The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-08-16
THE BLACK TRACKERS
AUSTRALIANS WHO CAN FOI,LOw
TRAILS BETTER THAN HOUNDS.
Examples of Remarkable ~Sagacity sf
Native Busbmen Doing Police
Service for Ranch Owners
San Francisco Chronicle.

authorities have not at their disposal ade-
quate means for the detection and capture
OF the perpetrators of these crimes. The
most notable recent case Is that of Dun
ham. the San Jose murderer, who might
have been easily captured under certain
conditions. Another case is that OF Sheriff
Douglass, who has just met his death in
the discharge of his duty I'm Nevada coun-
~. There is a doubt as TO how Sheriff
Douglass was killed. but who did the kill
ing Is not an assured fact. AZ these doubts
wouid DE set at rest IL the State had In it's
employ two or three experienced Australian
black crackers For the purpose of trailing
fugitives in rural districts outside of cities
and towns. and in wild and waste places
beyond civilization, the Australian blacks
have the sagacity of bloodhounds and the
advantage of speech in communicative
their discoveries.
In New South Wales and Victoria the
aboriginal native is almost extinct bue
i'm Queensland. the northern territory cf
south Australia and west Australia. there
are still plenty Of them. Tn black
mounted police of Queensland is q smart
and efficient body Of men that has done
wonders for the protection Of white set
tiers i'm the sparsely populated districts OF
that immense colony. and California would
have no difficulty in securing the services
OF one or two of the crackers who have
been thoroughly trained in this force. For
service in this State. however. IL might
be better TO employ half-casts. who are
just as good crackers when they have
grown up with the aboriginal tribes in
which they were born. In the case OF
Durham n good Australian black tracker
MOUiQ never have lost his fFcpE< altar
being put on to them until he found his
man. In the case OF Sherin Douglass he
would have told from the tracks on tho
ground Just how many men We're there
and how the shooting occurred. and which
way. the third man went. IL there was q
land could be engaged for this State at
$5 a month, their clothes and rations.
1T may be of interest to give some in
In following a trail. Out in the Never
Never country. as western Queensland
Used to be called when it was first taken
up, nearly every white man used 10 have
che or more black boys attached to him.
These boys were used mostly for driving
spare horses and for tracking missing
the virtues of his horse the stockman's
commonest subject of conversation was the
merits Of his niger as a tracker. Dis
and an excited stockman has been heard
to declare. and. like st. Peter of old. con-
firm it with an oath. that his particular
ofo~h IVY tOtfA aath a lLVFttulsO OltI y
stone ridge" ~
FOLLOWING AN OLD TRAIL.
When settlement reached out west In
Queensland beyond the Peak downs, the
first station taken up was at the Aramac.
The superintendent was a man OF Wonder
full nerve and endurance. He was a man
six feet six inches in height. of enormous
physical strength, but gentle as a woman
unless he thought that wrong had been
done. and then God help the man that did
II. On one occasion he had discharged one
of the shepherds at an out station. The
man went in, drew his pay. and stated that
the superintendent said he was 10 take a
remarkably fine collie dog. with hin- He
was allowed to take the dog and startcs
Off. Seven days later the superintendent
came home and learned of the theft of his
dog. He Immediately started In pursuit.
taking two black boys, well mounted. with
him. A mile beyond the Aramac township
they picked up the track of a man leading
a dog. The black boys got one on each side
OF IL and never left IL until on the after
noon of the second day out they ran down
the man, who had seven days start OF
them. He was camped at a place called
Douglas Pond. The superintendent made
cook supper. then inflicted an amount
of corporal punishment on him that hyper
sensitive people might think excessive, and
finally flung him into the creek to cool of.
through country heavily stocked with
sheep. which obliterate tracks almost as
effectually as a heavy fall Of rain.
valuable bull that had wandered away and
Joined in with a ~neighbor's cattle. a herd
of some ten thousand head. 1 had with me
an excellent black boy, and he tracked the
bull for over thirty miles till we found him
right in the middle of my neighbor's cattle.
Among the millions of hoof prints my black
fellow never lost the trail he was following
for more than a few seconds at a time.
ON one occasion at Christmas time / took
this hlsa same same black ,atd boy boy with sni,5 me from Queens,
the holiday season with some friends on
the Upper Murray river, not very far from
Mount Kosciusko. the highest Gle of
the Australian Alps. The aboriginal blacks
have long ago disappeared from that sec
ton of the country. and my black boy was
Looked upon as somewhat Of a cnsiosity;
in the district
TRACKED FIFTY MILES. =
A few days after our arrival word was
brought in that a young woman who had
lost her baby had gone crazy and wandered
away in the push. A search party had been
out looking for her for several days. but
could find no trace. ]. of course. at once
started out TO join the search. Taking my
black boy. we rode together TO the woman's
house, where 1 showed him a pair of her
shoes. The ground was very much tramp
led down near the house. so we made a
wide east. about three miles out. riding in a
circle. Close TO the bank of the murray
river the tracker hit the trail. and We fol-
lowed IL as fast as our horses could walk.
though some Of IL was over shingiy pebbles.
/ could see nothing. but was rewarded after
a few miles by striking a soft patch of clay
where the footprints of a woman were
That summer the Murray was very
low-Christmas. of course. is about mid
summer I'm Australia-and we found that
the missing woman had crossed It
where 1t was only knee deep. Ny black
which she had probably used for A
garter. Hitherto We had followed VI the
river and were nearly thirty miles from
the woman's home. After crossing the rls-
about fifteen miles We oun the unfor-
tunate girl. She was sitting under a wat
tie bush and singing TO herself. She did
not look In the least exhausted and nad
been gathering ferns and flowers, OF which
she had quite q stock. She did not see Is
at first. and when she did she screamed
and ran. / followed her. bidding the black
fellow keep back She let me join her az
ter a little. but would not let the black
boy come near. She said he was the dew
n. and he certainly looked ugly enough
for il. I took the black boys morse and
put her on IL. letting him follow on loot
She talked perfectly coherent all the way
home until she came in sight Of the house.
OF maniacal fury. She subsequently re-
covered her reason. had "A NUMBER OF
children and is now "A strong woman. men,
Instances could be multiplied 10 any ey-
tent of the services OF the Australian
aboriginals I'm tracking. but enough has
been said 10 show that II is at least worth
while for the authorities In this State 10
make some inquiry INTO the subject OF uti'.
Secretary. or the Chief commissioner OF