A note on Structure
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- Circa June, 1816
8th of May, 1816On 8th May Governor Macquarie issued instructions for Serjeant Broadfoot179 of the 46th Regiment to take sixteen soldiers; Jackson, Powson, Creek Jemmy and Tindall as guides; and scour Bringelly and Cooke. If he encountered hostile natives his orders were to “attack them, and to compell them by force of arms to surrender themselves as prisoners of war, sparing the lives of all the women and children, if possible, when you have occasion to fire on the natives.” Serjeant Broadfoot made the sweep as ordered and reported on the 23rd of May 1816 that no contact had been made.180 Circa June, 1816Toby Ryan’s account of a soldier being killed at the Springwood depot and 20 Aboriginal men, women and children being killed in retribution, near McCanns Island at Emu Plains is rejected by some historians because of chronological inconsistencies. He linked the incident with the building of Cox’s road across the mountains (1814-15) and 1817, the year of his birth. This is not an inconsistency as Cox was involved in maintenance work for a number of years after the initial building of the road. Toby was born at Bird’s Eye Corner, now the Castlereagh Lakes, and the story of the killings by Coolan, Gratten and Kibble was told to him by his parents. Coolan, one of the killers, may have been Thomas Cowling, who was a farmer at Castlereagh when Ryan’s parents were also living there, so it may have been common knowledge in the area.181 The spearing, at the Kurry Jong Brush, of a man called Cooling was reported in the Sydney Gazette of 29th June 1816 leaving the exact identity of this man open. As yet, I have found no record of Gratten, spelt Gratton in Ryan’s index. The Gazette recorded a Kibble living at Fitzgerald’s Valley (now Sun Valley) in the 1830s and there was a record of a Kibble receiving a reward in 1820 for the capture of a bushranger.182James McClelland recorded: “A soldier is murdered by natives at Springwood” in 1816, however, I have not yet identified his source. 183 The military depot at Glenbrook Lagoon, established in 1815, was shifted to Springwood in 1816.184 The Sydney Gazette of 11th May 1816 recorded William Cox being paid ₤225 for “erecting the new depot and other necessary buildings for Government, at Spring Wood”. It is likely that the killing of the soldier and the reprisal raid took place shortly afterwards and before the floods. Ryan’s account is accurate in describing the barracks being manned by three soldiers. Elizabeth Hawkins, who stayed there in an 1822 crossing of the Blue Mountains, described it as being “inhabited by a corporal and two soldiers”.185 As well, there were obviously settlers living in the area, which would not have been the case in 1814. The extract is of interest for several reasons. Firstly it is only one of a few accounts of a massacre where the participants were named. As well, Kibble, Coolan and Gratten were according to Ryan old hands in this line of work. Secondly the quick response to the killing of the soldier which reinforces my contention that there were few killings that were not so responded to. Thirdly it raised the possibility that the Aboriginal guides in taking the settlers to the camp placed their own self interest above common cause with other Aboriginal people. It is possible to speculate on the identity of at least one of the guides.186 Fourthly the chopping off of the soldier’s hands, as happened to Private Eustace and others, clearly indicated that in his afterlife the dead soldier would not be able to harm Aboriginal people. Fifthly the attempt of the mother to climb a tree with her child demonstrated the still palpable Aboriginal fear of guns and the ease with which settlers could kill Aboriginal people in such circumstances. Sixthly when placed in the context of the raid on the government depot on the other side of the Blue Mountains this account suggests that there was an alliance between Aboriginal people on either side of the ranges. Finally, Ryan’s rejection of the assertion “that these men were in the pay of the Government” needs to be placed in the context of the payments made to settlers who acted as guides and the land grants made to Ralph Turnbull and William Stubbs by Macquarie in 1816 “for services rendered the colony in a serious conflict with the black natives.”187 ‘A Ferocious tribe occupied a very advantageous retreating ground from the Grose River via Bell's Line, and in the south via the Cox's River, and could reach any place beyond Bathurst at will.188 Just after the penetration of the Blue Mountains a soldiers' barracks was erected at Springwood, only three soldiers occupying the building, two having to do duty daily a little further up the line, where a road party was making a pass over the mountains, under Captain Cox. The blacks watched their opportunity, killed the soldier stationed at the barracks, and robbed the place, taking the red coats with them, after cutting off the hands of the poor unfortunate victim, and when afterwards they were captured were found playing with the murdered man's hand. There were three well known men then living. Kibble, of Windsor; Tom Coolan, and Gratten,189 of Nepean, who were always foremost in the slaughter of the blacks. It has been stated that these men were in the pay of the Government, but there is no foundation for such an assertion. It was quite evident that no trouble was taken to investigate this affair until many years subsequently. On the occasion alluded to the three men, together with two black trackers, who took great delight in killing what they called wild blackfellow, "Murry mutong" (that is to say, very savage), went in pursuit. On the morning after the murder they were on their track, and followed on until they reached the camp of the night before, and then down