[“Murder by Aborigines”, The Argus (Melbourne), Wednesday 24 March 1909, page 8]
MURDER BY ABORIGINES
PERTH, Tuesday.
On January 31 Frederick Massen reported to the police at Derby that his mate, John Pritchard Jones, with whom he was pearling in Yampi Sound, went ashore from the lugger with some natives on January 24, and had not returned. After the departure of Jones Massen was attacked by another native, who remained on the lugger, and Massen was forced to kill the native in self defence. He waited three days for Jones but as he did not put in an appearance Massen sailed to Derby and reported the matter.
A police party under Corporal Brodie was sent out about a fortnight ago. They reported that they had found the remains of some of Jones’s clothes in a deserted native’s camp, and they had concluded that Jones had been murdered.
This morning the commissioner of police received the following telegram from Sub-inspector McCarthy, of Derby:—“Re disappearance of Jones, police party returned from Obagooma, and reports having searched the coast from Graveyard to Collier Bay for traces of Jones without success. Country very rough. Natives concerned supposed to be on islands adjacent to Yampi Sound. Constable Fletcher gone to Robinson Station.”
AB notes:
This Corporal Brodie is John T. Brodie, who would later criticise his colleagues for exploitation and corruption in relation to the arrest of Aborigines for cattle killing.
