Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-11-26
DUEL WITH sooMERANas.
Story of a Deadly Encounter Between
Australian Aborisines.

DUEL WITH 5OOMEHANGS.
Story Of Deadly Encounter Between
Australian Aborisines.
was visiting at Port Augusta when
the chief justice came to that town to
hold the assizes, writes correspondent
OF the London Field. Port Augusta Is
almost on the border of the desert. In
the immediate neighborhood there was
growing in profusion the salt bush,"
which supports the life Of the sheep
during drought, and the tempting
'prickly jack" a weed good to look
upon but accursed to the farmer, as Its
pointed spur works havoc among the
feeces. Close by we saw prosperous
ostrich farm and a number Of camels,
with their Afghan drivers. about to
start on a journey still further north.
The strange impression Of this jux-
Imposition of old and new was decp-
ened by the nature of the principal case
for trial. II was a charge against Jim
my Wonyilta Of the murder Of Billy
Lee, both aborigines. The story Of the
crime was not complicated. A quarrel
seemed to have arisen through the re-
fusal of the deceased, though of ma
ture years, to submit to initiatory rites
which technically made him young
man." The witnesses were careful to
speak of him always as a 'boy," though
| It was testified that he had few gray
hairs.
The actual conflict between the two
men was conducted with much Of the
punctilio Of duel. Each Of them was
armed with what Is commonly called
the double boomerang; strictly
speaking, 1t should rather be called
club in boomerang form. 1t Is large
and somewhat heavy weapon, not in
tended as missile at all. but used to
infiict a blow which must be delivered
only against the head. The inviolable
etiquette Of such encounters demands
that each combatant In turn shall bend
his head to the attack. not attempting
to repay It until he has steadily suffer-
ed his own chastisement Blow thus
solemnly alternates with blow, until
the man with the stronger arm and
harder head is left the victor. In this
ordeal Billy Lee succumbed.
The witnesses in. this trial were Of
course, mainly aborigines themselves,
for the crime was committed In one Of
their camps. Their demeanor was ex-
tremely nervous. Again and again
they had to be exhorted to hold up
their heads and to speak clearly. One
of them, a strong man with dents upon
his head suggested a long experience
of boomerang duels, tainted In the
course of giving his evidence and an
other collapsed soon as he had left the
box Later witnesses were therefore
allowed to sit, and were frequently re-
freshed by a glass of water which they
would empty at single gulp. Their
evidence was given in pidgin English.
interpreted by a police inspector. who
was protector Of aborigines for that
district. 1855 ~ ~
The counsel for the defense had the
advantage of having lived for some
time among the blacks when q boy.
and could consequently make himself
easily understood by them. You
lyabba Tonga me now" was his intima-
ton that they were now to speak to
him instead Of to his learned brother.
"You tell me straight, no tell Hes"
was SUFFICIENT to emphasize the I'M
portance Of truthful answers. Several
peculiarities in linguistic usage came
out during the examination. The wit
nesses used the word lose" as
euphemism for die and kill" In place
of strike It had the oldest effect to
hear how one man would kill the 9TH
er, and then the other would retaiiate
by killing him.
The peculiar characteristics noted by
the writer's on aboriginal customs were
illustrated In this trial. One was the
blacks inability to count. At one point
It was desired to ascertain what time
elapsed between the death OF the VIC
tim and the giving Of information to
the magistrate. The man who had
himself carried the news could give no
answer when the question was put to
him point blank He was next asked
how many sleeps" he had during his
Journey. This inquiry was also inef-
fectual.
Lastly, the lawyer proceeded In this
fashion: Where you sleep same night
Billy Lee killed? me sleep So-and-
so Creek" was the prompt answer.
The place of sleeping night after night
was then elected until II was easy to
calculate the total interval. So, too,
the time of day at which any event
happened VAS indicated not by mem
ton of the hour, but by pointing to the
quarter where the sun was.
The other characteristic especially
illustrated was the reluctance OF the
friends of the dead man to mention
his name after he is gone. 1t is stat
ed by one Of the latest authorities on
aboriginal practices, N. w. Thomas
that to mention the name OF a dead
man is thought equivalent to summon
ing his ghost, and that to avoid such
calamity words once familiar Will
feven be allowed to drop permanently
out of use. In this case Billy Lees
'1ubra" never once referred to her
dead husband by name in the whole OF
her evidence. She spoke of him inva-
rfably as dead man." II 1t was uncan-
ny to hear Of a man killing his antag-
onist after he had already been killed
himself, 1t gave one no less Of creepy
feeling when this woman told how
dead man" ate his dinner or walked
outside his tent or took up his BOOM
erang.