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THE WILD WHITE MAN 17 YEARS WITH THE BLACKS Shipwrecked Sailors' Ordeal
The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1954) Tuesday 31 December 1929, page 4
Article
The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1954) Tuesday 31 December 1929, page 4
Article
| Changed | By | Old Lines | New Lines |
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| 2009-04-29 13:15:04.0 | anonymous | Members of the trible from the sur- | Members of the tribe from the sur- |
| 2009-02-04 15:40:46.0 | user:public:Stephen.J.Arnold | Morrill, and seven passengers-Mr. eastern side of Cape Cleveland-the | Morrill, and seven passengers— Mr. eastern side of Cape Cleveland—the |
| 2008-11-26 12:18:19.0 | user:public:jhempenstall | alive. Shortly after landing. Wilmot tile young apprentice, who was a mere During lils residence with these blacks Morrill/ accompanied them In thei>" tribal wars, went with them on the seasliiore. He soon lost all Kuro pean habits, and forgot almost his. real domont.loa.led aboriginal. At.flrst," his associates at times trented him roughly, Und would perhaps have kill- ed him but. for the interference ol' tho women, with, whoin he became a great far as Ho recognise in him'a dear de- should return n white man. During the early p.nrt. ol' his sojourn lie used lo hui Sd huts to sleep In dur- ing wet and cold weather, lint as 1 li- nn! ives often expelled him from his retreat and., took poHsrwsion, lie -dis- continued labouring for their (..inllorl, The domain cf.the Irlbtvwitb which lie associated extended from the Tlur ile|>inUiver to the i.!ii|ck Uiver a <li,s lance of some 30 miles, and their -headquarters were in the pockets of Mount lOlliott. A favourite haunt of Hie tribe was near Cape Marlow, about 2!) miles northwards (of Cleve- land Bay. and here Morrill spent up the rugged ..sides of Castle Hill, and, from the summit scan the blue waters ol' the bay, 'in the fond hope of seeing a sail that would ri scue him from solitude, but lor his trouble hu In IStil he heard that white people and with the lobject of coming in con- Howling" Green. This .tribe did not for his own security from other, tribes of au unfriendly disposition he was au expedition of discovery, and even had he come suddenly. In contact willi those of his own race, lie would un- During Hie ,early part of January lSGIl, thc tribe with which he lived organised a kangaroo hunt in Hie near vicinity of a sheep-station on tho lower Burdekin, and lone day Morrill, was detailed witli a party of the wo- herself soon tdd Morrill that she had seen il white man's hut, and when she was directing, him to the locality '.hey sighted name sheep. I'pon Morrill de- -washed .himself so as to appear as white as possible,, and walked on in the direction of the-sheet). Soon lie - came in sight of the yard, and then a ? | lilli, from which he heard voices. At e; Hitit instant lie was confused and al v j armed, anil was almost impelled t..i '?run away. Mounting as high as lie ii: could on the fence, he called out the e sailor's salutation he- had so often - repeated to himself- when alone: ol "What cheer, shipmate?" I. Hearing this one man looked out pf -1 the: ililli, and soe.ihg 'Morrill, who was - j wild-lci.oking in appearance, iinniedi I'-ately called out, "Bring the guns, I Wilson, here'.s a miked man on the fence thal is white or yellow, hut is his ??.rms and called ont, "I alu. a were stockmen, took him into thy hut and gave him bread to eat. which at almost forgotten- the Knglish lan- guage il was some' time before lie could explain himself to fhe 'settlers. Thal- nl.vrlit he returned to the abor, igines' camp ?and' upon his advic ?, they moved oft' some miles fin thor that he intended to return to tile wliiWfl. Hie natives at first uiid-islood thal lie would be away for t'.'