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VIRSATILE SOLICITOR
LAW DIFFICULTIES IN BARWNll
SUBPOENA SERVED ON
SLEEPING SAVAGE.
Darwin, Dec. 14.
Learned counsel in Darwin must
be fleet of foot and'agile of body as
well as of mind to be successful at
the Bar. This fact was discovered
this week by Mr. H. J. Foster, bar
rister, briefed for the defence of a
white man charged with an assault
on natives. The alleged assault
took place on the historic corroboree
grounds, about five miles across the
harbour from Darwin, but only
Myall natives witnessed it. Not
knowing Mr. Foster when he
stepped ashore from the police
launch there on Sunday to seek wit
nesses for the defence, the uncivi
lised aborigines promptly took to
the bash in a body, fearing that he
was a policeman. Then followed
the soectacle' of learned cou:nsel
pantinig. and perspiring, chasing or
stalking his own naked savage wit
nesses along the beach and through
the bush. where they were playing
hide-and-seek wIt him. For
tunately, Mr. Foster it an athlete
and a wily bushman, and he caught
a number of them? but none was of
any value as a witness.
Faced with the task of catching
every one of the 100 camped there
before he found his man, Mr. Foster
gave up in disgust and yesterday
asked for a subpoena calling on an
aboriginal he wanted to attend the i
court. The subpoena was issued
and the task of serving it handed
over to Constable McNab. . Early
to-day, armed with the blue paper.
and a shilling conduct money, the
constable took up the chase at dawn
and effected what was surely one of
the strangest legal services in his
tory. Striding through the sleep
ing camp with a guide, who pointed
out the man, -Constable McNab
roused the sleeping savage and i
pressed into the amazed aborigi- i
nal's hand the subpoena arid the!
shilling. Then he sat down sur
rounded by the excited, jabbering
tribe, and patiently explained'
through the interpreter guide what
it all meant.
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