BLACK MAGIC

Grey River Argus, 20 August 1937, Page 5

BLACK MAGIC

DARWIN ABO RESIGNED. DARWIN August 5. Among the' passengers by the upcountry train this morning was Harry, police boy from Darwin, returning to Katherine to die. Harry is a fine, upstanding aborigine, an excellent worker, and has been employed at the Darwin police mess for I years. Recently he discivered that another aborigine had pointed the death bone at him to encompass his death. Harry has given up all hope of surviving. At his own request the police have paid his fare to Katherine, where he will prepare to die among his own tribe, who will later on avenge his death if they can. In New Guinea anyone pointing the bone or encompassing the death of another through scorcry is hanged but no action is contemplated against Harry’s killer. Bone-pointing is still prevalent in the Territory, and few aborigines survive it unless they can track down and kill the bonepointer before his magic has worked to far. They usually acquiesce and die.