-roe wr four days only, and begged of Kim to talk to his countrymen and ted ll;i-m not to shoot the native.". Wlu'n they to see a great many while pe'uplo, ami that he would bo away three o" f.ur moons, some of them declared thai he was going to leave them a Roset lui. rest of the while men. tribes lind lost their lives during a great flood, and lt was a consoling other great: flood would drown a .1 the white men, with their horses cuttle li" and sheep., Others lamented Hun he would be too far away io do any- thing lo 'save them from the whit us. They begged of -him to induce his countrymen to let them bavo al least tho swamps and saltwater creeks, upon condition that they (tii^ blacks) abandoned thc upper reaches and rivers.' With much lamentation tn the part of many of lils tried associ- ates, on the following'morning Mor- rill ended his almost 17 years .so- Morrill: was not, Ino we vcr,- long to survive his release. Janies Gordon, tit Unit time the. sub-collector of Cus- and presented him lo Sir Gooi-ge Ferguson Bowen, Governor.of Queenu laiul, who, however, took little inter- est in H>e wild white niau. Koturnlnn to Bowen he Was employed la the Customs Department as one ol' the crew of tho pilot-boat, at ul In 1NU4 he married a servant ol' the Police Magistrate's at. Ural place. Townsville was then Just beginning lo grow on the shores ol' Cleveland Bay, and at the foot lol' Onwllu Hill, (he peak Morrill often climbed to scan the horizon in search of a sall. In-April, ISG'5, tho'first bonded goods arrived at the new seaport, In the schooner "Ariel," in, charge ol' none ?other than Jimmy Morrill. In June ol' the following year, when the first laud cf the now town wiyj sold, ti. nuarter of an acre was knocked .down to Morrill! at the upset price, no one being Inclined to bid against, him.' and thus he obtained ari allotment of hind in what, he termed his country. .lames Morrill died in the following October at Mowen, leaving a widow and a posthumous son, who lalor oil drove a team lu the neighbourhood ol' Townsville. From Hie lime ol' lils release, tuarn the aborigine life to Hie lii'iio of-lils death, Jimmy Morrill al- ways lind ti. deep affection for. Hie aborigines,- lind old-timers, still living at, Bowen'have informed me Unit he used to relate, some very touching Inclde.ivlw concerning that race,, which ot'lon bro tish j. tears |o Ui'.-'.i" eyes, | alive. Shortly after landing, Wilmot the young apprentice, who was a mere During his residence with these blacks Morrill accompanied them in their tribal wars, went with them on the seashore. He soon lost all Euro- pean habits, and forgot almost his real domesticated aboriginal. At first, his associates at times treated him roughly, and would perhaps have kill- ed him but for the interference of the women, with, whom he became a great far as to recognise in him a dear de- should return a white man. During the early part of his sojourn he used to build huts to sleep in dur- ing wet and cold weather, but as the natives often expelled him from his retreat and took possession, he dis- continued labouring for their comfort. The domain of the tribe with which he associated extended from the Bur- dekin River to the Black River a dis- tance of some 30 miles, and their headquarters were in the pockets of Mount Elliott. A favourite haunt of the tribe was near Cape Marlow, about 25 miles northwards of Cleve- land Bay, and here Morrill spent up the rugged sides of Castle Hill, and from the summit scan the blue waters of the bay, in the fond hope of seeing a sail that would rescue him from solitude, but for his trouble he In 1861 he heard that white people and with the object of coming in con- Bowling Green. This tribe did not for his own security from other tribes of an unfriendly disposition he was an expedition of discovery, and even had he come suddenly in contact with those of his own race, he would un- During the early part of January 1863, the tribe with which he lived organised a kangaroo hunt in the near vicinity of a sheep-station on the lower Burdekin, and one day Morrill, was detailed with a party of the wo- herself soon told Morrill that she had seen a white man's hut, and when she was directing him to the locality they sighted some sheep. Upon Morrill de- washed himself so as to appear as white as possible, and walked on in the direction of the sheep. Soon he came in sight of the yard, and then a hut, from which he heard voices. At that instant he was confused and al- armed, and was almost impelled to run away. Mounting as high as he could on the fence, he called out the sailor's salutation he had so often repeated to himself when alone: "What cheer, shipmate?" Hearing this one man looked out of the hut, and seeing Morrill, who was wild-looking in appearance, immedi- ately called out, "Bring the guns, Wilson, here's a naked man on the fence that is white or yellow, but is his arms and called out, "I am a were stockmen, took him into the hut and gave him bread to eat, which at almost forgotten the English lan- guage it was some time before he could explain himself to the settlers. That night he returned to the abor- igines' camp and upon his advice, they