TRAPPER'S DEATH

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 126, 23 November 1935, Page 6

TRAPPER'S DEATH

MURDERED BY BLACKS

SIGNS OF A STRUGGLE

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, November 13.

Jack O'Brien, dingo trapper, the story of whose disappearance in the desert in the far north-west of Aus-tralia-was told in a message a fortnight ago, has been found dead. It is practically certain that he was murdered by treacherous, nomadic aborigines of those parts..

At the end of August O'Brient set out from Anna Plains Station, south of Broome, to prospect for gold and hunt dingoes, taking.provisions for twd months. On October 18, a Mr. Munro, a grazier, whose station is 40 miles east of Anna Plains, came to Anna Plains, and reported that O'Brien's camels, one of which was saddled, had wandered to his homestead. He com-' municated with the Broome police, but as there were no available police; Munro and Mr. T. Gray volunteered to. search, as foul play -was feared. The party left Anna Plains, well-provision-ed, on October 20, and returned this week. . ■.-..■

They reported that they' found the body of O'Brien 90 miles east of Anna Plains. O'Brien was apparently mur : dered about five miles from his camp! Everything indicated that a fierce struggle had preceded his death.

It is surmised that, after O'Brien had held off the natives for some time and after he had shot, one native, his rifle jammed. It is estimated that about 15 natives made the attack and closing in on him bludgeoned him to death. - After killing O'Brien, they carried the body 400 yards and buried it, with the rifle, in a shallow grave! Following a track which indicated that a body had been ■ dragged over sand; the searchers found, about a mile from the scene of the struggle, the decomposed body of. a native, which had been placed in a" tree. ''." I

Broome police are considering plan^ for endeavouring to capture the murderers. On account of the waterless spaces, camels are the only means of searching. Several men from Anna's Plains Have volunteered to assist and believe the natives can be' caught when they come to waterholes, whiclv are very few at this time of the. year. Messrs. Munro and Gray; did not see any natives during their search, but the nomads have been troublesome in the'district for many years; "-.-. j