HEROIC POLICE

Hokitika Guardian, 27 July 1926, Page 4

HEROIC POLICE

IN NORTH-WEST AUSTRALIA

ABORIGINAL MURDERER CAUGHT SYDNEY, July 8.

J n song, verse and story, writers have extolled the bravery and endurance of the North-West Mounted Police of Canada, and here in Australia, as well as other countries, their exploits are read with bated breath. But no writer has yet arisen to do plain justice to the exploits of Australia’s own North-West Mounted—the men who are trying to uphold the white man’s law in our tropical, uncivilised, lonely, unpopulated northwest.. Only by an occasional report in the Press of some outstanding feat do we coddled southerners realise that on the rim of this continent in the north men are still doing man-sized work, taming the wild blacks and curbing lawless whites that the country might he prepared lor the coming of decent white settlers in increasing numbers. One of these amazing feats has just been circulating in the columns of the southern newspapers, anu its reading makes one. wonder why no Robert Service. or James Oliver Curwood has yet arisen to record the deeds of the northern guardians of our peace. A constable hero.

The hero of the latest exploit is plain Constable Robert Cameron, who went to join the Northern Territory police at Darwin in 1913. Since that time he has captured fourteen murderers, white, black and yellow, and brought them to the stout confines of the Darwin gaol. The capture in the latest iiifjtanee was remarkable, having been effected in rough mountain country where pursuit on horseback was impossible. Some months ago alt aborigine who had been convicted for murder escaped from the prison .at Darwin. A desperate and cunning character, search was immediately made for him, but this failed. A few weeks ago word was brought by a native friendly with the police that the wanted man had rejoined his tribe in

the heart of the jungle country near the Mary River, some hundreds of, miles from Darwin. Constable Cameron was detailed to capture the escapee, and without white companions, attended merely by three black trackers. Cameron set off with pack-horses. After days of travelling he reached the refugee’s country, and then came the problem of finding the wanted man’s camp. Cameron’s provisions by this time had become exhausted, and, though game was abundant, lie dared not fire a gun for fear of frightening the quarry. THE FATAL BELT,

This lasted three days, and then Cameron located the camp. hhe wanted man’s vanity proved his undoing. While in gaol, he made a leather belt to which he affixed brass buttons. Cameron saw an aborigine wearing this belt, and, knowing lie must have come from the wanted man’s camp, 'he followed. Cameron came upon thq camp, and the problem then became one of surprising the inmates.' He decided to do this hi making a noisy frontal attack with his several packhorses and black trackeis, with rattling baggage and equipment, while the constable, alone and on foot, made a wide detour and entered the eampTrom the rear. A swarm of dogs was busily engaged in barking alld snarling at the -approaching paekhorses,”and the aborigines were ready to disappear in thick scrub down a

gorge when Cameron crawled through grass right up to the camp and actually seized the escaped murderer before the others were aware of bis presence. Then a life, ami death stluggle ensued on the edge of the gorge between the athletic, wiry, prisoner and the constable, who was in danger of spears from the .other blacks. Cameron was weak with hunger, through his three-days abstinence ' from food. One of bis fingers was broken in the struggle to handcuff the prisoner, hut lie hung on, and, before the aborigines recovered from their surprise, the trackers making tbc noisy frontal attack arrived with guns. The most dangerous part of Cameron’s task was thus completed, but more than a week passed before the arduous return journey to Darwin was completed and the captured aborigine was again safely under lock and key.