moved off some miles further that he intended to return to the whites, the natives at first understood that he would be away for three or four days only, and begged of him to talk to his countrymen and tell them not to shoot the natives. When they to see a great many white people, and that he would be away three or four moons, some of them declared that he was going to leave them altogether. rest of the white men. tribes had lost their lives during a great flood, and it was a consoling other great flood would drown all the white men, with their horses, cattle and sheep. Others lamented that he would be too far away to do any- thing to save them from the whites. They begged of him to induce his countrymen to let them have at least the swamps and saltwater creeks, upon condition that they (the blacks) abandoned the upper reaches and rivers. With much lamentation on the part of many of his tried associ- ates, on the following morning Mor- rill ended his almost 17 years so- Morrill was not, however, long to survive his release. James Gordon, at that time the sub-collector of Cus- and presented him to Sir George Ferguson Bowen, Governor of Queens- land, who, however, took little inter- est in the wild white man. Returning to Bowen he was employed in the Customs Department as one of the crew of the pilot-boat, and in 1864 he married a servant of the Police Magistrate's at that place. Townsville was then just beginning to grow on the shores of Cleveland Bay, and at the foot of Castle Hill, the peak Morrill often climbed to scan the horizon in search of a sail. In April, 1865, the first bonded goods arrived at the new seaport, in the schooner "Ariel," in charge of none other than Jimmy Morrill. In June of the following year, when the first land of the new town was sold, a quarter of an acre was knocked down to Morrill at the upset price, no one being inclined to bid against him, and thus he obtained an allotment of land in what he termed his country. James Morrill died in the following October at Bowen, leaving a widow and a posthumous son, who later on drove a team in the neighbourhood of Townsville. From the time of his release from the aborigine life to the time of his death, Jimmy Morrill al- ways had a deep affection for the aborigines, and old-timers, still living at Bowen have informed me that he used to relate some very touching incidents concerning that race, which often brought tears to their eyes. |
| 2008-11-26 11:52:37.0 | user:public:jhempenstall | white man," who lived for I 7 years with the blacks. for a War Service dwelling. \ On February 2S, 1S40, a barque named thu "Peruvian" lot' Dundoo, left Sydney bound foi- China. She lv.nl a ei'ew of 22 all told, and was com- were l-l sailors, afnongst whom was .Morrill, and seven. passengers?Mr. nursemaid, Mr. J. tt. Quarry and* child, and Mrs. Pitkelly, Hie oaptn.in's wife. For a tull week the vessel ex- was blowni along for several days with'only the bare mn.st& Karly on the morning of March S, the. vessel washed up so high that onliy the TThe boats were destroyed, lone at the time ol' thu collision with the rocks, and tho other when attempts wore being-"made to leave the ves- sel -in them. The. second-mate was thu first mate was lost, whilst he was maining boat ttl for the sea. From casks, rigging, spars, etc., a ran was formed, upon which the. survivors, af- finned moat and soup, drifted from ¦ Their sufferings during the clays that followed "were fearful. For 2 2 days they" drifted about, without any signs ol' rescue from passing vessels. Then Mr. Quarry died. Next -follow- carpenter, co'ok, two seamen, two ap- morning they saw the topsails ot' a ing day. -Again the raft drifted on the Barrier Iteef. and two days af- terwards they sighted Cape Upstart.. Tossed hither and thither with the! tides and current'.-?, they came'in view j ol' Cape Bowling- Green two days later. At last, titter 44 days from that ow which it drifted from the wreck, Hie eastern side of Cape Cleveland?ithe ; captain and his wife, Slr. Wilmot, rill Iscainen),. and Wilson (appren-, tiee), seven iii all, reaching the land ¦. and Goioley died, and Miller, finding the blacks. The .survivors sheltered some members of one 'ol' the aborig- inal tribes found them. At tl rsl they were afraid of the white p.'oplie. bul soon each ol' them became the centre of a group ol' the dusky race, whose curiosity led them to examine eacli carefully from the crown ol' the head to the sole ol' the foist. They next supplied them willi food, and by