, 1879-05-29
THE BLACK TRACKERS.

AAn OA4AC1A 1AtAtlhGlsDs
How thu rgrttts1, Turn Native Against Nsttys
In Acknowledgement Islooil. om,,,l. VINO Do
Tl,ctr uenrtte.a n1n.tcrs, worL.
son t+.nc,.co tMr.,tct.
,,,. ~" n,"",..1..,, .a..,,, xu.
'"0 e'''"'.! " Sa.e,'''""' 1"oue" o"o v. ~"
must recently established, possesses ono OF tla
largest territories In Auatrnita over the unset.
tied portion Of which roam the abortglnes ot
IN, rmntrv. Tiny hc,nnr IN N. pnmnn nor.
tta., ~ 49,, ,.',.tt., ~ .s",~ sp""n ~,
lowest uf mankind Ia mental capacity and
plysiGat formation. Very llttln offurt 1tas hecu
made to ryize them, because expcrlencu has
ti,own Mar ,Iev ,re uimn,t inrannhfa ~
,..;.'. a. ",.,,,.", W.. "'' ,,s.. 'as"p .a.s
i1'"l.: .'''''Sco iae, Lucy "anoes ~
the lowest torms Ut animnl life. Their
wcanora mrs ,he snrar. bon,rron,. mn; n,,,1ah.
n,t,1oh Tim wcaitt,v sunottcr. fi,,c ,crm so,,nl.
~. ~, ..".s I.,. ~ s..o 49,. .".,''
fEonl mov'1ig Into the Interior OF the country.
pastures his sheen nutl cattle upou tho 1ant1.
nn,l now ar] then some wandering blacks m.
nro,ri,to ,.,,,t ,t,cv wn,,t II, ta r,r,.rn mr.
'lohs OF inc colony inc olacks capturc' KILL nha
eat people. Gold mining ts CARRIED Un there cx-
tenalyely uuu .liero arc thousands Of ChIncsa
engaged in the work. T,,cse 70 out In ema,,
..,.s -. ...3 80 <-..... a,,.s.1.,
a.|es W "o' " liu''' :" a''. 1f".4 "''u's.t
dlEEtugs, md are osiei. sbeaera and eaten by
the natives. WHO prGitf Chttanlan 70 Wf1tt
aa a s ssss e fs shi SSss !S Il
ll These eases 1t Inns brun found dtt!lculs Tor
white men 70 arrest TIC 'nt'scs, WHO know tho
country bettcr that, they. nfhl could sMbsist far
easier y! lta traek5chs "i!lcsncsses- Whites oe-
ayottl punlshMtnft cscapc to tllc vast uncxpior-
e0 tracts INIT l1c bcyonu tao Settled districts.
III thu hope Of reaching sotno otlicr colony wlero
'thnS cnuic lind security from arrest
Tocaptlrs oi1eiillnE blacks Of escaping whites,
the Queensland Guyernn,cnt cstal'ltshed tl,.
| native police forge, Or Black Iiackcrst ar they
aro more generally termed. Illcy aro solicited
from tribes as Iar AWAY ns possible from TIE
locality In which thcv are dcsfEnca for work,
| taken to police station tn SOME small town,
tauHs1t to r'e atid tIanule revolver. When
drafted to the :1lhce nt once They aFo
| employed to track While men who have
| lost tfcir way or whu arc attempting to
escape Iron! 3ustice. Il. this service they aru
valuable aids to the authorities. Like the In
| dian, they posscss The power Ut tracing foot
| stcUs wlcll nre l1IltseerEbIc to other men.
