The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-23
Wild White Men.

Apropos OF the marvellous story told
! BY Louis Rougemont. the Pail Mall Ca
zette has this 10 say concerning white
/ men who have lived among the natives
/ OF Australia as one Of themselves.
The ETst record OF Wild white men was
/ William Buckley. native OF Maccles-
I ned. and a. The close OF the last cen
/ tury soldier n the Fourth. or Kings
own Regiment On December u. $50, IN
/ company with six other soldiers. ne was
/ involved n an attempt on the life OF the
Duke OF Kent He was sentenced TO
transportation for life and taken out in
! convict ship 10 the Antpodes During
orieI stay az the head OF what IS now
! ne haroor OF Melbourne ne contrived to
I escape in company with two other con
NlctS- Inc latter psrisasd-aow was never
ascertsined-and when Buckley was SUB
Seque1tly questioned as 10 Their fate he
was exceedingly rercent and disconcert-
( Ed Ihat u was case OF cannibalism
/ was the general belief OF the early set
I tiers around Melbourne. Anyhow. in the
/ last stages OF hunger ard privati0a.
Buckley lay down upon what proved 10
be the grave OF a recently buried chief
/ Luckily for him the widow came along
and supsrsCtiouSly concluded that her
dear departed had returned 10 life in the
shape Of a white man she promptly an
nexeG him as her own. led him 10 the
camp OF the blacks. explained the circum-
stances under which she had found him.
and secured his admission as chief OF
the tribe. position for which he was
physically well qualified. as he was a man
OF great stature IS feet inchesl.
strength and endurance.
For the next = years Buckley led the
lie OF savage. hunting. fishing. and
fighting with the tribe that adopted him.
{ = NJ - - .
blacks anything or raised them IN any
degree in the scale OF civilization. lie
SIMPLY became one OF themselves and
ada pied himself 10 his new environment
Ia every respect-perhaps his best and
wisest course under the circumstances.
II was on July II. 1885. that he saw
white face for the first time after the
lapse OF more than 30 years on that
day the pioneers OF the city OF Melbourne
landed from their little schooner and
Buckley advanced to meet them lie had
by this time become but httle superior
10 the savages around him. but the new
corners noticed the comparatively light
color OF his skin. He tried 10 summon
up some English words from the depths
OF his memory. and at last succeeded In
articulating the word bread" He made
himself very useful an interpreter be-
tween the new white settlers and the
don the imperial authorities magnani-
mously drew the sponge over his offence
and sent him free pardon. He enjoyed
a small pension in his later years. and
lived until February , 1856. when he was
thrown out OF cart and Killed in his
18th year The site Of the present town
of Geelong. about forty miles from
Melbourne, was the headquarters OF the
tribe TO which Buckley was attached dur
ing his three decades OF savage life. Three
miles from Geelong there IS stfl shown a
cave in a river forge where he is said 20
have resided. and the adjacent rapids con-
tinue TO perpetuate his name as Buckley's
Falls.
James Morrill,. a native OF Msldou. Es-
sex. was the sole survivor OF the ship
v reck OF the bark Peruvian, THAI struck
on a reef off the northeastern coast Of
Queensland on March s. 1876 He lived
with the Queensland blacks until his rescue
in February, 1862. Another shipwreCk
sailor. John RentOn by name. was with
the Queenstown blacks for an even long
er period. % years. The story Of little
cabin boy named Narcisse Pierre Pella-
tier, ought TO have attracted the atten-
ton of the boys novelists long before
now. He engaged as cabin boy on the
St. Paul, bound from China 20 Australia !
with $50 Chinese emigTauts. She also /
struck on a reef on the northeastern coast /
OF Queensland. Officers and crew got 4
away in the boats. not troubling them 4
selves about the Chinese passengers. and 4
in their hurry forgetting the little cabin 4
boy who was subsequently, found BY the /
blacks in a dying condition IN a Granny I
along the rocks. They nursed him back .
TO life. Jed him. treated him lell and. IN .
fact made him the pet OF the tribe. Near
" all the Chinese Messengers were cap
tured by the blacks and eaten up Two al I
a time. The flesh Of the Chinaman IS
esteemed a great deliCacy by the canni-
bal blacks OF Queensland. From the
point OF view Of cannibai. a vegetarian (
is vastly superior 10 a meat-eater. Little
Pellatier lived with the blacks for u .
years. and was rescued by British ship
the John Bell on April Il. $50 Re !mme-
diately returned 20 France. where he may
be still living. He would now be d man
OF between ~ and 50