Saturday 28 April 2012

The First Account

South Australian Tuesday 12th August 1845


SHOCKING MURDER BY THE BLACKS IN THE SOUTH-EASTERN DISTRICT.-Authentic accounts have been received of the murder of Mr Brown, of Brown & Oliver, settlers, by a small tribe of strange blacks. The blacks, consisting of four men and five lubras, had loitered about the station for several days. Mr Brown was very kind to the natives, and had been splitting timber in their neighbourhood without the least suspicion. One day about a month ago, he took a stroll to their neighbourhood, and had been smoking his pipe, without attending to them. The natives came about him, and one of them took the opportunity to give him a stunning blow on the back of the head; another instantly snatched his gun from under his arm, and the rest - men and women - fell on him and killed him. They then stripped him, and afterwards proceeded to the shepherd, who was with 1000 sheep, a mile off, and by pointing the gun at him intimidated him, so that they managed to get clear off with 500 sheep. The most of them were, however recovered. The blacks are known, and can be identified. The station of Messrs Brown and Oliver is about fifty miles west of the Glenelg, and fifty miles north of Mount Gambier. It is within the South Australian territory.


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