The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-09-12
THE BLACK TRACkERS
Australians Who Can Follow
Trails Better Than Hounds.
Examples or Remarkable Ssgactry-Dc-
ing Police Service tor 1anch
Owners.



fae community T-ls~sT 4 arp2raat tn@s ne
Authorities nave Get 81 shear sazoosA4 sic
Gaxse means foT 1sss asl e. ssSa and oxpSaIre
% the perpetrators 81 taeSs crimes. TIE
most aol@Aass recent CASE Is saaS& ~ Dun
Gam. the san Jose Inug1sgsr. sxAo misa1
have been easily ca.-assea s4nser certain
coma tSos3s. Archer Sase 3 taaG OF Sheriff
Doug ASS. Who aAs js1st u4et as Sze&th n
TIE oischarge OF a!s day ~ svaS4s cosxn-
~ There 5 no GasaE as 70 aov Saessg
Dso1g5ASs w&< killed. bszf - 10 ala the xiii
~ ; no1 an assured a.. A. taese 5cgots
Wossl6 - sef a. rest Z sae state had "a Us
employ lNo or three experienced Austria
lar black -TzackArs. Ter 1As p4Ty-2se ot
trailing E1gl,.Fes n rurSl 8iSiTscts CIT
saoe o. cites and soNzss. and = wiI& AID
waste ss-aceS ossyGa1 CIVILIZATION. slae Aus
rra-aAl o.2e6s have tAs ssA@zty o. blood
hoGr@s ard ths advantage o. speech in
coi1zsC . nic&cnS taetr discoveries.
II New So1t6 Wales Sn5 Nscto-ia ths
sssorassnA lAGys is amos. ext41cf. -. -
Queensland, ira northern territory o.
Sox-a Australia azxl West Australia. there
are sill plenty 81 them The h.aask rao2nf-
s1 police OF Queensland Is - smart and
efficient body o. Enea taat has done ~a2-
Gers for the pro1essiogs % white settlers
n the ssaEseiy poYgsaiea districts OF That
iTnEnanss colony and California xoNssd
have 10 dif,icaIgy In securing the >srvsees
OF one Or tso OF the Lra@Aezs who have
been thoroughly trained III elis :orce For
service IN this state, however. it EnIsat De
ostier 20 employ halg-cAsts, who are jGsT
ss good crackers when they have xrosa
Up with the aboriginal trfoss IN whlca
hey wers born. II the case % DanhaGs a
good Australian black tr4cAsr would
never have lost his tracks after oelaS pu;
on 10 them antil ne found his man. In tas
case ct Sheriff Douglass he woula have
told from tbs tracks On he ground just
h7~ many nan were there and how The
shooting occurred. and which way ths
third man went. z there was a third man.
The hes; .racAers IN Queensland could De
engaged for this state a. IS a month.
thslr clothes and raszonS
i may &c Of interest 10 give SOME In
stances OF. the skill OF these back track
ers In following a trail. Our n the Never
Never co2nt-y, as Western Queensland
used 20 be called when II WAS first taken
W, nearly every white man usei 10 have
one o. more 'T,.2cA Boys attached 70 him
These boys were used mostly for driving
spare horses and for tracking missing
stock. BY tia camp FIRE AZ a.ghts. after
the virtues OF his horse the steckrnan's
cosnsuoness subject Of conversation VAS
t7e merits o. his niger" as a trh,ker.
Discussion used 20 MAX warm on the $40
jet. and ar excited siockmaa has been
heard 70 declare. and. ike - Peter OF old.
confirm it with an oath. that his part!ca-
lar black boy could track mosquito
over STONE ridge
Following an Old Trail.
When settlement reache: out west n
Queensland beyond the Peak downs. the
arzt station taken W 8 as al The Ararnac.
The superintendent was man OF won
Gerful nerve and ensuraHce. He was
man s.x feet SIX inches in height. OF enor-
snoas physical strength. bat gentle as
woman unless he thought that sroug had
been Done. and then God help the man that
Old IL Oae one occasion =. had cts-
charged one 81 the shepherds at an out
station. The man went in. drew his pay,
and stated that she Superintendent said
he was 70 take a remarkably fine collie
dog wlch him. He was allowed 70 ,aks the
bog and started OF. Some days later tie
superintendent came home and learned OF
the theft % his dog He Immediately start
ssd IN pursuit. taking two rlsck boys. well
mounted. With him. \ mile beyond the
Ara1lsc township they picked Gp the track
Of a man leading dog. The black hoys
got one or each side Ct Il aud ever l.et
* until on the afternoon Of the sesont, DAY
out they ran down the nan. who had
seven DAYS start OF them. Re as camp
&c az a pisce called Douglas Pond. The
superintendent; made slm cook supper,
then Unlisted an anHount cs corporal pun
;shment Ola him thar hyperzsnsItive .-~opss
might think excessive. ard finally rung
htrn into the creek % cool OF. This re-
sTsGr&abls pieca OF tracking was done
through 8 country heavily stocked with
sheep, which ohEterAte tracks almost as
sTectsrsiIy as heavy fall OF ram.
