The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-05-18
AUSTRALIAN ABORlGiNES.
A Race That Defles the Influences
OF Civilization.
Native Policemen who Track TAeir. own
People Down and Slaughter Them
In the Oruelest Manner for
~ Personal Gain. a

II is fact that it is hard to teach the
Australian aborigines anything useful,
says an article in tile Californian.
They are naturally lazy and indolent,
unsettled and of a rowing disposition.
They will not stay long in any place,
and IL raised from their degraded posi-
ton into more comfortable conditions,
necessitating the breaking with their
natural mode of living, they will al
most Invariably return to 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, to 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 to the black
fellows camp, ignoring book learning,
fine linen, and the comforts of civil
ized life
In two capacities the black fellows
have been found satisfactory-as
trackers and in the native police. |
can only find a correct expression for
their power of tracking by calling it
instinct. l have been with them
searching for men whose every trace
had been practically lost, but the
black tracker has found them in spite
of all. They are more sure than
bloodhounds. When the track ceases,
through some mysterious agency, they
see m to know where to go to find 1t
again.
In the native police they are very
useful as trackcrs. 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 cases that
the native police become useful
The manner in which they surprise
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 carbine to their ankle by
means of a rope or a 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 trooper stoops, brings
his carbine to 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 to fe-
rocity. The black! fellow in most cases
is polygamist, and his wives are used
for carrying everything from their
babies to their husbands weapons-in-
cluding all their camp paraphernalia,
rations, or whatever else they may
wish to transport while the lordly
master marches along with perhaps a
waddie or boomerang as the only bur-
den to impede his progress.
But If, as, in many instances, the
blacks be savage the white men with
whom they come in contact are no less
so. The life of a black fellow is count
ed as nothing. and the depredations
upon them by settlers are
numerous and Oftep ,,a ,t ic,, a ri Y, or,,a1