CHARGED WITH MURDER

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 April 1938, Page 2

CHARGED WITH MURDER

EVIDENCE OF TRIBAL FET’D. DARWIN, April fl. Johnny, or Pompan./a six-feet-three Brin ken aboriginal from the Daly River district, appeared in court to-day on a charge of having murdered Jimmy, or Magintee. a Muluk Muluk tribesman. He was committed for trial. Twenty witnesses were brought into Darwin, by Constable Turner, of Daly River. Their English names included Charlie. Ah Eat. Peanut, Paddy, and Alligator. Constable Turner said that, early in February, a fight occurred over a lubra, and one man. Fat Dick, was speared in the eye and died. His death caused another light, during which, the prosecution alleged. Johnny speared Jimmy. Johnny in turn was speared by a nephew of Jimmy, but recovered from his wound. On February 22 witness went through flooded country to the old Daly River landing, where he found Johnny lying in a gunyah, with spear wounds in the abdomen and knee.

When arrested, Johnny said: “Fat Dick, my mate. Him got speared and I got wild, ment mad and speared Jimmy.”

Ah Fat, a Moyle boy, said that during a fight, Johnny seized his shov-el-nosed spear and hurled it at Jimmy. The spear penetrated his body. Witness pulled it out but Jimmy died two days later. A shovel-nosed spear, tipped with a flattened and sharpened piece of iron, was produced in court. CONTRADICTORY EVIDENCE..

Peanut, who was once a. black-track-er then known as Richard, said that the fight was over Fat Dick, and demonstrated in the courtroom, with a sp'ear, how the fatal wound was caused.

Wak, a. young semi-Myall, gave most conflicting and contradictory evidence and ultimately the Magistrate moved him to a seat alongside his table. Wak said he was frightened to stand near Johnny, and explained that he had speared Johnny after his uncle, Jimmy, had been killed. When, after a long explanation by the Magistrate. Wak understood that, he had told contradictory stories, he explained: “I no more speak alonga. Court. I still little bit Myall.” The aboriginal witnesses were sworn by the Magistrate in the following terms: “You savvy Court? You speak true feller; no more gammon; no more humbug? You bin tellem what, you see alonga eye, no more what other blackfeller bin tellem you?”

The new vicar was calling on his parishioners, and in one house he found a woman sitting by the fire listening to the radio. After chatting for a few moments, he said, pointing to the set, “Don’t you think it would look much better and more like a home, if in the place of that radio sot your had a baby in a cot?” “Well, if you say so, 1 suppose it’s all right,” she said; “but the only thing is I’m .not married.”