Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 26 October 1933, page 31


NEMARLÜCK BADLY WOUNDED.

Relentless Police Pursuit

DARWIN. Oct. 21.-Nemarluck, the Fitzmaurice River aboriginal, who is alleged to have been the ringleader in the murder of three Japanese at Port Keats in 1930. was sorely wounded in his struggle with police boys at Delissaville on Tuesday and is making a desperate attempt to escape to his own country, 150 miles south-svest of Darwin, according

to six natives with whom he was camped recently. Unless Nemarluck falls in with friendly natives on the way, even his superlative strength and stamina will not win bim freedom, because, according to the six natives, who saw him after the fight, he is dragging one leg, has one arm out of action through a bullet wound, and has a long gaping sore in his left side, where a bullet tore its way along a rib.

Despite the injuries, together with a cut forehead,, he received in the fight from a blow with Smiler's revolver butt,. and n severe shaking in a fall over a cliff, Ñemarhick pushed his way seven miles through mangroves and jungle before he allowed himself a spell on Tuesday night. This information was gleaned by Con-stable E. McNab yesterday, when he raided Nemarluck's old camp at Talc Head, near

Delissaville, and rounded up thc six Fitz-maurice River tribesmen who had been sheltering their overlord for nearly a fort-night before Constable Don's raid on Tues-day.

Taking with him four trackers and à week's supply of food, Constable McNab landed behind Talc Head and surrouhded the native camp. Though sullen at first, he loosened their tongues with promises of tobacco, and then they told their story. They said that when Nemarluck picked himself up after his fal) over the cliff, he dragged himself through the t man-groves, doubled back behind the police cor-don, waded across the. tidal creek that separatee Talc Head from Delissaville, and pushed through the jungle to the vicinity

of the homestead on Delissaville station be-fore nightfall. He was bleeding from his wounds, but none of them appeared to be mortal. From Delissaville be plannedto make for the Finnis River, 29 miles away, where he might meet some of the Daly River blacks, whose territory bor-ders that of the Fitzmaurice River tribes, and who are at present friendly. If so, he would have a chance to recover his strength before pushing on into his own country.

Fear of Dying Alone.

Constable McNab plans a relentless pur-suit to the Finnis River, and, though Ne-

marluck has two days' start, thinks he" has a good chance of overtaking the wounded warrior. In his chase be will be aided by that fear all natives possess of dying alone in the bush. Nemarluck, if wounded in the way described by the aborigines at Talc Head, will keep to the beaten footpad leading from Delis-saville to the Finnis River, and in his weakened state, will not camp any night far from a waterhole or without a fire.

Therefore, he will struggle «on along the beaten pathway until he collapes or reaches the haven of a blacks' camp, where his cowardice will vanish.

The Superintendent of Police {Mr. A. V. Stretton) does not intend to give Nemarluck any breathing space, because he considers that if he gets back to his own country and recovers his strength, he will be a serious menace to any police

[sent after him. In addition, he might

unsettle his countrymen. He would be the greatest hero in their folk history, und as such capable of exerting great power over the already dangerous and recalcitrant tribesmen in that vast terri-

tory between tbe_ Victoria and Daly Rivers Already white men carry their jives in their hands when they venture into the heart of thc territory. This is shown by the munder this year of the two prospectors, Roch and Arinsky.~ This situation is nearly as grave from a police point of view as that at Caledon Bay, and has possibilities just as menacing.

If the story of Nentarluck's eßcape reaches the river tribesmen in the next few weeks, further danger will be added' to the tnissipn of Constables Fitzer and Langdon, who are on patrol in that ter-ritory after the murderers of the two prospectors. Further word is expected

from Constable McNab to-morrow, but

police in Darwin are not hopeful that it will ' bring word of Nemarluck's re-

capture, because heavy rain fell last night, in the district that Constable McNab is searching. This rain -will have washed

away all traces *>f Nemarluck's tricks,; . v