The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1841-10-29 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

MURDER OF MR. JOHN LAYMAN. It is our painful duty to record the murder of one of our settlers in the Vasse District, by one of the Aborigines. The unhappy sufferer, with his wife and family, by means of his assiduity, and application to the life a settler, was rapidly accumulating an independence, when, alas ! their hopes have been thus untimely blighted. The father of a family is murdered by a savage, in the act of protecting his own property, and insisting upon the equal distribution of a portion of damper, or bread, given in consideration of services performed by another native. We are depending in a great measure upon mere report for the present account, but we have every reliance it will be found substantially correct. The native had stolen some flour from Layman during the day, and subsequently robbed one of his companions of a damper. The unfortunate deceased remonstrated with the savage, and confiding in that security which we are all too ready to believe we hold, took him by the beard and shook him According to their usage and habits, no greater violation of the person can be inflicted ; the man instantly called for a spear, arid pearsed it through his body. The sufferer had scarcely turned round and called for his gun, when he 1 I fell lifeless.  The deed was considered so atrocious that the military stationed at the Vasse were called out, and, accompanied by the government resident, J. Molloy, Esq., and Mr. Bussell, they followed the tracks of the offending party. They came upon their resting place at night, and Mr. Bussell, who is well acquainted with their language, distinctly heard them exulting over this barbarous outrage, arid threatening, that as this was the first blow which had been struck for some time, it should be followed up by the extermination of the very parties who were listening to their boasted assurance. A conviction that the murderer was one of the number of those who were planning the diabolical acts to be committed, and hearing the imitation of the dying man's gurgle in his throat. it was instantly resolved to capture the whole party. The attempt, however, being forcibly resisted, in the scuffle five natives were shot, and the real offender escaped. It is to be hoped that he will be brought to justice before long. This summary proceeding will, no doubt, bring down upon the recriminating party the cry of unjustifiable homicide. Be it so. Bring any one of the cream-faced objectionists in the same position, and see would they not do the tame thing were they in the same place. There cannot be a question that the salutary chastisement thus inflicted will be the means of saving much bloodshed; and that the supremacy of power must be upheld is equally indisputable. Coupled, therefore, as our conduct has been with acts of kindness and consideration for their situation, as contrasted with us of civilised life—the benefits we have conferred upon them for outweighing any loss they may have experienced from our occupation of their lands—and the uniform disposition of the whole population to administer to their comforts; these acts combined should at least secure to the distant settler au immunity from unprovoked outrage and security of property. But with the savages of this country, no moral obligation is binding upon them; we state this advisedly, knowing that the greatest acts of kindness— of relief in the hour of necessity—of protection from assailants of a neighbouring tribe—even support in the hour of death, is thought as lightly of by them as though they were conferred from a sense of obligation, or undeserving the simple return of common gratitude. The members of public societies, and meetings at home, may rant, fume, and speechify to their hearts' content, but all this will not avail to unite the link between the savage and the man of civilised habits—this must be wrought by time. We have no reason to commend or disparage the acts of those who have found it necessary to follow up the offending parties in this outrage, but, from lengthened experience in the colony, we are fully satisfied that prompt measures are required, in such instances, not alone to avert future injury, but in mercy to the race of blacks, who will, if unrestrained, carry their lawless violence to such.excesses as may lead to a fearful loss of life to repel their aggressions.