On one occasion ] was hunting for a
Valuable bull that had wandered away
and Joined 81 with a nesgh5er's oa,;ie. a
herd of some tan thousand head. / has
with IRE an excellent black boy, ard ~
track e3 rhe s1.fi for over thirty miles I'LL
we found him right "a the middle OF my
neighbours cattle. Among the n iilfons %
boot prints my black fellow never lo~s The
trail ne was following for more than few
seconds AZ tine.
On ons OCCASION AZ Cnr<e- mas tire took
his same black hoy With me from Queens
LAND down into New sosz-fs Wales ! Apart
IN. holiday season with some friends or
ths Upper Murray river, Tot very Ear
from Mount Ko@c.sz>ko, re hs<he~- PIN
aacs> o. - Australian Alps TIE aeorsx-
.nal o'arxs have long axe daS@ppearea from
that s-rttssr % tas country. sns. my black
eoy was looked upon 80 eyss1ezhst Of
curiosity. and the news OF his arrival seen
circulated IN the district
Tracked Fifty Miles.
A few ssye after orr arrival ward was
brought II tsass q young woman who Raj
lost her tssby Rad gone crazy an. war
:e~ed away in TO bush A searsh party
had ben or, booking fo- hs1 FOR several
Oars. bur could snd 10 trace. l. 81 coSr~e
a. once sss~tes osss - tofn IN ths sesreh.
Taxing my back coy. we rrccs toT aer 30
re wn-rAn's hCrySa. ~ss5Nr~ ! g1oTe8 hlr1
ost- ~ hsr a. o.~s T-hs grssEnA saz vesy
much trasn pist t0vr ua8r tke a1ass 50 We
ufsa@ =ase ~as1, zfs1gt Earea u7ilss OF.
ra+nx In a ~a-cls. CTns~ ~ tbs bark - r2se
Murray rvev "a traes@r htF "a srall. an
~. sossow = az fas; - oar ao~@~s coss1t
waTE 7 cor4as $50 Bothfnw pa, Ta@ re-
wzrs@. after few yusle. 80 r. rgssng a seft
Fisf~n AZ clay Hae~= ~ f0otrs4aEs of wT1.~
r1sn We~s ptsiulv VISIBLE.
Tia summer rhe 81 GRAY VS. very Ja=v-
Christmas. II coSrs- - Aboss sfs.5 -sgsT-s -ser
IA Asfstrslla-ans re found that tAr MES
s-w w0uan has crossed 81 wAavs * KaS
os3y knee ts~p Mr. De K fe,fow here a.
c-ogsres1 piece % tssAs -Ssira ssas naa yraa-
ably gSs-. for garter. Hitherto ne sad
fai1o~@s 40 t1@ river srs we7s nfa-ay "a r.
- -1.'sR FTe1a tha efa g bone hfser
-re@sfrr -. r5se- ~ *raess fafseH~3
sozra II arr 81 aheszs frsser =, se -
found re unfortunate rlrh gre was -
tag u-.3sr waite b4xh Nne singing p
N~rsest. Shs 90 no- Ioos = shs iesr. ~
hsAzssf@si zrs Ass t~~~-~ rz+serf-w ferns = N
A1wevs x which STE na1 Tstfs 3 sse~k
5H%4 I'D nor - a. f~wr, sFs8 v-a~1 @As@
ID shs s-rssrTs - ars rar. fei3gTve-3 hsr
n.s1srg the s7a~k feEsasw E4eo asek 49,
.et re foia .~- after = i5ttls or7s world
rot ias re S'aes s-7v eNvrG nsar ss~ -
\ - was fhs 8~wg 41S - rfAfef9 lsygsse
slgiv enough so~ T. ! tssok sh@ sack soy
hc~~e aa8 pct aer ~ g. tststnT !stn fp33os7w
OF scet sne axe. perfectly es9here-fs az
IRE wav bo-n@ u~tfs s1e earu@ "a esxls -
se~nk -. sra