A TERRIBLE MASSACRE BY BLACKS.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1839, 14 January 1880, Page 3

A TERRIBLE MASSACRE BY BLACKS.

[From the " Cooktown Courier."] The p.b. Ocfai brings news of a horrible murder by the bloodthirsty savages at Raine Island, situate about sixty miles from the mainland. The following particulars were received from Mr J. B. Robinson, partner of English, one of the murdered men. Mr Robinson writes from Raine Island under date Bth November, and states that he left the island on the 27th October laßt for the mainland for wood and water, intending to also visit the Piper Island light-ship, where letters for the firm were sent, leaving behind J. H. English (his partner), two Chinamen, and six natives, of which three, including a gin and a boy, wore taken off one of the islands Bouth of Ruine Island, and the remainder of the party had secured from the mainland beforo starting. On his return to the island on the sth November, Robinson found only the boy, who informed him that on the night he had left Riinn Island English sent two boys to sleep in the boat, so as to be able to bring her close to the shore in the morning, he (Robinson) having taken the dingy away, ar.d the sharks being too numerous to swim off with safety. English went to sleep in his grass hut, the two Chinamen sleoping in another hut, and the woman in the store-room, which the mainland natives also occupied. The latter, it appears, had a "corroboree" that night, after finishing which they committed the terrible deed, employing to accomplish their devilish purpose a knife used for cutting up turtle. Their work on shore done, the bloodhounds made for the boat, where they found the boy who has escaped to tell the mournful tale, who

was asleep on (.he deck, when ho was stabbed i i either his left or his right side and thrown overboard for dead. He, however, recovered, and swam to the opposite side of the other boat, which was at anchor. The other boy was asleep bolow, but was not so fortunate, as he was killed before being thrown overboard. The camp was then plundered, and before daylight the perpetrators of the atrocious crimes left with the boat.

From the above it will be seen that the slayers selected the hour of sleep for their murderous work, and Robinson states that he found the bodies of the victims in what was apparently the position they were lying-in when asleep. Death was no doubt almost instantaneous, as there were what Robinson terms "spear wounds" behind each ear of the bodies, the knife before referred to being doubtless the weapon employed to make those gashes. English's rifle and revolver, which the unfortunate man always kept at the head of his bed, were amongst the things taken away ; and it seems singular that the savages made no attempt to carry off the second boat at anchor. The explanation is perhaps to be found in the smallness of the party, which was most probably formed solely of the three blacks from the mainland. In fact, there wore, if the surviving boy is to be credited, no others to join them. Mr Robinson states that the native woman's corpse was found in the storeroom, the other four murdered being English, two Chinamen, and the southern blackfellow, who was asleep on board one of the boats at anchor with the black boy, who escaped. The reason for putting to death the gin and the blackfellow, and the attempt to do likewise with the black boy, is easily explained by the fact that the three were southern aboriginals, and the three slayers natives of Cape York.