Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-01
VAN DIEMAN'S LAND.
STRANGE STORIES or TaE OLD CONVICT
DAYS THfHE.
Cruelty and oannibalism- About NJ Wei
lingtou, Port Arthur and Eagle
Hawk Neck.

The Island o! Van Dieman's Land, as
IL was was originally called, or Tasmania.
as il il now termed, was first discovered
hy the navigator Iasman, who landed on
the peninsula, Which still bears his name,
in the wear 1862. THIS peninsula Is
Joined 10 the man land by an isthmus
called Eagle Hawk Neck, and mere 10
shown on the hard rock the impression
az boo. and a round hole side
bv side. supposed 20 have been
made by tic discoveries left foot
aud right wooden leg respective
". That no footprints appear leading
from the shore inland IS accounted for by
saving that Tasnnn was so overcome by
the hcAuty OF tie scene before him that
be fell backwar is The scenery Of the
reninsnla IS cerainly very fine. In Sc
veral places afc found tosselated pave
menis as regular az though constructed
by Roman boilderS. These are the
bases of basllIc columns which have
now DISAPPEARED under the influence
az wave and storm. At the Neck in
tho old DAYS. when Tasmania WA
uscd bv ito british as convict
settlement. was placed a strong guard
of constable, vino were further assisted
IN their worl ot keeping his Maiesty's
prisoners secure by numbers OF large
and ferocious dogs, who were kennelled
IN various suitable spots often on stages
erected in The water. When any prI-
soner attempted TO escape by this neck,
the only way 60 the mainland. the dogs
b1rked loudly and alarmed the cOnste-
bles on guard, who put ont IN boats
manned 10y cOnyicts OF known good
character and cut of the prisoners
retreat. Besides the dogs ON the stages
erected I'm III water, others were.
chained % the narrOwcst part of tho
istlrnus in such way as Just 70 meet /
fins rendering 4 impossible for one tel
BASS without running the risk Of beins /
torn 70 piece. oentries, too, wcu
ALWAYS at hand with loaded guns. y !
render escape ~ swimming impossible.
fine sharks Which haunted the WATTS
were well fed daily, so as to keep tltm
~ the spot. terrible description,
chiefly drawn fom Official reports, tia-
ries Of chaIlails. notebooks, and ther
Official data, ia given of the life q the
conyicis IN ~. old days in Marcus
Clarkc's weird and horrible but 1owet-
fully-w tory, ." In the Termof HIS
Natural Life.
Port Arthur vas the central convict
station on 1asrsn's Peninsula lnd was
a place Of gr }. natural beauty Euca-
lyptus trees T. d. been found Inthe bush
there of a hei i OF 300 feet, aid all the
animals that I,a on the islauI arc to Toe
found there abundance. tn the vest
crn side OF the Stand is another old con
wet station, cled Macquarie harbor.
This wasa mos dreadful spot. The en-
trance 10 the larbOr was called Hell's
Gate. and the pnal settlement itself Hell
upon Earth, Gui we'll do these lli-omened
names seem toDlye been deserved. IL
j. related that DE fortunes and privauons
Of convlcts Wer, 40 intolerable that many
Of them cormited murder in order that
they might 10 executed, and thus re-
leased from tcir misery. Unlike the
ueirhborhoOd Il Port Arthur, the coun-
trv round Mlquarlo harbor was ut
terly devoid # all sustcnance for
men. and bcdis of desperate cOnvicts
sometimes lun'ed together to escape.
and when vlntof food prevented their
procee ing iurher cast lots which OF
Them should bekiled, and sustained life
a little while longer on tine flesh OF their
murdered comalc. \ few OF these
stories NAV be- It'd to give clearer idea
of the dreadful system, now happily
abolished thanis largely to the strong
popular feeling Il indignation stirred up
10y Mr.. Clarke 3oOOk.
One Pearce escaped from Macquane
harbor and gotas tar as Hobart town
bnt WAS there crested and sent back.
He and man named Cox worked to-
Cether in the same gang. Cox often
begged lcarce TO run away with hlm
from the settlement. bat for long time
pearce refused. At last Cox managed to
procure "A knife some fish hooks, an axe,
and some bulnd rag for finder, and he
and EearCe mage their escape together.
For some DAYS hey strayed through the
forest. and on the fifth day arrived az
KINGS river. n the woods near this
river they stavel for some days N order
10 avoid the lursuit Of the sod ers
who were searchik for them, and during
an this time theyNer entirely without
food Pearce al hst determined to take
his comrades lif,l and killed Cox with n
blow of the AKA. uhiie be lay asleep. The
soldiers having rome Of IN another dl-
recuou. pearce lived Tor few days in
the hut abanioatd 10y them upon the
flesh of ms murdered companion; but
unable to bear lt own lie, he returned
10 the settlement and sienalled Ter the
pilot. who tool Jim back to Macquare
bsrbor. where l. confessed his crime to
the commandA and signitied his
willingness 10 del
Ina 1872 therevss still fow hundred
conyicts left IL Pit Arthur, the penal
settlement on f,dnan's peninsula. This
peninsula Is co aed with dense scrub
and gigantic nIh trees, and formerly
there were scN hl thousand conyicts
there. CommuF ation was kept up al
over the penln0ia by semaphores' or
posts with moya4 arms. Each OF these
was in charge q trustworthy con
wet. who had b code OF signals
1t being impsible, rs before ex-
planned, TO ,Apo to the nam
land, convict sIaetimes absconded
into the bush Of T. peninsula. One got
oil with kangal hound belonging to
one Of the officer bnd n small supply OF
provisions, inclu be- few potatoes. lie
made his way though the scrub for a
considerable dies nce, cleared little
space, built hu, and planted his pota-
toes. His dog kpt him well supplied
with food, for tn bush abounded with
animals His hoe was TO elude pursuit
and he hid in It's way for some time,
and meanwhile build boat OF rude
sort in which 70 'cape, but unfortunate
" for him an oteryant constable hap
pened one day t sight his dog upon a
hunting expedition and followed 1t to
the hut, The por fellows holiday was
at an end and hesas dragged back to his
slavery again.
Port Arthur All its neighb0rhood are
very pretty, ano now that conyicts are
10 longer sent OF there, it is rapidly be-
coming a fsvorie holiday resort and a
fashionable wat ng-place, and numbers
of honest, energtic settlers are clearing
away Tie brush al forming homestcads.