AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20930, 21 January 1930, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

NATIVES ASSAULTED,

.. STATION MANAGER CHARGED. (United Press Association.) . , (By Electric Telegraph— Copyright.) ; PERTH, January 20. Another mysterious disappearance of natives in the .north-west will be probed when the trial of Bert Smith, manager of a station on the, Fifczroy, River/ is heard. Smith was committed for trial at Derby on seven charges of assaulting natives. • . It is alleged that two white men and two natives rushed the camp and took sis other natives away. One black told the police that they were marched into the bush where the two natives belonging to the white men were sent back. Then the natives were forced to collect saplings to which they were chained, and assaulted, From that time five of the captives have not been seen. Tw;o days afterwards two others were taken into the bush. They also disappeared. ‘ Smith’s mate, ‘ Robinson, was • found dead in the hush later. -One man of the first batch managed to escape. Ho was an important witness in the Police Court. , - ’ • THE SUMMERHILL TRAGEDY. DEATH OP THIRD VICTIM. SYDNEY, January 20. (Received Jan. 20, at 11.15 p.m.) The death of the infant, Brenda Plumb, makes the third victim of the Suramcrhill tragedy. On January 13 William Plumb, aged 40, a carpenter, his wife, Irene (20), and daughter (two anda-half) were each shot through the head at their home at Summerhilh Plumb and hia wife died the same night. The police were of the opinion that Plumb shot his wife and his child, and then committed suicide. THE SURRY HILLS AFFRAY. GREEN - COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. SYDNEY, January 20. (Received Jan. 20, at 11.15 p'm.) At the coroner’s inquiry into the death of Bernard Dalton, who was shot during a gang feud outside a hotel, the coroner committed Francis Green fer trial on a charge of murder, but James Davine, who was subsequently, arrested on the same charge, was discharged The chief witness against Green was Walter Tomlinson, who was woundel on the same occasion. There was a violent underworld affrav at Surry Hills on the night of November 10, a fusillade of revolvers resulting in Bernard Dalton (aged 45), an electrician, being shot dead. His com-, panion, Walter Tomlinson (aged 29), a wharf labourer, was shot in the chest, while .Edward Brady (aged 2D), received a bullet wound in the right hand. Neither Brady nor Tomlinson would give the police any clue to the" assailants. They simply stated that a dispute arose o'er the second Rugby League test in England.