Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Saturday 17 November 1894, page 27


THE OFFICIAL TELEGRAMS

In reference to the murder by natives in

the north,the Commissioner of Police, Colonel' Phillips, his received a number of telegrams but the information Contained therein ie not of the moat definite character. ' The first telegram in respeot to .the subject

wis reoBived from Derby cn the 8th inst., from Sab-Iospeoter Dre wry, who ia in charge pf 1¡be district. It is as follow« Î^-'" Lukin station informB me that Constable E'chardaon waa murdered by native* at Lillmooloora homestead. He Had ? 13 pri-oners. It is believed teat pcllce-assistants Pigeon and Captain-Wo of the native boya-committed the murder and let tbe prieenera go. Pigeon and Captain have o,e «red out with their

. " jurua."

A later'telegram the sanie day states^-" I ' cannot at .present vouch accurately for the

following information, bu*: it is bô'iïved that Constable Richardson wai shot wtiilst lyinir down oç asleep in L'ulmo jrloora HouBe about November 3rd. Corporal Cadden leave« this afternoon to ascertain the-ex&ot eau*e^' I intend to send a party «ut »t loait lli-trong.*'

Ou the' 10th instant -ihe Sab-Iuepeatir wirvd :--»" On November 8th two mm named Barke and Gibbs acd natives were -droving nattle to the Upper Fi'z^oj. Both men we» shot »nd it is believed that they are dead. Tbs «hooting took p'ace-at Wingana Gorge, L'lhnoorlora, and it is supposed that it was , d^ne by the assiatanta Pigeon and Captain. ' Hr. Edgar was elope behind with a'team, and

one pf Burke's natives rode back and t ild him what had happened. Ho immediately left his team and made back for Lucia's. On the team there wera several huhdrei reunda of ammunition, rifles, Ac, so thatthe natives ate now wei armed. The police "as ii«tauts Pigeon and Captain are tho best shots at a - hundred y«rds distance in the district."

A later talegram nuder the same tfa^e «states : " I am arranging for five Queers ur d

boys to go with mo. I have.' m tructed t <e , Fitzroy police to escort tie mail wrdch passes

olose to Wingana Goiye, and havj warted the mailman that ilia adviBib'e to.wait for the polioe. I have cent out' f r ho»«« on . all «ides, but this ÎB a great obataal» an th ¡rc

are very few to ba bad in th j district.'*

Thé Gominiasioner reo:Í7od thc follow.'ng; ] telegram on Sunday :-" Cart otVry rig patk', i amnnition, saddlery, &c. with five Q ie n<-' ' land boys and Constable 01-irká leit this ?. morning. - Myself and .Courtabie Price will

-overtake them this afternoon. 'Tao special constables left yesterday with Corporal Cad' den to try and find if asaintaut Pigeon foilel ' to .find the amuniticn, àrms, Ac.', on^ Mr.

Edgar's "waggon. Instructions will' be left Jor the Bobinson polioe .to eloae-oa Meara station. Everyone her» hat àaai«>d na, and

It has not been thought advisable te harn« pit the action of the local authorities with definite instructions, bat the Resident Magis-trate and the officer] in charge of the polioe have been authorised to take saoh ttaps os they think are necessary fer restoring tbs security of the district.

The Premier has also received several tele-grams from Darby with regard to the mur! dera. The first waa from Mr. M. S. Warton,

the Resident Magistrate at Derby, who stated that be had received a letter from Mr. Lukin I of Lennard station reporting the supposed I murder of CoosUble Biobardaon at Lillm w»

j loora. Mr. Labia «aid he sent two nativa

women to the constable's house with his midis. They returned with tho information that Riohirdsoa was lying dead in the honse, and from a'l appearances they thonghthehad been murdered some two days. . There were

no natives about the place then. The atore had been brohea into and all the provisions were gone. Richardson had 17 pt issuers OB a «hain, and was bringing them into D jrby.

Air. War:on also wired the nows cf the death of Bourke and Gibbs. He Stated that a report had,, bein received that two s'oekmen named Bourke and Gibbs, while watering nattle, were shot by natives oa the 8th inst, at Devil's Gorge, half a mile from LUlmcoloora. The natives, -no donbt, were the Barnes* those who killed Biohardron. They most now have more firearms, and a large quantity of am-munition. The resident magistrate asked for authority to engage special polioe, and buy or

h re holies.

Mr. H. Field, of Derby> telesraphed to the Promier that a large meeting had been held at Derby on Saturday morning, when retOlujions Were carried asking the Government to outlaw the tribes inhabiting the d;striot in whioh the outrages occorrod, from Lennard stat'on to the Leopold Banges. Such notion waa urgently needed to. ensure the safety of residents and travellers. The telegram also saii that fresh outrages were anticipated. Mr. Lukin and others bad cent into Derby appealing for assistance. The natives con-cerned had eeiz-fd ab>ut 1,400 rounds of amunition, several rifl e and revolvers, and a load of 'provisions belonging to Burke and Gibbs, the murdered stockmen. The.pro. visions were for the stookmen for the next season, in oinnec ion with the pasturage of oa-Mle whioh the murdered mon were taken up to fatten for the S>brgcom% Cattle Company. Publio feeling waa very strong at the ineffi-cient state of the polio» force. No men were available,, and there were no horseB. The Inspector waa very anxious to taken prompt aotion, but were power^ers to do so, nuder the praBent conditions.

The Prenvor wired to Mr. Field regretting iq bear of the dreadful murders. Tho Resident Magistrate and tba polioe had been instructed to use the utmost endeavours to bring the. murderers to justice, and tho Government hoped that every endeavour wou'd be made to deal with the murderers. Tha Government were most anxious that every thing that was possible should be done immediately. ,

Mr. Field Teplied, thanking tba Premier and stating ihit it waa not desired that two or three miserable blaoks should be brought in to expiate the crimes of the tribes. Wbat WÖB required w»s to prosecute the entire dis-trict. Until that was dene, Lennard r>ad would be nn-afe for travellers. Public feeling was at boiling point, as tho murdered men were the personal friends of many of the r. sidenta of the district.

The Premier alao wired to the Beeident Magistrate that he regretted to hear of the dreadful murders. The Commissioner of Polioe hes instructed the Sab-Inspector to take immediate action. No efforts must be spared t-> organise a party to bring lha mur-derers to ju'tioe, and authority was given to the Resident Magistrate to take the neoeaeary

Bteps.

Slr John Forrest B»nt another telegram urging the. Beeident' Magistrate to . use every effort to oap'ure and punish the murderers.