IhcY follow them with tho tenactY or TUG
bloodhound, and many q hotse.thief nnl s11ur-
their ctfurts, wsltlc hundreds of 1'ves haye been
| sagel hy thc!r peFscycrlnE scarel for "lost III
thu busl" Is an Australian phrase: alu1ostt
synonymous With horrible death by th!rst and
! by the Black TracSer, uud one. In which he Ia
constantly cngaEed. Australian journals fro
qucitIy contain iteMB u Tho elect ttIAt some
otl'ecr went 9ut With 2 party Of m native police
| and dlspefsed = mob OF blacks. 10 ono who
does not understand tl1e pccullaritics Of the
Queensland police this itcn Is untntctiGlblc: tt
| simply meats that these blaek butchers Mlur-
| derel every mau, woirnil, nl.l child thev could
| find. ITO dtspersc" tnenns to massacre.
| II Is not ycEr long ago tint soHlc cattle wcro
stoled from a sutton about ao3 miles from
Bowen, utd about sixty aburtgnnls-tncn, wosn-
Gu, nnA chtldrcu-werc all butchercd by tllrHc
hlntlk f1rug, tltDY UEfrhf3nf-
hood. Three Chlncge, on their way from Cook
town to tlle Palmer River lggan2s, WIRE spcated
,ill enten by thu baeks, nHl several days after-
| warl about twenty natives were slaughtered by
thus blacts trooocrs. When little girl was killetl
md eaten ncnr Townsville, the nnttyes fell lku
leaves !" Autunlu. ... :.
II tnay bc 9sked II these people 90 not resort
or do they eccn to understand tho usu of thetn
until It Is proven by tho ueath VI many Of tllcIr
| rnesl. Wlteu first brought III coutact with tle
truckers they had 20 ie4r q ibu rev4iyers and
carbInrs, but rushed wildly to ccrtatn death;
been kIIled, some u the realauuer took ri
usu In tfr trees, ilRgit,tis. tllnt the firearms
| cullll only send It's outlets alonE the ground,
uni Tia. they wcrc as satc among the branches
| NJ the bird frolm their own boomerang. TIltY
lMyc never nAoptc1 the Wcapo1l, however,
Though they could casllr do 81, for te snsne
arms could suppiy them. llcre nEe nlauy snall
towns iuto wliIrh uIcy nre mot allowed to 70,
| purity hesanse They t,rrsa ns nature tlrusscd
them, hut principally OH account Of their trcach-
ero,,s r!lnrackcr. driven away from white men
tn this way, and treated with Insult and injury
wherever met, 1t Is not very surprising that they
occasionally spcnr a1,d curry oif a|,eepand cattle,
! ur kill md cat iuen whom they meet.
Whenever thcsc ostrages occur, wortt Is sent
to thu rulfcc authorities aud tile back Ttac'lera
are tl,rtrtl lousu III Charge Of a white nun to
dtspers9 Tie nntlYts. Tho black trooper uetcstB
Ills less furtuuate brothers ot tho wilderness.
| ant shows no mercy. lie pllrsucs them tlay af-
ter dag fus hundreds Of miles AMI shouts them
down. onu ulul MI, wl!un lie gets thu clIance. It
frequently occurs that ute purity of natives com-
nit tim outrage whtlr another party nru des.
| trUyyl fur floiu. it. 4 pnrsy IL rppurtcu to bu
III certain vicinity nil tho tract,crs arn ordered
out. Their allt Is to pub!sL tiIs perpetrators Of
CRIME. hut they colubinu tllr powers OF Judge,
jury, u.ltl cxceatoner. ihp wlitu ,nc,, whu ira,i
thepl are trt1ueutly ns buotthir1ty MS Them
selves anil uftcn exetl tl,rll III acts of wAnton
cruelty, us Will bv seut, fru.n tbs following &C.
count OF The destruction 0t natives, which nFl-
ucarctl In Il )4ty ,lu,ubcr Of lllu Queensland
I'ufro,, Il duly iol.sial published at urIsbuuc,
tllu Cantal of tic Colony:
| "Dne Iattse pulire officer, no longer In thu
sorvlre. hul mol, OF Gurlss driven tHto watrr-
hole, lijh TROOPERS hui the water surrounded,
u,ni there VIVA uu esrapa for tho m.scrablu
btncEs, Upc by onp tl,e t!cspafrlng wrr.c!ies
j