The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-05
AUSTRALIAN AB0RIGINES
A Race That Defes the Influences
OF Civilization.
Native Policemen Who Track Their Own
People Down and Slaughter Them
in the Cruelest Manner for
Personal Gain.

1t IS fact that il is hard 10 teach the
Australian aborigineS anything useful,
says an article III the Californian.
They are naturally lazy and indolent,
unsettled and OF a rowing disposition.
They VIII not stay long in any place,
and ii raised from their degraded posi-
ton into more comfortable conditions.
necessitating the breaking with their
natural mode of living. they VIII al
most invariably return 10 this at their
first opportunity, and the same may be
said of the half-castes. who otherwise
are far superior to their sable parent
and her relatives
1t is an oft-repeated occurrence in
Australia that half-caste child has
been removed, when eight or ten years
old, 10 the surroundings of civilization,
has been given an education equal to
any white child of the better classes of
the community, and notwithstanding
this. upon coming in contact with his
own race, has returned 10 the black
fellows camp, ignoring book learning.
fine linen. and the comforts, Of civil
lied life.
In two capacities the black fellows
have been found satisfactory-as
crackers and in the native police.
can only find a correct expression for
their power of tracking by calling it
instinct | have been with them
searching for men whose every trace
had been practically lost. but the
black tracker has found them in spite
- oil
bloodhounds. When the track ceases,
through some mysterious agency, they
see m to know where to go to find it
again.
In the native police they are very
useful as crackers. This police consists
of small troops of mounted, uniformed
black fellows under the command of
European officers. They act as gend-
armes in the outlying districts. and are
principally used for the purpose of
bringing marauding blacks TO account.
1t is not uncommon that the up-coun-
try blacks spear the cattle on the sta
ton or murder travellers or settlers,
and it is principally in such eases that
the native police become useful.
The manner in which they surprise a
camp of savage aborigines is charac-
teristic. Having ascertained that they
are near camp some Of them dis
mount and strip To the skin Then they
fasten their carbinc to their ankle by
means of a rope or chain. and. trail
ing it through the long grass, approach
the camp
The unsuspecting blacks come to
meet their sable brothers. when. quick
as lightning, the trooperstoops. brings
his carbine 10 u level, and sends death
and destruction into the camp
The aboriginal thinks good deal
more of his dogs than Of his women.
Dogs are always found about the camp
in large numbers They are Of mon
grel breed and generally starved 10 fe-
rocity. The black fellow in most cases
is p0lYgamist, and his wives are used
for carrying everything from their
babies 70 their husband s weapous-in-
Guiding all their camp parapherHalia,
rations. or whatever else they may
wish 10 transport, while the lordlv
master marches along with perhaps
waddie or a boomcranGas She only bur
den to impede his progress
But II. as in many ins ances. the
blacks be savage the white men with
whom they come ia contact are DO less
so. The life Of a black fellow is count
cd as nothing. and the depredations
pe-petratcd upon them by settlers are
numerous and often particularly cruel. /