Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-10-03
PARADISE OF HORRORS.
The Convict Days of the Beautiful
Island of Tasmania.

The island of Van Dieman's Land,
as 1t was originally called, or Tasma-
mia, IS 1t is now termed. was first dis
covered by the navigator Tasman, who
landed on the peninsula which still
bears his name In the year 1912. This
| peninsula is joined to the main land by
an isthmus called Eagle Hawk Neck,
and here is shown on the hard rocks
I the impression of a boot and round
hole side by side, supposed to have been
made by the discoverer's left foot and
| right wooden leg respectively.
That no footprints appear leading
| from the shore inland is accounted for
! by saying that Tasman was 50 over
/ come by the beauty OF the scenery be-
/ fore him that he fell backward, says a
/ correspondent of the San Francisco
/ Chronicle. The scenery OF the penin-
| sula is certainly very fine. In several
| places are found tessellated pavements
as regular as though constructed by
Roman builders. These are the bases
OF basaltic columns which have now
| disappeared under the influence of wave
! and storm.
At the neck in the old days when
Tasmania was used by the British as
convict settlement, was placed a strong
VI COIoLdOACss WIN Aui NAlCA
assisted In their work of keeping his
Majesty's prisoners secure by numbers
OF large and ferocious dogs, who were
kenneled at various suitable spots,
often on stages erected in the water.
When any prisoner attempts to es-
cape by this neck, the only way to the
main land, the dogs barked loudly and
alarmed the constables on guard, who
| put out In boats manned by convicts OF
known good character, and cut of the
prisoners retreat. Besides the dogs on
the stages erected In the water, others
were chained at the narrowest part of
the isthmus in such a way as Just to
meet, thus rendering 1t impossible for
one to pass without being torn to
pieces
Sentries. too, were always at hand
with loaded guns.
To render escape by swimming i'm
possible, the sharks, which haunted
the waters, were well-fed daily 50 as to
keep them to the spot A terrible
description, chiefly drawn from Off
cIal reports, diaries OF chaplalns note
books and other official data, is given
of the life of the convicts in the old
days of Marcus Cla-ke's weird aud
horrible, but powsrfully-writ story:
''In the Term of His Natural Life"
Port Arthur was the central convict
station on Tasman's Peninsula, and
was place of great natural beauty.
Eucalyptus trees have been found in
the bush there of a height of three hun
| dred feet, and all the animals that live
on the island are to be found in abund-
ance On the western side of the is
land is another old convict station,
called Macquarie Harbor. This was
n
TO the harbor was called Hell's Gate,
and the penal settlement itself He'll
Upon Earth, and well do these i'll
omened names seem to have been de-
served.
1t is related thatthe tortures and priva-
tions OF conyiCts were 80 lntolerabl- That
many of them commit, ed murder ii
order that they might be executed, and
thus released from their misery.
Unlike the neIghborhOod Of Port
Arthur, the country around Macquarie
Harbor was utterly devoid of all sus-
| tenance for men, and bodies OF desper-
ate conyicts sometimes banded together
| to escape, and when want OF food pre-
vented their proceeding further cast
| lots which of them should be killed,
and sustained life little while longer
on the flesh of their murdered cOmrade.
L
Harbor and got as far as Hobart
Town, but was there arrested and sent
back. He and a man named Cox
worked together in the same gang.
Cox often begged Pearce to run away
with him from the settlement, but for
long time Pearce refused AT last
Cox managed to procure knife, some
lish-hoOks, an axe and some burnt rag
for finder, and he and Pearce made
their escape together
For some days they strayed through
the forest, and on the fifth day arrived
at Kings river. In the woods near
this river they stTayed some days in
order TO avoid the pursuit Of the SOL
diers who were searching for them,
and during all this time they were en-
tirely without food. Pearce at last de-
termined TO take his comrades life and
killed Cox with a b!sw of the axe
while Le lay asleep.
The soldiers having gone of in
another direction, Fearce lived for a
few days in the hut abandoned by them
upon the flesh of his murdered COM
panion; but unable TO bear his own life,
lie returned to the settlement and sig
nailed for the pilot, who took hlm back
to M2cquarie HaTbor, where he con-
fessed his crime TO the commandant
and signified his Willingness to die.
In 1872 there were still hundred con-
victs left in Port Arthur, the penal Set
tlement on Tasman's Peninsula. This
peninsula is covered with dense scrub
and gigantic gum trees, and formerly
there were several thousand convlcts
there. Communication was kept
up all over the peninsula by sema-
phores, or posts with movable arms
Each or these was in charge of trust
worthy convict, who had code or sig
mails.
Port Arthur and It's nelghboThood
are very pretty, and now that conVicts
are no longer sent out there 1t is rap
idly becoming a favorIte holiday resort
and fashionable watering-place, and
numbers OF honest, energetic settlers
are clearing away the brush and form
ing homesteads. The name or Port
Arthur, linked with dreadful assocla-
tlOns as it was, has wisely been changed
to that of Carnarvon, and under the
new regime the once hated spot now
furnishes a home for scores of happy
families The old dungeons and prison
building are fast falling into decay, and
soon all but few traces, interesting TO
antiquarIans. of the former use of the
place will be obliterated-
Superstition OF a Merchant.