Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1874-04-30

Correspondence New York Herald
SYDNEY. February II, 1S.4.-lntcnSc ex-
ctcnlent has been created throughout the
whole of the colonies by the announcement
that the mystery which surrounded the tate
of the last explorers, Lcichardt and his com
paniOnS. has been cleared away. and that
one Of the patty still survives, after twenty
four years residence with the blacks.
HISTORY.
Llechardl exploring expedition started
from Sydney in 1S47, with the intention of
crossing Australia from east to west, and
was heard from at the end of 1S49, after
which all traces of them disappeared. Vari-
Gus were the sur.nises as to their fate, and
numerous the efforts to discover them, until
at last it was bel eved that they must have all
been swept away by one of the periodical
floods common to all parts of this continent.
After lapse of twenty years, man named
Andrew Hume was sent to this city under
sentence Of ten years imprisonment for rob-
bing under arms, alleged to have been CON-
mittcd on a station on the northwest border
of New South Wales Hume protested his
innocence, giving as q proof the statement
that he had not been within the confines of
civilization for number of years, and that
when the robbery was committed he was in
Central Australia, near the overland tele-
graph line, after having been in the vicinity
of Stuart's Creek, where he had found traces
of white men. After rigid cross examination
by member of the Government and several
try he had passed through, Hume offered to
60 back and recover certain relics which he
had found and placed in cache. Liberty
was given him in 1871, passage provided
for him in steamer bound for Catpentaria,
and there he disappeared for time. No
tidings having been heard of the ex-cOnvic:
for more than two " ars, many persons inl-
agined that clever sc0undrel had tricked
the Government out of ticket of leave,
when a telegram was received from Brisbane
announcing that Andrew Hume had arrived
there, bringing news Of the Liechardt expe-
ditOn.
On looking at modern map Of Australia,
Victoria river will te found at the northwest
corner. Hume made~his way there alone,
after leaving Port Darwin, then travelled to
Starts Creek, and at its head waters fell in
with native tribe, with whom was an aged
white man. This proved to be Mr.. Classan,
brother-in-law of DR.. Leichardt, and second
in command of the expedition.
THE REPORT.
His tale is that he left the camp one morn
ing to look for water, and, on his return,
found that during his temporary absence the
men had mutinicd, violently assaulted their
leader, and, after taking forcible possession
of all the horses, equipments, ETC., proceeded
in the direction of South Australia Leichardt
died five days later, and Classan was found
by the blacks, who took him into their tribe
and adopted him as their medicine man. He
subsequently learned that the mutincers were
attacked by the natives and all massacred.
Cassan was very anxious to return with
Hume, but was prevented by the blacks and,
after several unsuccessful attempts to carry
him off. Hume was compelled to return
alone, bringing with him Leichartlts watch,
quadrant, part of his journal, and narrative
supplied by Classan which related to the
expedition.
Hume asserts that about six months ago he
came across fifteen camels travelling along
the telegraph route, and believes that they
were those taken from South Australia by
Major Warburton and party in their attempt
to explore that part Of the country west cf
Mount Stuart.
This last-named expedition is also missing.