ABORIGINAL’S REVENGE

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 September 1939, Page 13

ABORIGINAL’S REVENGE

HONOURABLE IN TRIBAL LAW. SYDNEY, August 8. Eparry, an Arnhem Land aboriginal, is, in the eyes of his tribesmen, an honourable man for revenge he is supposed tojiave taken. According to the white man’s code, Eparry is a criminal, and he has been taken to Darwin to face a charge of murder. The arrest of Eparry and four other aboriginals followed the killing late last year of (another member of their tribe, Chowar Chark, to whom Eparry’s wife is said to have transferred her affections while Eparry ivas serving a sentence in Darwin gaol. Chowar Chark was a half-brother to Eparry, and refused to return the wife when Eparry was released from gaol. In acordance with tribal law, five men of the tribe swore vengeance on Chowar Chark, and he was speared to death v/hile camped in Arnhem Land, between the Wilton and Goyder rivers.

Although the victim died several months ago, the five suspects were arrested only recently, when they returned to the same camp, after a period of wandering. Knowing that it was useless to try to track down the suspects earlier, Constable J. J. Mahoney, of the Noi them Mounted Police Station at Roper River, waited until he heard that the tribe had returned. He then rode with blacktrackers 200 miles on horseback to make the arrests. He had to escort the prisoners -300 miles in a motor truck to Mataranka and 250 miles more to Darwin. All the aborigines expect Eparry were released when charged in the Darwin Police Court. Eparry is alleged to have made the death throw,