stockyards. He was assisted, by a black called Frank, and on March. 23rd, he sent Frank away on a mess- ' ago. The following day Frank returned, and he found MacDonald lying in his camp dead. He immediately went to the Timber Creek Police "Station, a party organised by the constable arrived at tlie camp the next morning, and a brief examination" of the dead stockman showed that he had been speared in the back and arm apparently while he slept. It was subsequently found that be was murdered after sundown on March 23rd. A loaded rifle was found near the body, but all the food in camp had been taken away.

The party promptly set off in pursuit of the blacks and a couple of days later they caught sight of a number of aborigines on Razorback Mountains They gave chase but as they ascended, the steep slope the blacks began to. roll big stones down upon them. The pursuers thereupon opened fire and shot three of the blacks. The rest fled. The. police continued the chase, subsequently, in a gorge, they came upon a. party of blacks again. They advanced rapidly, and as some of the whites were, approaching to arrest the blacks the latter attacked savagely with spears.. The police party immediately opened fire. There was a merry little fight in which four more blacks were killed. The others scattered but some of them were subsequently captured. From information furnished by them it appeared that the attack on MacDonalld was deliberate and unprovoked, and that the actual murderer was onh of the four blacks shot in the second encounter with the police.