Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-27

Brisbane, Australia, Aug. 22.-If you
will take up map of Australia and
then note the huge indentation in the
northern coast marked by the Gulf Of
Carpentaria, you will see little
group Of islands at the lower end Of
this gulf, designated as the Wellesley
islands. II your map is a good one
you will observe that one of this ar
chipelago is named Mornington Island.
1t is with this island that this arti--
Gle will deal, for it has just been found
that upon it live the most primitive
savages in the world. About the mid
die of June white men landed upon
it's shores probably for the first time.
Certainly no white man had been there
in more than century. Undoubted.
ly these men explored territory which
had never been trod by any civilized
person.
Hitherto Overlooked.
1t was one of the few spots upon
the earth's surface, this island. that
had been overlooked altogether by the
man of the steam engine, the tele-
graph, the steamship. Nay, more, II
had not been visited even by other say,
ages, SO far as is known, and it had
been in undisturbed possession of men
and women of the race lowest in the
human scale since the human family
began ages ago.
All this came to light through DR.
Roth of Queensland, northern protec
tor of aborigines, an official cores
bonding in some respects to our In
dian commissioner, and Charles He'd
ley, F. L. S., conchologist of the Aus
tralian museum of Sydney. DR.. Roth is
one of the leading ethnologists of the
world, and he intends to write an ac
curate account of the event Mr.. He'd
Icy has been studying the mollusca o
Australia for fifteen years and of lat,
trips to the north coast of the CONT
nent.
An Interesting Trip.
DR.. Roth invited him to accompan,
him upon his annual cruise in the gulf
which is part of his duty as protecto
of aborigines, and Mr.. Hedley gladl.
accepted. The two scientists took ;
mail steamer about two months agt
to Thursday Island, which lies just of
the horn that sticks upward iron
Australia toward New GuineaT an,
there, after delay of ten days, du
to the illness of a captain, the,
boarded the cutter Melbidir
Thursday Island is worth an articl
itself
The cutter ran down the west sid
of the York Peninsula to Batavia riy
err, which runs into the Gulf of Carper
taria. Here stop was made at tn
Mapoon mission for the aborigines
Then the party ran on, skirting tn
shores Of the gulf until they came t
the Welman group, which consists G
bloomington Island, Sweer's Island an
Bentinck Island.
Sweer's Island holds some whites
who drove away or killed off tn
blacks there Bentinck Island is will
as wild can be, but whites visi
it now and then. Mornington ha
never been so visited, so far as it
known.
DR.. Roth and Mr.. Hedley wer
ashore on arriving off Bentinck Islant
They we're armed, as were the tam
blacks they had brought with them 0
the cutter, some of these being mi
sion boys from Mapoon. They pen
trated a short distance into the busl
which was not far from being q jul,
gle, for it should be remembered thu
northern Australia reaches up we
within the tropics.
Discover the Savages.
Suddenly Mr. Hedley saw a savas
black face peering at him over
bush. The face disappeared quick
and then the two gentlemen heal