Daily camera., 1901-12-26
A MURDERoUs BAND.
Australian Secret Society Pledged
to Kill and Destroy.
Operate Under . KiaS whose Word
L. LAW-0ethod Of OFGaAtsA-
ti0A anA Procedure Of
Execution.

Execution.
1t is now something like 10 years
since the British government was
much disturbed by the depredations of
what appeared to be an organized band
Of murderers operating throughout
New South Wales. The organization
was . secret one and at first seemed
hardly worth while noticing But be-
fore Ave years had passed it was SO
powerful that the government found
itself forced to arm even the constab-
ulary with revolvers and to instruct
them not to be too slow about shoot
ing in order to give them some means
OF protection against the criminals
who had been enrolled under the So
eietX's rules. Since then, despite con-
slant warfare made on it by the po-
many cities are terrorized periodical
ly by its members and il threatens Aus
tralia much as the Molly Maguires
threatened the United States. says an
eastern exchange.
This Australian secret murder So
ciety is known as Larrikin. The Lar
rikin is divided into branch societies
known as pushes. Each push has a
king. whose word il law
The member Of a push must do what
ever the king directs. be it robbery,
arson or murder. In turn the entire
push stands by him and will stop at
nothing. however desperate. to rescue
him IL he is taken. So we'll have many
OF the pushes proved their ability TO
do this that in the districts where the y
are most powerful II is common for
them TO commit all sorts Of Grimm al
acts in full daylight and practically
publicly.
There is little really secret about the
organization of these pushes. Nearly
everything concerning them is known.
SO far as their methods of selecting
new members, Furnishing traitors and
so on are concerned. But all the ef-
forts OF the police have been unavnil.
ing to find out who the kings are.
Any male youth more than II years
old who lives permanently in push h
distric. is eligible for member shi p.
Should he wish TO join he sends the
king written application and fee
bof ten shillings. which is one of the
kings perquisi,es OF Office. On rsceiv-
ing the application the king calls to-
gether his five councillors, whom he in.
structs to make inquiries and report.
4 meeting of the push then is cen
yened and the applicant is accepted or
rejected on a show Of hands II ac-
cepted he serves as q provisional initi-
ate for a period of six months. Then,
after subscribing his name to the
push book" which is a book wherein
are recorded the crimes committed by
the push. he becomes a fu!l-fedged
member and 10 made acquainted with
the push's code of laws. No oath is
administered and there is no ceremony
or form OF introduction whatsoever.
The first and most stringent dixci.
pline of push law enforces obedience
TO constituted authority. What the
king says goes" is their own phrase
and the contravention Of the maxim
Is punishable in the first instance with
the sock" in the second with death
The sock is popular with all Larri
kins. who dearly love an opportunity
of witnessing its infection. The Of
fender is stripped, gagged and strapped
face downward along an ordinary
wooden bench. whereupon the execu-
TONERS beat him in turn with a stock
ing filled with wet sand until his flesh
is completely raw. His wounds are
then salted and he is kept il prison
until recovery. On such occas sions pro.
ceedings are conducted with the
gravest decorum; no one is permitted
to speak and unnecessary violence il
stern.y prohibited. No sympathy is
manifested for the victim, and such 8
circumstance as a protest against the
barbarity Of the punishment is abso
lutely unknown.
Tn. death penalty is rarely exacted
in the case Of members Of the frater
nifty, but outsiders who have incurred
the push vengeance are killed regular
ly. The king chooses for executioneri
score OF his subjects, Of whom a,
least seven are the latest recruits OF
the order. The victim is surrounded
stunned and thrown to the ground
No deadly weapon is employed. Each
OF the push silently kick the body OF
the PROSTATE victim until life is ex
tinct. Thus all the 20 are equally
guilty Of murder, and probably nc
member Of any push has been enrolled
for a longer period than two year,
without being thus stamped with the
hallmark at pushdom.
If o member desires to sever hi
connection with his push or TO depart
from the push district in order to live
elsewhere he is allowed to do 30 only
after having signed confession OF
having committed, single-handed, ths
last capital crime of which the push i,
guilty. This document is handed tc
the. king, who files it in the push book
which is naturally kept in q place o,
security. This book is the one strong
and yet weak spot in the push system
II 1t were conveyed to the hands O.
the authorities the whole push woult
have to stand self-arraigned and self
condemned as murderers and accesso
ries. But SO long as each member
name IL in the book with his record o.
crimes, so long is he the helpless slav'
Of the king. Therefore the pushes real
Ice that their safety depends upon thu
careful preservation Of these memo
rials. At important gatherings tn
book must be produced, that members
may have an opportunity OF reaxsur
ing themselves by perusing confes
sions which transfer and fasten theil
joint burdens on the shoulders Of alb
sent individuals, >