McCann's Ridge leading on towards the river.190 Here the pursuers received information that a mob of blacks had passed in sight, some wearing red coats. They followed on the track the whole day, and just about nightfall the trackers got sight of the camp fires on the mountain side, south of the Grose River. The trackers were sent to reconnoitre after the night got dark, and as the blacks had pitched their camp close under some cliffs of rock, they were able to get close up without being observed, and saw what was taking place. Two of the black gins, wearing soldiers' coats, were sitting on a log, each having a hand of the murdered soldier and pulling the sinews together, at the same time singing "Soldier make a do-boy, a do-boy, a do-boy," thus making a song of this cruel and bloody deed. The trackers returned and related what they had seen, and advised the party to wait till morning for the murderous attack. At daybreak next morning they proceeded towards the blacks' camp, and coming stealthily in, they got close up to it when a little dog gave the alarm, and one of the blacks got up, but was shot down almost immediately. The gins and piccaninnies set up a scream, but many were shot before they could rise, others running here and there trying to escape from their pursuers. One of the gins, who climbed up a short bushy tree with her child in her net on her back (the usual mode of carrying children), was shot by Kibble, who also took the piccaninny and dashed its brains out against a tree near where its mother lay, saying as he did so, "Nits would come to lice." About one-half (numbering about 20) were slaughtered on that memorable morning by the three bloodthirsty wretches. This was the last of Kibble in Cumberland. He soon after left for Bathurst, and subsequently he and a party went to a place now known as Rylestone and other places, committing similar atrocities.’191 Ryan’s account may possibly be substantiated by J. C. L. Fitzpatrick, in the Windsor and Richmond Gazette, 9th September 1893, and chapter five of his 1900 work, The Good Old Days. ‘When a young man, I remember news came from the settlers that the Emu blacks were very troublesome, and had been spearing the settlers' cattle; and the soldiers quartered at Windsor were sent in pursuit to what is now known as Emu Plains, and caught some of the culprits red-handed, the spears sticking into some of the bullocks. Notwithstanding the fact that no opposition to their capture was made by the blacks, the soldiers shot several of the poor wretches down, and when I went over the place a day or two afterwards, I counted seventeen of them lying dead with in about four rods of ground.’192 Soon after the return of the expeditions there was a period of tidying up and social engineering. On the 7th of May Macquarie rewarded the soldiers and guides who took part in the punitive expedition. In rewarding the guides it is noteworthy that John Warbey, who on 10th April refused to assist Captain Wallis in his duties, received the same amount as his colleagues. Tuesday, 7th of May 1816: Pay ‘I this day paid the following Sums of money – or granted Orders on the King's Stores for Liquor, Provisions, and Slops, to the undermentioned European and Native Guides, Constables, Carters &c. who accompanied the Military Detachments recently employed against the Natives: Vizt. — Remunerations in Cash — To John Warbey – Guide £12. –. – Curcy. To John Jackson – Guide £12. –. – do. To John Pawson – Guide £12. –. – do. To Thomas Simpson – Guide £12. –. – do. To Joseph Mc.Loughlin – Guide £12. –. – do. To Christopher Anderson – Carter £5. –. – do. To Henry Mc.Kudding – Cart Hire &c. £9. 5. – do. To Thomas Nobles – Guide £3. –. – do. To Corpl. Partridge 46th. Repairing Carts £3. –. – do. To Private Lidstone 46th. Repairing Carts £3. –. – do. Total Cash Remunerations £80. 5. – Curcy. The 5 first mentioned Guides received also from the Store each a Complete Suit of Slops including Shoes and Blankets – and also four Days Provisions. — To each Noncomd. Officer & Soldier employed on the late Service, there were issued from the King's Store one Pair of Shoes and Half a Pint of Spirits. Remunerations to Native Guides: — To Bidjee Bidjee To Harry To Bundell To Tindall To Colebee To Creek-Jemmy – or Nurragingy Each a Complete Suit of Slops including Blanket – 4 Days Provisions, Half Pint of Spirits – and Half Pound of Tobacco. I also gave Orders on the Store to the undermentioned Commissioned Officers employed on the late Service against the Natives for the quantities of Spirits specified against their respective Names – as Donations from Government to defray in part their Extra Expences whilst Employed on the said Service: Vizt. To Captain Schaw 15 Gallons To Captain Wallis 15 Gallons To Lieut. Dawe 10 Gallons To Lieut. Grant 10 Gallons To Lieut. Parker 10 Gallons To Asst. Surgeon Bush 10 Gallons N.B. To each of the Noncomd. Officers & Soldiers of the 46th. Regt. left out on Duty in the Bush, the same indulgences are intended to be given on their return to Head Quarters as have been granted to their Brother Soldiers already come in. — L. M.’193 Directory: docs docs -> Application for acem docs -> Observational Assessment of Teaching Practices Teaching Assessment Initiative Proposal Submitted to The Teachers for a New Era project docs -> Traditional British values docs -> From Warfighters to Crimefighters: The Origins of Domestic Police Militarization docs -> Borzoi Club of America Register of Merit Program I. What is a Register Of Merit docs -> Protecting the rights of the child in the context of migration docs -> United Nations E/C. 12/Esp/5 docs -> 9th May 1950 the schuman declaration docs -> Getting To Outcomes® in Services for Homeless Veterans 10 Steps for Achieving Accountability Download 3.05 Mb. Share with your friends:
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