signs Indicated Hie direction in which there blacks and whites camped and «lept together, and next morning tiley till carried.' On arrival at the camp the white people were supplied willi fciad, but carefully covered -with boughs to ( conceal them from the general gaze.! Members ol' the trible from the sur- rounding district kept coming in, vi nd ti. grand exhibition was made, of thc articles that h'ad been found with the served by so-me of the people with After a short time thc shipwrecked survivors were conducted to lints pre- pared -fbi"' theiii,-'" "and'"\vere."supplied j with such food as the aborigines I possessed. For a long limo parties | of the tribe kept arriving llb see the | ¦strangers, who settled down as mem- bers of the wild community. Tiley although treated with, rare indulgence, they sintered frightfully..' The ¦whole' of the fioor unfortunate creatures months, -when the captain died, and his unt'ortuiiae -wife ..only survived him three months, dying ol' a broken heart. Thc remaining' two endea- voured to lind their way south, but stands. Twelve n'lontlis after Hie prentice died,, and Morrill was left life sole survivor of that ill-fated party, with only tho aborigines for history, is that of James Morrill, known as "thc wild One pf thc strangest stories of early Queensland | white man," who lived for 17 years with the blacks. for a War Service dwelling. On February 28, 1846, a barque named the "Peruvian" of Dundee, left Sydney bound for China. She had a crew of 22 all told, and was com- were 14 sailors, amongst whom was Morrill, and seven passengers-Mr. nursemaid, Mr. J. B. Quarry and child, and Mrs. Pitkelly, the captain's wife. For a full week the vessel ex- was blown along for several days with only the bare masts. Early on the morning of March 8, the vessel washed up so high that only the The boats were destroyed, one at the time of the collision with the rocks, and the other when attempts were being made to leave the ves- sel in them. The second-mate was the first mate was lost, whilst he was maining boat fit for the sea. From casks, rigging, spars, etc., a raft was formed, upon which the survivors, af- tinned meat and soup, drifted from Their sufferings during the days that followed were fearful. For 22 days they drifted about, without any signs of rescue from passing vessels. Then Mr. Quarry died. Next follow- carpenter, cook, two seamen, two ap- morning they saw the topsails of a ing day. Again the raft drifted on the Barrier Reef, and two days af- terwards they sighted Cape Upstart. Tossed hither and thither with the tides and currents, they came in view of Cape Bowling Green two days later. At last, after 44 days from that on which it drifted from the wreck, the eastern side of Cape Cleveland-the captain and his wife, Mr. Wilmot, rill (seamen), and Wilson (appren- tice), seven in all, reaching the land and Gooley died, and Miller, finding the blacks. The survivors sheltered some members of one of the aborig- inal tribes found them. At first they were afraid of the white people, but soon each of them became the centre of a group of the dusky race, whose curiosity led them to examine each carefully from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot. They next supplied them with food, and by signs indicated the direction in which there blacks and whites camped and slept together, and next morning they all carried. On arrival at the camp the white people were supplied with food, but carefully covered with boughs to conceal them from the general gaze. Members of the trible from the sur- rounding district kept coming in, and a grand exhibition was made, of the articles that had been found with the served by some of the people with After a short time the shipwrecked survivors were conducted to huts pre- pared for them, and were supplied with such food as the aborigines possessed. For a long time parties of the tribe kept arriving to see the strangers, who settled down as mem- bers of the wild community. They although treated with rare indulgence, they suffered frightfully. The whole of the poor unfortunate creatures months, when the captain died, and his unfortunate wife only survived him three months, dying of a broken heart. The remaining two endea- voured to find their way south, but stands. Twelve months after the prentice died, and Morrill was left the sole survivor of that ill-fated party, with only the aborigines for history, is that of James Morrill, known as "the wild One of the strangest stories of early Queensland |